After multiple “Shipageddons” or threats of one, Peak holiday season now looms every year as shippers’ greatest challenge. But Thanksgiving and Christmas are not the only holidays on the calendar.

In fact, holidays not associated with gift-giving—like July 4, Labor Day or Memorial Day—can trip you up even worse… because you’re not expecting shipping delays.

Here’s how you can avoid a delay in shipping over holidays and long weekends any time of the year:

1. Exchange Forecasts With Your Carriers 

Whether you expect heavier-than-usual volume or not, highways can get jammed on long weekends. Connect with your carrier or broker to let them know your shipping plans for key dates. At the same time, ask them what they’re seeing from their end. Armed with that information, you can plan ahead. Treat your carrier or broker like the partner they are and let them be your eyes and ears to spot shipping delays before they happen.

2. Build Cutoff Dates Into Your Calendar 

Don’t assume that the usual ship-by dates and transit times apply when holiday weekends are involved. Also, Guaranteed Services (to make a shipment High Priority) are not honored for loads or parcel shipments moved through holiday dates. Confirm these details when you book those loads; dispatchers may not notice the long weekend. Better to have a quick conversation before you ship than have a long one when a delivery is late.

Depending on the time of year and the geography involved, you might also want to check the weather forecast and build the possibility of delays or contingency plans into your schedule. While having redundant inventory may not be an option, when winter storms or other weather related delays occur, being able to get inventory to your customers becomes critical.

3. Make Your Shipping Operations a Well-Oiled Machine 

This is the single best way to avoid shipping delays any time of year. By constantly refining your processes during normal periods, you will be better positioned to handle greater volumes or shorter weeks. Cross-training employees also becomes important as you bring in new staff for holiday or peak seasons.

4. Ship Early 

If you plan ahead, you’ll be following this tip already. Now the question is: How early? The answer is: As soon as possible.

What’s possible will vary according to the load type. For example, perishables can’t go too early if they can’t be properly stored at the destination. Construction materials may have to wait until the right crew is scheduled to receive them. But if you foresee a possible delay in shipping, check with the consignee. They might prefer an early delivery to a late one.

5. Do Your Paperwork Even Earlier 

Whether or not you can ship early, you can usually have all your paperwork ready. The more you have done before the truck arrives, the less time they’ll spend waiting.

Make sure all the paperwork is filled out completely. Some fields may get routinely overlooked during normal operations and get finalized at the last minute, so you’re not even aware that it’s happening. But in a holiday crunch, this can derail the schedule.

6. Have a Contingency Plan 

Even the most buttoned-down system and reliable carriers are subject to the unexpected. With enough advanced planning, you should have flexibility to pivot to Plan B if the situation demands it.    

While you can’t know—or even imagine—all the things that might cause a delay in shipping, you can do your best to prepare. For many shippers, Plan B can be backup or alternate carriers or using spot carriers for capacity. It could be advanced routing logic within a TMS (Transportation Management System) to avoid weather patterns and optimize routes. The best TMS’s allow for national, regional and even local coverage, across all lanes, for all load types: truckload, LTL, parcel and specialties like drayage, flatbeds or reefers.  

For even more flexibility, consider connecting your TMS to a brokerage. Top tier brokers manage extensive networks of carriers, both large and small, and often have their own contracts that can provide capacity on demand at rates even lower than the spot market. Together, you can deal with virtually any shipping delays the holidays may throw at you.  

And that is something to celebrate. 

Click here to get your next NTG freight quote now.

Between May 17^th – 19^th, carriers will undergo special inspections by local law enforcement across North America. This annual three-day period is also known as the “International Roadcheck” event organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).

This year’s inspection is focused on wheel ends, the components that support heavy freight, maintain stability, control and are vital for braking. Part of the wheel ends includes the wheels, rims, hubs and tires. These North American Standard Inspections will take place at weigh and inspection stations, on roving patrols and at other temporary inspection sites. Wheel end violations have accounted for 25% of vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during past years of this event.

While focusing on wheel ends during the inspections, inspectors will check for:

• Cracks or unseated locking rings, studs or clamps
• Bent, cracked or broken rims on the inside and outside of the wheel rims
• Loose, broken, missing or damaged wheel fasteners and elongated stud holes
• Spoke wheels for cracks across spokes and in the web area or slippage in the clamp areas
• Hub for lubricant leaks, missing caps or plugs
• Inner wheel seal for leaks

This list is not exhaustive. Carriers should  prepare well in advance to ensure passing the CVSA inspections. In the next week, carriers should conduct thorough cab and trailer inspections to fix any issues they find.

The below list from the CVSA helps carriers for a successful inspection during the International Roadcheck event. There are many sections to inspect but carriers can begin with the following:

• Check tires for proper inflation, cuts and bulges, regrooved tires on steering axle, tread wear and major tread groove depth
• Inspect sidewalls for improper repairs, exposed fabric or cord, contact with any part of the vehicle and tire marking excluding it from use on a steering axle
• Check for missing, non-functioning, loose, contaminated or cracked parts on the brake system
• Check the safety devices for sufficient strength, missing components, improper repairs and devices that are incapable of secure attachment
• Check fuel tanks for loose mounting, leaks, missing caps and signs of leaking fuel below the tank
• Inspect for corrosion fatigue; cracked, loose or missing cross members; cracks in frame; missing or defective vehicle parts
• Inspect the suspension for indications of misaligned, shifted cracked or missing springs; loose shackles; missing bolts; unsecured spring hangers and cracked or loose U-bolts

If inspectors find any out-of-service violations, carriers will be restricted from travel until such violations have been addressed. Carriers that successfully pass the inspection may receive a CVSA decal, allowing the carrier to not be inspected for the following three months when the decal is valid.

Law enforcement personnel will conduct inspections following their departments’ health and safety protocols, in consideration of COVID-19. Since 1988, the CVSA has conducted over 1.4 million inspections, with on average 15 trucks or buses inspected every minute during the three-day period.

As the number of shipping vessels waiting to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach decline in 2022 from highs of over 100 in January to around 75 or so in February, the number of ships on the east coast, specifically, the port of Charleston, is on the rise.

This see-saw market is expected to continue through the year as consumer purchasing habits remain strong and shippers place seasonal orders with overseas manufacturers and suppliers to replenish inventories.

However, as containers are unloaded, they sit, waiting to be picked up.

Some ports, such as Charleston, are slowing the unloading process by not using all of their cranes to unload containers because container space is limited. Meanwhile, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are working with state and local officials to lease additional land for containers. For a number of ports including Charleston, Los Angeles and Long Beach, allowances for containers to be stacked up from the usual two to four high have been made. However, this presents safety concerns for the port worker and additional time needed to locate and load containers onto trucks.

This part of the supply chain, drayage, was spotlighted last year as shippers complained of fees for containers not being picked up in a timely manner. “We end up paying the bill for mistakes we did not make. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” one shipper said at the recent TPM conference. The same shipper noted that 18% of his total shipping bill in 2021 were these fees, better known as detention and demurrage fees.

Detention and demurrage fees are meant as incentives to keep the flow of containers moving from ports through the inland in a timely manner and are the result of interactions that go on between multiple supply players. However, these fees are not working in today’s environment – COVID impacts on supply chain workers, the need for more trucks and drivers, more warehousing space and more supply chain workers in general – all to manage the insatiable demand from consumers.

In addition, some of the supply chain issues that are occurring have been around for years and are exacerbating the current situation. As Drew Herpich, COO of NTG,, noted in a recent article for Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, appointment setting and honoring those appointments are obstacles for truck drivers, particularly when they must wait hours to pick up or drop off containers at ports and wait to deliver to or pick up from warehouses.

Despite ports and warehouses investing in technology and automation, Herpich writes that the long wait times and appointment setting still has not been solved.

A shipper at the TPM conference called for front gates to be fixed. “Get trucking in and out quickly,” he told the audience. But situations at ports differ. “When you’ve seen one port. You’ve seen one port,” quipped Daniel Maffei, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) during a TPM interview.
Appointments are not available at all U.S. ports for example. In addition, some shippers are using containers as “mobile warehouses” because there is no room available at these shippers’ warehouses, Jimmy Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Authority said.

Tips for shippers:

• Establish long-term relationships with drayage partners.
• Contract with drayage partners that can proactively manage detention and demurrage fees.
• Work with partners that can manage container FIFO (first in, first out) programs and offer visibility, tracking and billing software.

A best practice a number of shippers cited during the TPM conference is to contract with drayage providers that are willing and able to proactively manage detention and demurrage fees.

In addition, shippers should work with drayage providers to help manage their container FIFO (first in, first out) program and those providers that offer visibility, tracking and billing software.

Shippers establishing relationships with drayage providers will benefit by keeping unreasonable charges at a minimum and containers flowing at a reasonable level through the supply chain.

For information on our drayage solution, please click here.

More Pay. More Consistency. More Nights & Weekends at Home.

Drayage is one of the most desirable segments in freight hauling, and one of the highest paid. Driving drayage can mean a steady flow of routine loads, and fewer long haul trips away from home.

In 2021 alone, NTG shipped more dray shipments through our carrier network than Amazon. We know the ins and outs of dray, ensuring we are paying demurrage and detention fees so our carriers avoid idle time at ports.

There are a number of benefits to becoming a drayage carrier:

• More money
• More volume
• Ability to control distance with typically fewer long haul trips
• More nights and weekends at home
• More consistency with routes
• Less worry trying to find backhauls
• Less price volatility

When people ask, “What is drayage,” it usually gets defined as shipping goods over a short distance. But any short hauls are the least of what drayage involves.

In today’s transportation industry, drayage is tightly connected with containerized shipping. Thousands of shipping containers are departing and arriving at ports and rail terminals every day. Drayage is the task of getting those containers to or from those intermodal connections.

In fact, now might be a good time to go over a few key terms to really understand what drayage involves:

• Dray: To haul a consolidated shipment (usually a container) on a chassis
• Power unit: The cab and engine portion of a truck designed to connect to a chassis
• Chassis: A wheeled undercarriage on which containers can be hauled
• Last free day (LFD): The last day a container can sit in a yard before storage charges apply
• Demurrage: The storage charge for a full container not picked up by its LFD
• Detention: The “rent” for keeping an empty container beyond its free period
• Clearing: Settling all the paperwork to get a container out of a port
• Intermodal: Connecting different transportation modes to move goods

The actual hauling portion of drayage just involves the power unit and the chassis. All the rest is concerned with getting the most possible use from the shipping containers. The “short hauls” often associated with drayage are all about getting a full container out of a port or terminal as cost-effectively as possible and returning the empty container as quickly as possible. This is how you control the costs of drayage.

Power units and chassis are two different elements for the same reason: cost control and maximum utilization. Different sized containers require different chassis. By only using the chassis they need when they need it, carriers can dispatch available power units as needed for a variety of containers, and avoid having those expensive chassis sitting around unused.

Being able to juggle the equipment matching and the timing of pick-ups and deliveries requires knowledgeable and experienced professionals.  The driver is also the one responsible for clearing the cargo out of the yard. This can involve handling administrative matters like customs and duties paperwork, and settling any financial accounts (like demurrage).

Knowing this, you can see how central the carrier becomes in drayage. For all these reasons, drayage drivers are a distinct profession and require special licensing. Proper execution of drayage hauls also relies on proper logistics and communications between all the parties involved: Shippers, receivers, drivers, dispatchers, and port operations.

So, while it might sound funny to say so, the true answer to “What is drayage?” is: It’s complicated.

Let us simplify Drayage for you. Contact us now!

US consumers have been on a major shopping spree since the pandemic began in 2020, replacing services with goods as many consumers stayed close to homes due to COVID-19. According to the US Census, total retail sales for 2021 were up 17.9% compared to 2020.

John Haber gave a deep dive into what drives the overall cost in the returns process – with the increase in retail sales has also come a rise in returns.

Read the full article here.

Drayage may literally be the “heavy lifting” of global supply chains. Navigating the complexities of port congestion, detention fees, demurrage fees, different requirements based on each port and the coordination to get the container back to the port after emptied requires an extensive amount of coordination.

Here’s how you or your transportation partner can manage the process to minimize costs and avoid bumps along the way.

Getting Ahead of the Container

You would think that putting a container on a ship or rail car would give you plenty of time to arrange for pick-up at the destination port or terminal. But that’s only half true. Because ships and trains can only give you windows for off-loading, often the best you can hope for is a date. Fortunately, you have a few days to retrieve your cargo. To avoid confusion and costly misfires, line up your carrier for that window. But—if at all possible–don’t hard book a pick-up until you know the container is landed.

In the meantime, share as much information and documentation as you have with the carrier or the transportation partner managing the pick-up.  In addition to the container number and bill of lading (or master bill of lading), this can include all customs declarations and proofs of payment of all fees. This will help assure a smooth pick-up.

Once you have confirmation the container is landed, execute the arrangements you’ve made with the carrier. Or if you have a transportation partner managing the operation, they should know based on your container number when the container has arrived. They can then start planning directly with the carrier on your behalf. If you are reaching out to the carrier directly, making sure you give them notice to retrieve the container without incurring any additional charges like demurrage or extra rental days for the chassis.

Of course, even the best plans don’t always go according to plan. If for some reason you don’t find out immediately when your container has been landed, having all your arrangements in place will improve your chances of getting it picked up and out of the yard as quickly as possible.

Getting The Load on the Road

This is where working with an experienced carrier or transportation partner who knows the port is critical. Port operations are like a maze, both physically and operationally. Experienced carriers or transportation partners not only know the physical layout, but the procedural steps necessary for a smooth pick-up and release of the container. You do your part by making sure they have all the documentation and information they need to clear these milestones with minimum fuss.

Once the container is safely out of the yard, the classic clock starts. But there can be opportunities for cost savings here that are unique to moving containers.

A direct haul from a port on the coast to an inland destination may not be the most cost-effective move, because you will still have to pay for the driver and equipment to get back to their point of origin. Depending on the distances involved, this can involve lay-over charges and per diem expenses on the shipping container itself.

You may find it less expensive to have the container unloaded at a warehouse near the pick-up location and then transload the contents onto a regional carrier for transportation to the final destination. Regional carriers are better set up to arrange back-hauls which will cut the round-trip cost or eliminate it altogether. This will also virtually assure you don’t incur excess charges for extended use of the container, chassis, or the carrier’s services. 

Getting There and Back

If using the container to carry the goods to their destination is the best option—for cost or timing purposes—you need to be sure the container is returned to the point of origin. While this is ultimately the carrier’s responsibility, the more you can do to simplify the trip and smooth the paperwork, the less time and trouble you’ll have closing out the move.

If for no other reason, this is where a transportation management system (TMS) or a skilled dray provider can really pay for  themselves. By having easy access to port information and all the documentation associated with a load in a single source of truth—that can be shared with all the parties—you can save countless hours of administration. In fact, because the TMS has all the details of the move and the associated costs, you can analyze your costs and identify any opportunities for savings moving forward.

Those savings may come in the form of time, costs or effort. But they will all contribute to a better bottom line.

For more on drayage management and how we might be able to help you, please click here!

State of the Market Analysis by Drew Herpich, NTG’s Chief Commercial Officer

The last part of this year is shaping up to end on a very volatile note. Everyone continues to focus on the capacity and demand challenges that supply chains continue to face. Multiple complex factors play a role for current developments, but three main ones have shaped our industry in recent months.

Demand Levels Continue to Remain High Since Last Year

Heading into this year’s holiday season, there is continued demand for goods, both from a consumer standpoint and inventory response. The pandemic pushed e-commerce to the forefront and created a digital demand that will surpass $206 billion in purchases this holiday season in the United States alone. We’re living in a “just-in-time” purchasing world where our orders are slated to leave the shelf as soon as we click the “place order” button. Because of this, inventory levels have been depleted. Inventory levels are at an all-time low relative to sales figures and have been for the better part of this year. They cannot currently catch up to the pace of sales, resulting in many of the product shortages we’re seeing today.

Fragmentation of Capacity Market

The last two years have pushed supply chains to the brink of efficiency with uncertainty, disruptions, shortages and overall supply chain pressures. This is not likely to alleviate anytime soon, but we possibly might see levels begin to soften in the second half of 2022, assuming consumer demand levels off and truck production ramps up by then.

In terms of equipment, both trailers and Class 8 trucks are in great demand across the board, and next year will be the “year of the trailer” in our industry. The backlog continues to grow for equipment production, spilling well into the next year. On the brighter side, used equipment purchases are on the rise, meaning smaller carriers are entering the market at higher levels than before.

“The driver shortage has become more of a driver shift, where many carriers are choosing to go from Class 8 trucks to sprinter and cargo vans for more lucrative expedited and final mile opportunities.”

Drew Herpich, CCO of NTG

From a labor perspective, the driver shortage has become more of a driver shift, where many carriers are choosing to go from Class 8 trucks to sprinter and cargo vans for more lucrative expedited and final mile opportunities. More carriers are choosing to run shorter expedited routes in lieu of long-haul loads across the country. Expedited equipment is still very much in demand and carriers are gravitating towards higher premiums due to urgent digital commerce.

In addition, when the infrastructure law takes full effect, many carriers might shift from FTL & expedited to more lucrative construction opportunities. There could likely be large projects in play with this law, keeping drivers occupied with projects for 3, 6, 12 months at a time, which in turn further depletes the capacity.

Supply Chain Disruptions

By now, we’ve all heard about the congestions in some of our biggest ports across the country. Container volumes are at very high levels. Currently, the average wait time for a ship to berth off the coast of California is 17 days, which is extremely rare. The latest count shows over 80 ships and $30B dollars’ worth of goods are waiting to dock in CA ports. This makes the container costs surge for shippers, which in turn pass on those costs to consumers.

Just recently, the industry has received some relief with the port congestion. The federal government outlined port initiatives to increase efficiency and help unclog some of the congestion. At the Port of Los Angeles, hours of operation have increased but warehouse hours remain the same. That means the container goods might be offloaded late at night but the warehouses storing those goods are not open and they certainly don’t have enough people to unload the products during business hours. Nationally, the government will pay for port upgrades in the next 90 days and will allow ports to redirect grand funds to address the current supply chain issues. This allows ports to create more container yards to free up dock space and keep goods flowing faster. It’s too early to say how much relief these new initiatives will have in the short-term.

STAY PREPARED: The supply chain industry as a whole has been in a very unique and difficult place for the last two years. The disruptions, uncertainty and imbalance will continue for the first half of 2022 and every player in the industry – shippers, 3PLs, carriers – needs to stay alert and be able to adapt to the current supply chain landscape and any unknown challenges that still lay ahead.

The supply chain industry is no stranger to evolving practices. Over the years, logistics professionals have had to review their processes to ensure they are working as efficiently as possible, considering market changes, advancing technology and more. Carrier adoption of digital resources, in particular, has progressed rapidly over the last few years in order to navigate the logistics landscape, streamline workflow operations and meet consumer demand.

Digital transformation within the supply chain industry has taken off in recent years, especially during 2020. The year saw unprecedented disruptions and shortages that have had a lasting impact on the supply chain. For example, the trucking industry has about 80,000 fewer available drivers compared to a year ago. However, these issues pushed technology forward as the industry was forced to think deeper into how digital tools could solve some of the problems at hand. Industry users became aware that not only can these tools decrease error and increase visibility, but they can also save carriers time and money. Here are a handful of digital tools that carriers should utilize to enhance their day-to-day operations.

Paperless Solutions

Not only are companies going paperless to benefit the earth and become more sustainable, but they are also using the digitization of elements, including documentation and receipts, to avoid losing crucial information. Additionally, digital tools can move faster than paper and often limit error when tracking freight, such as delivery confirmation. Paperless digital solutions also provide an extra layer of health protection with less physical paper exchanges during a pandemic, decreasing the risk of exposure.

Digital Carrier Portal

An interactive online portal is a carrier’s best friend. This valuable tool increases shipment accessibility by providing enhanced search capabilities, expanded equipment availability, and visibility on all necessary load information. An optimal carrier portal will also provide document management and real-time payment status and can be accessed from anywhere – allowing carriers to have full 24/7 business transparency.

NTG’s carrier portal, NTGVision, provides access to thousands of daily shipments across the country. The advanced search capabilities optimize carrier options with the best routes to match carrier preferences. Access NTG’s load board to unlock enhanced route guidance today!

Load Matching and Carrier Profiles

To match loads with carriers that meet the standards and capabilities required, certain tech-enabled 3PLs utilize load matching technology. At NTG, our digital infrastructure includes detailed carrier profiles with available equipment, lane preferences, past history and service notes. Each of these elements allows NTG to identify the best transportation options available for every single load that helps carriers streamline workflow operations.

Route Optimization

Profitable and efficient routes are imperative, and carriers rely on technology to provide the necessary information to create the best route for their journey. Route optimization tools limit deadhead miles and wasted time, which is important for carriers to complete a profitable haul. A tech-advanced 3PL partner helps carriers optimize routes through custom-built technology that uses AI capabilities, adding value by creating and recommending the most optimal route for carriers’ desired locations.

Carrier Representative

Luckily for carriers, they do not have to know every piece of the supply chain and market developments at any given moment. They can rely on an experienced and knowledgeable 3PL partner to provide industry insights and assistance when any disruption or delay takes place on their journey. When exploring a potential partnership with a 3PL, look for one who offers dedicated representatives who understand the sector you work in and the solutions you need to be successful. Such representatives work on a carrier’s behalf through various digital resources in order to help access more freight opportunities so carriers can spend that crucial time on the road.

“Working with NTG has opened us up to opportunities that have grown our business. Before partnering with NTG, we never had the chance to book loads with a major multinational shipping service. Now, not only do we book loads with this major service, but we have so many other load opportunities as well. Thanks to our rep at NTG for making this happen! NTG is one of the best partners helping carriers run their business.” 

– Nick Jones, ZNS Cargo

Quick Pay

Quick Pay is a payment option that allows carriers to go completely digital and receive payment quickly after delivery. At NTG, we provide our carriers with the option of enrolling in our exclusive carrier payment program, RhinoPay – a program where carriers will receive payment on every load via ACH direct deposit just two days after delivery paperwork is received.

It’s important to remember that not all carriers have access to the digital tools they desire, whether that’s due to company size or the cost of advanced technology. However, partnering with a 3PL often provides important access and gives carriers the exclusive opportunity to enhance their operational workflow and streamline solutions for their own customers and employees while increasing overall business growth.

RELATED: Read NTG’s blog on How Carriers can Enhance Business Growth

Recognized annually during the month of October, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is hosted by the Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). This year’s mission is to encourage all Americans to “Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.” Efforts for the 18th annual event are centered around raising awareness for the importance of cybersecurity and sharing resources with individuals and organizations alike to grow knowledge and preparedness.

Every day, our world is more and more dependent on technology and the digital world. It’s best to understand any risks associated with cybersecurity so users will stay safe and secure. Taking steps to gain knowledge around this topic means learning from the past, being aware in the present, and preparing for the future. This month, CISA and NCSA created themes for each week to share valuable tips and provide a focus for all following along.

Week of October 4: Be Cyber Smart.

Attackers often rely on human error in order to find a way into a corporation’s system. No matter how tenured or green an individual is, their smallest oversight or mistake can cause a major disruption. Simple steps to increase privacy include adding multi-factor authentication, creating strong passwords and sharing on social media wisely. Proper security means staying vigilant and aware at all times.

Week of October 11: Fight the Phish!

The added convenience of having one’s phone connected to other personal devices unfortunately creates more room for cybersecurity risk. It’s important to keep all devices safe whether they’re located at home, at work or on the road. For example, refrain from connecting to unknown or unsecure networks in public locations.

Week of October 18: Explore. Experience. Share.

With the ever-growing demand of digital solutions and software, the need for cybersecurity professionals is endless. The impact of one person’s knowledge and expertise can mean saving an entire company from falling victim to a cyber attack. Cybersecurity jobs are necessary in a wide range of industries, so those interested have the opportunity to explore different fields to find the right fit. Companies also need to invest in their cyber infrastructure and be proactive in safeguarding critical company and consumer data.

Week of October 25: Cybersecurity First

Cybersecurity starts with the individual. As they learn the importance of incorporating secure practices and policies, employers and customers alike will also reap the benefits and improve resiliency. Knowledge is truly power, and understanding threats and taking the steps to proactively fight against them is key.

Unique among the group is Week 3, also known as National Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week, which aims to inspire and promote awareness and exploration of cybersecurity careers. Not only does this week focus on recognizing the contributions to society and innovations that cybersecurity practitioners make, but also the demand and opportunities within the industry. For those interested in working with supply chain or logistics, cybersecurity and IT professionals are highly valued and greatly appreciated for all that they do with day-to-day operations and digital capabilities.

Cybersecurity is an important investment within the supply chain. As an industry with the vulnerability of global interdependence, one cyber attack against a single organization can cause delays beyond that organization’s home base. From a partner’s misstep to an internal employee clicking on an unsecure email link, the smallest mistake can introduce the largest problems. Keeping a security system and team in place to monitor and combat attacks is a great way to protect finances, information, partners and teammates.

RELATED: Check out our shipper blog: How to Counteract the Impact of Supply Chain Disruptions