2021 was all about the supply chain. The Colonial Pipeline cyber attack led to a gas shortage in parts of the country. A ship stuck in the Suez Canal left trillions of cargo stuck in the middle of the ocean. And that was just this summer. Port congestion has left dozens of ships off the coast of Los Angeles, and although ports are transitioning to 24/7 operations, we can still see ships off the coast near our Long Beach office.
This year was a big one for our company as well. We launched a new website and a new podcast, all while helping shippers move thousands of loads all over the country.
These were the top stories from the Cargomatic blog this year:
- Breaking Down the Year in Freight for a Successful 2022 – Last month we hosted a webinar with our Head of Strategy Weston LaBar and Careers on the Move host Tyler Kern. Weston and Tyler broke down the big stories from the past year, the trends emerging across the industry, and what supply chain professionals should know going into 2022.
- Why You Should Be Working With a Digital Freight Broker – Businesses of all sizes need to consider the right solution for their shipping needs. But evaluating multiple options and carriers can be a daunting task. We broke down a useful asset in every shipper’s toolbox – a digital freight broker.
- LTL Shipping – Is It the Best Option for You? – A common challenge we see from small- and medium-sized businesses is scaling up those shipments. Many small businesses can get most of their work done with mail and small parcel shipments, but as a business grows, there’s often a greater need for shipping by the pallet, by the truckload, or by the container. We broke down a common solution that benefits shippers of all sizes: LTL (or less than truckload) shipping.
- The RFI and the Shipping Landscape – How do you find the right shipping partner? It can take a lot of research, and finding comparable information can be a challenge. Few companies consider RFIs (Requests for Information) or RFPs (Requests for Proposals), but issuing one can give you access to the data you need to make a straight comparison between multiple options.
- How the Supply Chain is Going Green – For Earth Day, we took a look at the supply chain as a whole and some of the initiatives taken across the industry to achieve more sustainable operations, from natural gas and hydrogen to solar panels.
In addition to keeping goods moving around the country, we also made the news ourselves. Here are some moments where our Cargomatic team was spotted around the internet:
- In January, our Chief Product and Technology Officer Sunil Sharma spoke to PYMNTS about the technology driving our platform to ensure accuracy.
- In June, our Chief Administrative Officer Steve Jackson contributed an article to CCJ about freight matching and how we use it to connect drivers with loads.
- In October, our Director of Carrier Relations Gio Marz appeared on What the Truck?!? to talk about what truck drivers at the port are witnessing.
- Also in October, our Vice President and General Manager Drayage Tom Finkbiner talked to JOC about our boxcar initiative, in which carriers are transloading cargo from 40-foot containers to 60-foot boxcars.
- In the fall and winter, our Head of Strategy Weston LaBar spoke to Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, FreightWaves, The Daily Mail, The Wall Street Journal, Vinepair, and Marketplace.
