Logistics Industry Update: September 2014 in Review

September tends to mark a return to business for many industries, and that's exactly what many of us hope for when we see the monthly statistics revealed;  boost in product movement and economic reports that sets the scene for the remainder of the year. http://gty.im/85471780 With three busy months of the year left, here's our regular review of what went on in the logistics industry last month:

• Following a big boom on early holiday shopping last year, mainly driven by earlier ecommerce sales and specials beginning on Thnksgiving Day (stop the madness!), forecasting for the 2014 peak season shows further growth. Analysts predict a figure just short of 4% growth in this ASAP holiday demand, which adds to an online sales boom of 18.5% extra last year.

• Outside of North America, which of course affects the domestic market as well, things look less rosy. Growth of both imports and exports is anemic and the global economic recovery seems to be taking a tiny bit longer than those of us in the States are experiencing.

• U.S. railroads continued to let the good times - and the cargo wagons - roll with record-breaking weeks toward the end of September. Moving goods has been picking up pace ll year, with the future for intermodal transport solutions seeming particularly positive.

• The industry in North America may be booming, but costs are also moving up almost as fast as the goods are moving along. Those expenses are expected to be passed on to shippers, as parties up nd down the supply chain look to balance increased demand with those trying to put up prices at the earliest opportunity.

• A study by ProLogistix suggests that the supply chain is about to face its toughest labor shortage in the warehouse sector since 2007. The annual report highlights that a variety of factors are feeding into the situation, which it describes as approaching "crunch time" for warehouse operators around the country.
• Things look good on U.S.  roads as well as its rail system, where haulage companies are seeing solid spikes for truck driver wages in order to keep demand on paper translating to profits on the road. Some wage hikes over the summer have been up to four times higher than the entire rise in 2013, showing just how far we've come from the economic downturn.

• And speaking of trucker activity, here are five fun facts about things you might never see on the roads, but apparently they're happening day in-day in. That's fun in the freaky, NSFW sense, we must warn you, rather than the family sort... keep your eyes on the road!

And that's your logistics industry update for last month! If you have any valuable additions or would just like to keep up to date with our updates, tune into our social media feeds on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.