Archive for the Fuel for Thought Category

Tomorrow marks the first of June, which means that summertime is on the horizon. And this summer, I’ve decided to go on a diet. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not about to put down my hot dogs, hamburgers, or potato salad! Instead, I’m going to try what the experts call “a social media diet” for a more stress-free summer. Social media can be a great place to find pet videos, funny jokes, or opinions about the week’s biggest television drama, but there’s also a lot of junk. And just like with real food,

If you’re a regular reader of my bi-weekly missives, you know that the Matchmaker Logistics team calls itself ‘The Superheroes of Shipping.’ Truth is, we’re not just the Superheroes of Shipping, we’re also The Superheroes of Savings. Take an example that happened this Spring: In March 2017, one of our clients reached out to us, inquiring about a drayage rate from Norfolk, VA to Bensenville, IL. She told us her regular drayage company was unable to assist with the four containers arriving the following week, and she needed a solution. We asked our client

Remember the days when you had to actually be in an office to have a meeting? Today, between conference calls, email chains, and video chat apps, we can meet with clients and vendors all over the world without ever leaving our desks. Well, that is as long as everyone is actually paying attention… I won’t lie – I love the freedom and flexibility of being able to get work done while I’m on the go. But like any new technology, the benefits also present new challenges. If you’ve ever tried to join a conference

Albert Einstein once said “Life is like a bicycle. To keep your balance, you have to keep moving.” Those of us in the transportation industry know that maxim well. Today, April 18th, marks the anniversary of Einstein’s death (in 1955), so I thought it fitting to honor his work, which plays a big part in how we keep freight moving each and every day. You see, Albert Einstein’s most famous work, the theory of relativity, is what makes GPS possible. It is impossible to overstate the effects GPS tracking and navigating have had on

Did you get pranked on April Fools’ Day? Or are you one to prank others? In my travels across the internet one day, I stumbled on this video with this caption: “Trucker gets pranked with heavy load. Only in Russia.” I couldn’t find any information on this mystery video (what really happened?), but it got me to thinking….Although I can find the fun in a good, harmless prank, I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would think a joke involving a heavy moving vehicle would be a good idea. I don’t

Imagine you had a warehouse employee who could run at a speed of 5 miles per hour and effortlessly lift up to 700 pounds at a time. How would that impact the efficiency and productivity of your warehouse? Now imagine that you had an entire group of warehouse workers with these capabilities…. That’s the case at Amazon. The online retailing giant acquired Kiva, makers of warehousing robots, in 2012. Two years later, Amazon started using the orange robots in its warehouses. And it became very clear just how efficient inventory management could be with

When a local radio station mentioned that they were giving away $1000 worth of Girl Scout Cookies, it prompted some discussion in the office. It’s a fun way to promote a great organization, but I’m not sure the Girl Scouts need any help. The fact they the’re selling a delicious product doesn’t hurt (I’m fan of the Peanut Butter Patties, myself), but more importantly, these business-minded young ladies are truly clever. When my daughter, Emily, was a Girl Scout, she was a keen little salesperson. We went door-to-door and sold to the neighborhood. She