On Friday, May 29, executives from DHL Supply Chain North America shared insights on the transportation and logistics sector of the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Describing the business climate as a “whirlwind,” President Jim Monkmeyer said that mixed demand for truckload and less-than-truckload shipments has resulted in carriers furloughing drivers and parking equipment to keep their costs at bay.
E-commerce was hot before the pandemic. The continued strong demand has benefited parcel carriers and airfreight volumes. It will continue to be a major area of focus for DHL Supply Chain North America, which is putting more investment into technologies and assets to provide omni-channel offerings.
The discussion included the topics of near-shoring, market stabilization and how COVID-19 has accelerated market trends.
More border traffic
During the coronavirus pandemic, the company has not seen a shift in domestic and international freight volumes due to customers moving their supply chains from Asia to North America. If near-shoring takes place, Mexico would be the obvious place because of a new NAFTA agreement coming into play.
“Hopefully, that will work in favor of our customers in terms of looking at near-shoring,” Monkmeyer said. “It makes sense if the infrastructure is there to support it.”
