The Logistics of Logistics

In "Is Your Freight Secure: The 3 Key Vulnerabilities in Freight Operations", Joe Lynch and Mike Hane, Director of Product Marketing for Transportation Management at Descartes Systems Group, discuss how to protect global supply chains from fragmented technology, carrier identity theft, and increasingly sophisticated cargo fraud.
About Michael Hane
Mike Hane is the Director of Product Marketing for Transportation Management at Descartes Systems Group. With more than 30 years of experience in transportation, logistics technology, and supply chain consulting, Mike helps organizations understand emerging freight trends and apply technology to build more resilient and efficient transportation operations. Prior to joining Descartes, Mike held leadership roles at DAT, Optilogic, CHAINalytics, and CAPS Logistics, where he focused on transportation strategy, network optimization, and freight market intelligence. At Descartes, he works closely with shippers, brokers, and logistics service providers to translate industry challenges into practical technology solutions across transportation management, real-time visibility, carrier connectivity, and logistics security. Mike frequently shares insights on transportation technology trends, digital transformation in freight, and the evolving role of logistics networks in global supply chains.
About Descartes Systems Group
Descartes powers more responsive, efficient, secure and sustainable international and domestic supply chains by uniting logistics-intensive businesses on its Global Logistics Network (GLN). Shippers, carriers, and logistics service providers connect and collaborate on the GLN leveraging technology, data and AI to manage last mile deliveries, domestic and international shipments, transportation rating and payment, global trade research, customs compliance and a variety of regulatory processes.
Key Takeaways: Is Your Freight Secure: The 3 Key Vulnerabilities in Freight Operations
In "Is Your Freight Secure: The 3 Key Vulnerabilities in Freight Operations", Joe Lynch and Mike Hane, Director of Product Marketing for Transportation Management at Descartes Systems Group, discuss how to protect global supply chains from fragmented technology, carrier identity theft, and increasingly sophisticated cargo fraud. 
The 3 Key Vulnerabilities discussed are listed below:
Vulnerability 1 – Outdated, Clunky Freight Tech Stack. The modern logistics tech stack is a prime target for sophisticated bad actors who are now using AI to scale their attacks. This vulnerability focuses on the integrity of the TMS suite and broader tech stack, requiring companies to have the scale and advanced defenses necessary to stay ahead of automated threats.
Vulnerability 2 – Carrier Identity Theft & Freight Hijacking. Freight fraud—including double brokering and fraudulent load pickups—is a direct result of failing to verify identity at the point of transaction. This vulnerability highlights the operational risk of giving freight to an unverified actor, proving that basic vetting is no longer enough to prevent cargo loss.
Vulnerability 3 – Data Exposure & Unsecured Partner Connectivity. Modern freight operations are at risk due to the fragmentation of data and automation. This vulnerability focuses on the danger of shipment data and AI tools operating outside of a trusted environment. When partners connect to technology platforms without rigorous security, the entire network becomes a target for leaks and external manipulation.

Modernizing the Tech Stack: Fragmented or legacy systems create security gaps. Freight operations must move toward integrated, secure platforms rather than a patchwork of disconnected software to ensure data integrity and vendor stability.
The "Verify Then Trust" Model: To combat identity theft and "chameleon carriers," logistics providers should use automated vetting to verify not just the carrier's authority, but also the specific driver and equipment via VIN and geolocation.
Neutralizing Sophisticated Fraud: Cargo theft has evolved into organized corporate scams involving double brokering and fake insurance. Real-time monitoring for suspicious tracking pings or IP addresses is now essential to identify bad actors before a load is picked up.
Strengthening Operational Hygiene: Security relies on strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This includes "zeroing out" inactive carriers every few months to force re-vetting and immediately revoking system access for former employees.
Strategic AI Integration: AI should be used to automate high-volume manual tasks—like chasing tracking updates or proof of delivery—within a secure logistics environment to prevent sensitive financial data from being exposed to unvetted models.
Global Multimodal Connectivity: Leveraging a Global Logistics Network (GLN) allows shippers and brokers to collaborate across air, ocean, and truck modes while maintaining high standards for customs and regulatory compliance.
Visibility as a Risk Deterrent: Real-time visibility is a critical security layer. Monitoring for location spoofing or unauthorized stops allows for immediate intervention if a shipment is being diverted to a fraudulent location.
Learn More About Is Your Freight Secure: The 3 Key Vulnerabilities in Freight Operations
Mike Hane | Linkedin
Descartes Systems Group | Linkedin
Descartes Systems Group
Your OpsForce AI Team: Meet the Future of Intelligent Visibility
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Vesta Freight Strengthens Customer Service and Freight Security with Descartes 3G TMS™, Descartes MacroPoint™, and Descartes MyCarrierPortal™
Scaling Logistics Innovation at Descartes Systems Group with Dan Cicerchi
Unpacking Cargo Theft: Trends and Solutions with Danielle Spinelli
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
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In "UPS at the Crossroads: Finding Profit in a Disrupted Landscape with Bloomberg's Devin Leonard", Joe Lynch and Devin Leonard, Senior Writer on the global business team at Bloomberg News, discuss how the logistics giant is navigating shifting markets, intense competition, and rising labor costs. 
About Devin Leonard
Devin Leonard is a senior writer on the global business team at Bloomberg News. His work appears regularly in Bloomberg Businessweek where he has written periodically about the logistics industry. His 2011 cover story, "The End of Mail," about the existential crisis at the U.S. Postal Service was a finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for explanatory writing, In May 2016, Grove Press published Leonard's book, Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service, which the New York Times called "sweeping and entertaining.
About Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News is a global news agency and a primary division of Bloomberg L.P., a privately held financial, software, data, and media company. Founded in 1990 by Michael Bloomberg and Matthew Winkler, the news service was originally created to provide real-time financial news to subscribers of the Bloomberg Terminal (the Bloomberg Professional® service). Today, it is one of the largest news organizations in the world, producing over 5,000 stories daily.
Key Takeaways: UPS at the Crossroads: Finding Profit in a Disrupted Landscape

In "UPS at the Crossroads: Finding Profit in a Disrupted Landscape with Bloomberg's Devin Leonard", Joe Lynch and Devin Leonard, Senior Writer on the global business team at Bloomberg News, discuss how the logistics giant is navigating shifting markets, intense competition, and rising labor costs. 
Historic Leadership Shift: Carol Tomé is the first woman and first outsider to lead UPS in its 118-year history, breaking a century-long tradition of promoting exclusively from within the "brown" culture.
"Better, Not Bigger": UPS has pivoted from chasing high volume to prioritizing high-yield profitability. This means intentionally reducing reliance on low-margin ecommerce (like Amazon) to focus on more lucrative accounts.
The Amazon Evolution: Amazon has transformed from UPS's biggest customer into its most formidable competitor, now delivering nearly as many packages as the USPS and utilizing its own massive logistics network.
Teamsters Contract Impact: The 2023 negotiations led by Sean O'Brien resulted in a historic contract with top driver compensation reaching $170,000 (wages + benefits), significantly increasing UPS's fixed costs in a cooling market.
Market Fragmentation: The industry is no longer a duopoly. UPS now competes against regional carriers using advanced tech to "stitch together" national services, as well as gig-economy players like DoorDash.
Strategic Repositioning: To differentiate, UPS is doubling down on specialized sectors like Healthcare (cold-chain) and international logistics—complex services that simple gig-drivers or regional startups cannot easily replicate.
"Shrink to Grow" Strategy: To maintain margins, UPS is closing distribution centers, automating facilities, and offering buyouts to senior staff. The challenge remains: can they grow the stock price while shrinking the physical footprint?
Learn More About UPS at the Crossroads: Finding Profit in a Disrupted Landscape
Devin Leonard | Linkedin
Devin Leonard Website
Bloomberg News | Linkedin
Bloomberg News
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
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In "Real-World Supply Chain AI Applications with Gather AI's Sankalp Arora", Joe Lynch and Sankalp Arora, CEO and Co-founder at Gather AI, discuss how Gather AI's combination of drone-collected visual data, AI analysis, and WMS integration is revolutionizing warehouse inventory management.
About Sankalp Arora
Sankalp Arora is the CEO & Co-Founder of Gather AI. With 14 years of experience, Sankalp developed safety and sensor planning for the world's first safe autonomous helicopter, funded by DARPA, a project that won the Howard Hughes award, AUVSI Xcellence award and was nominated for the Collier Trophy. He is a recipient of the Qualcomm Innovation fellowship and Swartz Innovation fellowship and has a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. Gather AI and Sankalp have received several awards, including CB Insights' AI 100, SupplyChainBrain's Great Supply Chain Partner Awards, Peerless Media's NextGen Supply Chain Awards, Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive Top Tech Startup Awards, and the Pittsburgh Inno Fire Awards.
About Gather AI
Gather AI is an intralogistics AI company which collects visual data from drones, forklifts, and connected machines, integrates it with warehouse management systems (WMS) and cloud platforms, and uses AI to identify issues and suggest next steps.
Key Takeaways: Real-World Supply Chain AI Applications
In "Real-World Supply Chain AI Applications with Gather AI's Sankalp Arora", Joe Lynch and Sankalp Arora, CEO and Co-founder at Gather AI, discuss how Gather AI's combination of drone-collected visual data, AI analysis, and WMS integration is revolutionizing warehouse inventory management.
Bridging Robotics Expertise to Logistics: Sankalp Arora's foundational work in safety and sensor planning for autonomous helicopters (a DARPA-funded project) highlights how sophisticated robotics and computer vision expertise is now being directly applied to create reliable, "real-world" AI solutions for the supply chain.
Visual Data is the New Inventory Input: Gather AI utilizes hardware like drones, forklifts, and connected machines to collect vast amounts of visual data within a warehouse, moving beyond manual counts and traditional scanning methods to capture inventory status comprehensively and automatically.
Intralogistics Focus: The primary application of this AI is in intralogistics (operations inside the warehouse), specifically tackling challenges like inventory inaccuracy, cycle counting, and labor efficiency—common pain points for WMS (Warehouse Management Systems) users.
From Data to Actionable Insights: The platform doesn't just collect data; its core value is using AI to identify specific issues (e.g., misplaced items, damaged inventory, out-of-stock locations) and then suggesting next steps, making the data immediately actionable for warehouse staff.
Critical System Integration: For successful real-world adoption, the AI platform must integrate seamlessly with Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and cloud platforms, ensuring the visual intelligence updates the enterprise system of record effectively.
AI for Operational Efficiency: By automating data collection and analysis, the technology shifts labor away from tedious inventory tasks, allowing personnel to focus on high-value activities, leading to significant gains in operational efficiency and inventory accuracy.
Industry Validation of Innovation: Recognition through awards like CB Insights' AI 100 and various Supply Chain Partner awards validates that Gather AI's approach is recognized as a leading, commercially viable, and impactful NextGen Supply Chain technology.
Learn More About Real-World Supply Chain AI Applications
Sankalp Arora
Gather AI
Gather AI | Linkedin
Gather AI | YouTube
Case Studies
Gather AI Capabilities 2025
AI Literacy in Logistics with Gather AI's Andrew Hoffman
Gathering Inventory Data with Sankalp Arora
Autonomous Data: Gather AI's Warehouse Vision
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
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In "Freight Tech Strategy: Avoiding the Implementation Trap with JBF's Brad Forester", Joe Lynch and Brad Forester, Founder and Managing Partner of JBF Consulting, discuss the critical need for a strategic roadmap to ensure logistics technology delivers real ROI rather than becoming a costly mistake.
About Brad Forester
Brad Forester is the Founder and Managing Partner of JBF Consulting, bringing more than 25 years of leadership experience in transportation strategy, logistics technology, and supply chain transformation. A recognized industry expert, Brad has advised Fortune 500 companies and high-growth brands on complex global transportation initiatives, from network design and technology selection to implementation and value realization. His background spans senior roles in consulting, software, and shipper operations, giving him a uniquely balanced perspective on strategy and execution. Brad is a frequent industry speaker and thought leader on TMS, visibility, and logistics innovation. 
About JBF Consulting
JBF Consulting is a leading logistics strategy advisory and technology integration firm that partners with shippers to transform their logistics and supply chain execution operations. We empower clients to achieve operational efficiency and scalable, sustainable value through strategy development, roadmap orchestration, unbiased technology selection, expert implementation, data-driven insights, and ongoing managed services. For over two decades, our client-centric approach and alliances with best-of-breed solution providers have ensured that every strategy and solution we deliver drives measurable impact, long-term success, and customer satisfaction. 
Key Takeaways: Freight Tech Strategy: Avoiding the Implementation Trap
In "Freight Tech Strategy: Avoiding the Implementation Trap with JBF's Brad Forester", Joe Lynch and Brad Forester, Founder and Managing Partner of JBF Consulting, discuss the critical need for a strategic roadmap to ensure logistics technology delivers real ROI rather than becoming a costly mistake.
The Trap is Set Early: Implementation failures (going over budget or missing ROI) are usually symptoms of a missing strategy months prior, rather than errors made during the setup itself.
Strategy as Insurance: Investing just 1% to 2% of your budget in a strategic assessment acts as an insurance policy, potentially mitigating up to 80% of common implementation risks.
"Slow is Steady, Steady is Fast": Rushing to execute without "future-casting" (planning for growth or acquisitions 5–10 years out) leads to the "$10 million mistake"—having to rip out and replace a system that no longer fits.
Create a Shipper Profile: Use a "matchmaking" approach to tech. A tool that works for a retail giant might fail for a bulk chemical shipper; you must find the specific vendor that matches your unique mode mix.
The Hybrid Tech Trend: Large shippers are increasingly owning the software and data while outsourcing physical operations, allowing them to switch 3PLs without losing their historical data or visibility.
Beware of Shiny Objects: Avoid "AI for AI's sake." Don't buy a hammer and then go looking for a nail; ensure any new tech solves a defined problem statement rather than just chasing industry hype.
Phase Two is a Myth: Brad warns that "Phase Two never comes." If you don't build the necessary capabilities into the initial launch, the project often stalls at 75% completion, and the promised ROI is never realized.
Learn More About Freight Tech Strategy: Avoiding the Implementation Trap
Brad Forester | LinkedIn
JBF Consulting | LinkedIn
JBF Consulting
Freight Tech Trends with Mike Mulqueen
FreightTech for Fortune 500 Shippers with Brad Forester and Mike Mulqueen
FreightTech Reality Check with Brad Forester
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
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In "Execution, Visibility, and Financial Control: How Infios Solves Global Supply Chain Challenges", Joe Lynch and Alan Rowlett, Corporate Vice President of Infios, discuss how unifying supply chain execution and financial data builds resilience. 
About Alan Rowlett
Alan D. Rowlett, Jr., PhD, is a transformational global operations and supply chain executive focused on turning complexity into competitive advantage. With more than 25 years of experience spanning global enterprise, service, and logistics environments, he is known as a structured disruptor who challenges conventional thinking while strengthening resilience, modernizing operating models, and leveraging technology to elevate financial performance. Alan brings a disciplined, forward-looking perspective to today's supply chain challenges and is a frequent voice in industry and academic forums focused on innovation, leadership, and the future of global commerce. 
About Infios
Infios is a global leader in intelligent supply chain execution, relentlessly making supply chains better - every single day. With a portfolio of adaptable solutions, we empower businesses of all sizes to simplify operations, optimize efficiency and drive measurable impact. Infios serves more than 5,000 customers across 70 countries, delivering adaptable and innovative technologies that evolve with changing business needs. Our deep expertise and commitment to purposeful innovation help businesses turn supply chains into a competitive advantage, building resilience and shaping a more sustainable future. Infios is a joint venture of international technology provider Körber and global investment firm KKR. Learn more at www.infios.com.
Key Takeaways: Execution, Visibility, and Financial Control: How Infios Solves Global Supply Chain Challenges
In "Execution, Visibility, and Financial Control: How Infios Solves Global Supply Chain Challenges", Joe Lynch and Alan Rowlett, Corporate Vice President of Infios, discuss how unifying supply chain execution and financial data builds resilience. Visibility drives value.
The "End-to-End" Rebrand: Infios represents a strategic unification of industry-leading tools (like MercuryGate TMS and Körber WMS) under one flag. The goal is to move beyond "handshake" visibility to true "order-to-cash" control, spanning the entirety of a product's global journey rather than just the final few days of transport.
The Three Pillars of Supply Chain: Alan defines the core of any successful supply chain through three consistent threads that have remained unchanged since the 1980s: Execution (doing the work), Visibility (status and positioning), and Financials (the ultimate measure of winning or losing).
Financial Control as the Ultimate Truth: A supply chain's success is ultimately validated by the CFO. Infios focuses on eliminating data inconsistencies between operations and finance, ensuring that freight spend, accruals, and internal ledgers align perfectly to prevent the "discrediting" of logistics data.
The "Silent" ROI of Freight Audit: Freight Audit and Payment (FAP) isn't just about catching errors; it's about contract adherence. Infios helps shippers recover significant costs from "freight paid but not used" (like discarded parcel labels) and service failures (like shipments missing a guaranteed 8:00 AM window).
Combating Sophisticated Freight Fraud: With the rise of AI-generated fake documentation and "check-interception" by organized cartels, Infios uses its integrated system to flag discrepancies—such as a carrier being tendered as "Company X" but submitting paperwork as "Company Y"—before the invoice is paid.
Legacy Systems vs. Cloud Agility: Many global enterprises are "institutionalized" with on-premise mainframes. Alan argues that the transition to the cloud is no longer just about cost-cutting; it's about adaptability. Cloud-based architecture allows for "plug-and-play" integration of AI and data aggregators that on-premise systems simply can't support.
Intelligent Connectivity as a Competitive Edge: The future belongs to organizations that unify physical movement with financial flow. By automating "low-value" manual audit drudgery, companies can elevate their staff from processing transactions to analyzing high-level freight spend trends and driving strategic value.
Learn More About Execution, Visibility, and Financial Control: How Infios Solves Global Supply Chain Challenges
Alan Rowlett | Linkedin
Infios | Linkedin
Infios
White Paper: Beyond the Invoice: Unlocking strategic value of Freight Audit and Payment programs. 
eBook: The Connected Execution Playbook 
White Paper: Integrating FAP and TMS: The hidden engine behind smarter transportation spend 
Webinar: Driving Cost Savings with FAP  
The Logistics of Logistics Podcast
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