 did you know   superman is no longer an ambassador for the united states but recently has been promoted to world ambassador  the above quote is from a recent meeting with a good friend and client who was expressing his feedback on what s going on in the world these days the reality is that even superman who used for stand for truth justice and the american way has now gone global many supply chain professionals complain about the general lack of logistics knowledge that is prevalent in business despite so many resources available at our fingertips as we are quickly approaching the end of the second quarter and entering into the summer months it s a good time to think about some of the things that may have fallen off of the radar or maybe are not even being evaluated currently we all have our reasons from changes in forecasts to meet new economic surges to just not having enough time to address everything that needs to be done here is a quick did you know list for those of us who remain diligent to the task of continuously improving and adjusting our goals to meet the demands of the marketplace  fuel costs while appearing to have leveled off still have potential to rise to over 500 per gallon the controversial fmcsa hours of service hos ruling is due for final comments on july 26 th an extension may be pending  some freight forwarders are moving towards a hedging model to forecast and procure cost effective international transportation truckload capacity continues to be reduced by over 2 per month as rates continue to rise by over 3 during each month carriers that are already running tight are heading into the summer months shorthanded and now will have to work with a reduced work force due to vacations impacting service a transportation management system tms if used properly for optimization not rate shopping is the most effective tool to reduce cost quickly and sustain savings for the longterm yet most companies either don t have them or use them inefficiently intermodal usage domestically as well as abroad is a great way to boost capacity and fill tough lanes while reducing costs companies that strategically outsource key areas of expertise to help free up and support their logistics personnel not fire them have the greatest return and best chance at long term success i m not asking for perfection just progress as the year moves forward we should all be continuing our personal pursuit of excellence by looking at ways to reduce and overcome what lies ahead your input as always is appreciated  