Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

AGiLE Business Media

The editors of DC VELOCITY magazine bring you weekly updates on logistics, material handling, and supply chain news.

  1. 2d ago

    Guest: Matt Lekstutis of Efficio on China and world trade; The upbeat forklift market; Automation comes to the high seas

    Our guest on this week's episode is Matt Lekstutis, director at Efficio, a supply chain and consulting firm. Two weeks ago, President Trump had an historic meeting with China’s President Xi. It was a highly anticipated gathering, as there was a lot to talk about, including the war against Iran and the ongoing oil constraints. Our guest this week talks with DC Velocity Group Editorial Director David Maloney to unwrap what took place and to discuss international trade and world-wide threats to our supply chains.  Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports that buyers of forklifts and pallet-handling equipment are upbeat in 2026, with many expecting to increase capital expenditures on those items this year as compared to last year. This information is based on a recent Voice of Market report from London-based research firm Interact Analysis. The researchers surveyed decision-makers involved in the use, selection, and purchase of automation technologies for their facilities globally. We’ve been writing for years about autonomous vehicles, first with AGVs and AMRs in warehouses, there are self-driving forklifts, outdoor delivery robots on sidewalks, increasingly self-driving cars, a small but growing number of self-driving trucks, and some flying drones both indoors and out. But a story that caught the eye of Senior News Editor Ben Ames this week was about autonomous commercial ships. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: OfficioReport: Market sentiment for forklift and pallet handling tech improvesIMO launches safety code to regulate autonomous shipsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: ID Label

    22 min

  2. May 22

    Guest Hannah Hurckes of Boss Lady Logistics on fallout from the Supreme Court’s broker decision; Gaining “Momentum” with Agentic AI; A robotics acquisition

    Our guest on this week's episode is Hannah Hurckes, Founder and CEO, Boss Lady Logistics. Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on a case that could end up changing the freight industry as we know it, especially the brokerage part of freight movement. Hurckes shares the details and the impacts of this landmark ruling with DC Velocity Senior Editor Victoria Kickham. The buzzword of the season in supply chain software right now is agentic AI. But that technology, and artificial intelligence overall really, is still so new that there are probably more questions than answers about how it will affect each user’s own business processes. This week Senior News Editor Ben Ames traveled to Las Vegas to attend the Manhattan Associates Momentum conference, where much of the discussion focused on some new tools to help users implement agentic AI into their workflows and deal with the “blackbox” problem. Warehouse robotics and automation company Locus Robotics said this week it has acquired Nexera Robotics. Nexera is a Vancouver-based developer of advanced robotic grasping technology. This is a big deal because it will help advance Locus’ newest offering—its Locus Array system--which it released at the MODEX show in April. Victoria Kickham reports. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: Boss Lady LogisticsManhattan Associates launches marketplace of AI AgentsManhattan tool explains the why behind agentic AI decisionsBlue Yonder launches AI agent testing systemLocus Robotics acquires Nexera RoboticsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    19 min

  3. May 15

    Guest: Patrick Van den Bossche of Kearney on the 2026 Reshoring Index; Will AI take away jobs? Safety in trucking fleets

    Our guest on this week's episode is Patrick Van den Bossche, partner at Kearney, a global management consulting firm. There has been a huge effort in recent years to return manufacturing to the United States, as much of this production has been outsourced to overseas factories for decades. But have these attempts been successful? Van den Bossche is the lead author of new research called the 2026 Reshoring Index Report and offers his insights and findings from the report on whether the current state of reshoring initiatives..  Artificial intelligence has so many up sides that investors are betting big right now on the benefits of the technologies – you can just look at the stock market for evidence of that. But we do hear of the downside of the many jobs AI may eliminate. Ben Ames reports on new research that shows which types of jobs are most vulnerable and the areas of the world that might be most affected (Hint: the U.S. is high on the vulnerablity list). There is a wealth of data in trucking today, much of it derived from the telematics and other advanced technology tools that connect what’s happening in the truck to a company’s broader IT system. Companies can use this vast array of data to improve safety and enhance operations. But while most small and mid-sized fleets claim to be “data rich,” they say they are starved for ways to best use the information they get from all of those tech tools. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: KearneyAllianz report: Unemployment rates could be shaken by immigration, Iran War, and AIFleets struggle to turn safety data into actionVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    22 min

  4. May 8

    Guest: Omar Qari of Logicbroker on how retailers and brands respond to shifting geopolitical uncertainty; Carton diversity drives sortation designs; China doubles down on robotics

    Our guest on this week's episode is Omar Qari, CEO of Logicbroker. Every industry has had to adjust to the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty – the Iran war, high fuel prices, volatile tariff policy – the list goes on. So, how are retailers and brands making the needed adjustments to deal with these shifting trade conditions and uncertain supply availability? Our guest offers his insights with Senior News Editor Ben Ames. Most warehouses have packages of some kind that they need to sort - either inbound cases that have to go to storage or processing areas or goods in outbound packages that have to be sorted to dock doors. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham wrote for this month’s DC Velocity about how the wide diversity of these cartons is driving changes in automated sortation system design. Ben Ames reports that it’s no surprise  that robotics technology is taking on a larger role in how supply chains operate. We’ve also seen for some years now that many of the Asia-Pacific nations are leaders in that category, both in building robots and in using them for applications like manufacturing. But we saw a report this week about exactly how China sees that sector developing in coming years. This comes from China’s latest Five-Year Plan, which is China's blueprint for operating its economy. And sure enough, the country said it will continue to place robotics at the heart of its industrial system, along with artificial intelligence.  Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: LogicbrokerSortation Report: Pushing the limitsChina places AI-powered robots at the center of its five-year planVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    20 min

  5. May 1

    Guest: Lisa Dyer of the GPS Innovation Alliance on vulnerabilities of GPS systems; Growing technology gaps; The clever ways thieves steal cargo

    Our guest on this week's episode is Lisa Dyer, Executive Director of the GPS Innovation Alliance. Many of us rely on GPS satellite technology every day. But what we may not realize is that these important systems are vulnerable to criminals, hackers, and a range of other bad actors. Between jamming GPS signals and mimicking real signals, the potential for harm is real—unless we do something about it. Lisa Dyer of the GPS Innovation Alliance shares about these potential threats to our GPS systems and what can be done to secure them. Just about every company on the globe is trying to figure out what to do about artificial intelligence and other digitalization efforts, especially where they can be deployed in their operations and whether it is worth the huge investments.  Yet, Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports on some new research that shows there is a considerable gap between these digital ambitions and actual execution. Cargo theft is a topic that we’ve been covering more and more in recent months. Every now and then, a high profile example makes the news, like those thieves that recently stole an entire truckload of lobsters or the ones who stole a truck of Kit-Kat bars. But on a day to day basis, it happens far more often, and one reason is that the thieves are constantly becoming better at being criminals. Senior News Editor Ben Ames reported that during the first quarter of 2026, thieves in the U.S. and Canada committed fewer heists but they targeted more valuable goods. He shares what types of goods are stolen the most and the clever ways thieves are pulling off these capers. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: GPS Innovation AllianceReport: Tech challenges persist across operations and supply chainsCargo thieves narrow their focus on high-value targetsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    26 min

  6. Apr 24

    Guest: Helaine Rich of ePost Global on rising fuel costs; Truck stops work to accommodate women drivers; Changing shopping patterns

    Our guest on this week's episode is Helaine Rich, Vice President of Strategic Sales and Administration at ePost Global. As the war against Iran is in its seventh week, fuel prices continue to rise. And it is getting to the point where carriers can no longer just simply absorb those costs. So, how have those unexpected costs affected supply chain companies? Senior News Editor Ben Ames discusses with our guest how companies are coping and trying to adjust to these latest uncertainties.  Each year, the number of women taking the wheel is rising. Right now, women make up about 9 1/2 percent of truck drivers, according to the Women in Trucking organization. Senior Editor Victoria Kickham reports that as women continue to impact the industry, truck stops are looking to make life on the road better for these women drivers. She shares the top three truck stops nationwide that are tops for best accommodating women truckers. Shoppers can sometimes be fickle. Just a few years ago, most retailers were losing traction with in-store shopping, forcing malls nationwide to close. Now we see a new trend where younger shoppers are returning to store shopping. Ben Ames reposts on a consumer survey he saw this week that found that only 12% of Gen Z and 9% of Millennials this summer plan to shop entirely online this summer, while the rest of shoppers are omnichannel, meaning that 69% of Americans are planning to shop both in-store and online. What does this mean for how companies manage their inventories? Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: ePost GlobalIndustry identifies the top three women-friendly truck stopsYounger consumers stay omnichannel, shun fully digital shoppingVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    17 min

  7. Apr 17

    Guest: Disney Petit on a better way for customer returns; Managing a variety of robots successfully; Autonomous fulfillment advances

    Our guest on this week's episode is Disney Petit – founder and CEO of LiquiDonate, a company that provides software for companies to donate unwanted returned items. As any retailer can tell you, returns can be the most difficult part of their work. Each return has to be evaluated to decide what to do with it. But what if there is a better idea for handling returns? With Earth Day approaching, we present a great way to find homes for returned items that cannot be resold. Rather than disposing of these items in landfills, LiquiDonate connects retailers and others who process returns with schools and non-profits that can use the items. Our team just returned from the MODEX conference this week in Atlanta where we saw all sorts of material handling systems and automation that will probably be coming to a warehouse nearby soon. Ben Ames reports on getting lots of these systems from a variety of vendors to work together: Walk into any distribution center and you’ll see products from several different vendors running at the same time on the warehouse floor, not to mention all the different brands of software controlling them that you can't even see. So how do you make them all behave well together and work toward a single goal? Many things also caught the eye of Victoria Kickham at MODEX 2026 this week. She chose a couple of things to highlight. The first was the launch of an autonomous warehouse fulfillment system from Locus Robotics. The company debuted its Locus Array system, which is an autonomous, in-aisle picking solution that combines mobile robotics, an integrated robotic picking arm, and AI-powered perception to complete picking and fulfilment tasks without manual intervention. She also talked with robotics company Boston Dynamics about the long-term potential of humanoid robots in the warehouse. Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: LiquiDonateLocus Robotics launches fully autonomous fulfillment systemRoboteon tool simulates impact of robotics automation on specific DCSFanuc robot arms combine AI and computer vision to adopt flexible workflowsVisit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    21 min

  8. Apr 10

    Guest: Christelle Keefer of A3 on gaps in automation skills; Robot density is growing; Fleets flex in AI

    Our guest on this week's episode is Christelle Keefer, director of training and certifications at The Association for Advancing Automation (A3).  As labor becomes harder to find for our distribution and manufacturing facilities, companies are turning more and more to automation. This is National Robotics Week  - when the industry celebrates the impacts that these mechanical workers are making on our operations. Our guest speaks with Senior Editor Ben Ames about gaps that still remain when deploying robots to work with human workers. New information from the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR, illustrates just how prevalent robots are becoming in factories and industrial settings around the world. The group released its World Robotics 2025 report this week, which outlines the number of factory robots being used in various regions as compared to the local manufacturing workforce.  TD Cowen, a banking and investment analysis firm, shared the results of their quarterly “1Q26 TD Cowen Carrier Survey” this week. It showed that a lot of the companies that operate trucking fleets are looking increasingly to technology for answers, and specifically AI. The survey found that 26% of trucking carriers would be willing to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools entirely instead of relying on human freight brokers. What might this mean for the freight broker industry? Articles and resources mentioned in this episode: The Association for Advancing Automation (A3)Report: robot density surges in Europe, Asia, and the AmericasTD Cowen: 26% of carriers would use AI instead of freight brokers?Visit DC VelocityVisit Supply Chain XchangeListen to CSCMP and Supply Chain Xchange's Supply Chain in the Fast Lane podcastSend feedback about this podcast to podcast@agilebme.com This podcast episode is sponsored by: Werner

    16 min
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The editors of DC VELOCITY magazine bring you weekly updates on logistics, material handling, and supply chain news.

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  • Creator
    AGiLE Business Media
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    304
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY
  • Show Website
    Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

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