What to watch out for in 2023: supply chain cyberattacks
Good morning! Happy December 1st. Can you believe it… Santa will be here in just a few weeks.
“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” - Madam C.J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire
Malware, ransomware, phishing emails… hackers are the new constant. Consumers, businesses, and even governments are at risk in the new tech-driven age. Supply chains - being the lifeblood of the world - are a prime target for online criminals. The good news is… there are many tech companies that are ready to step in and protect.
Check out today’s featured article from DC Velocity to read about the likelihood of supply chain cyberattacks becoming the latest and greatest techy-trend of the new year. What can your organization do to protect itself? ☕️
Featured Article:
Supply chain cyberattacks to ramp up in 2023 | DC Velocity
“Tech executive puts supply chain risk at the top of a list of cybersecurity trends to watch in the year ahead.”
Stakeholders & Driver Issues 🚛
Trucking industry expressed distaste over federal electronic identifier proposal
The country’s motor carriers and independent truckers have not been shy about their opinion on the potential of a federally-mandated unique electronic identifier placed in large trucks. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website hosted a comment board that featured over 2,000 comments on the matter and the majority were less-than-pleased.
The proposal was originally made on Sept. 23rd in the Federal Register advance notice of proposed rulemaking. The proposed rule would include an electronic identifier on trucks that can wirelessly communicate when federal or state motor carrier safety enforcement personnel requests information - and those in favor of the rule say it would improve efficiency and safety on the road.
Driver Issues & Mental Health 🧠
Furry co-pilots can cheer up truck drivers on long journeys
Furry friends, like cats and dogs, are very helpful for truck drivers experiencing an enjoyable driving experience, according to Greg Orr, president of CFI. CFI’s pet ride-along program began in 1995 and has grown to over 350 drivers participating. These co-pilots can help sleeping drivers be alerted of any possible danger while resting, be a cheerful presence while driving, and also make the home of the driver seem a little less far away while on long-haul trips.
Some states and insurance providers do advise drivers to avoid distractions while driving with pets in the vehicle.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
Angry Season 4 GIF By The Office via GIPHY
🇮🇳 Indian operations are laid off amid Amazon global cuts. Regardless of India being one of the most crucial markets of growth, Amazon’s Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy’s cost-cutting campaign is making its mark on the country. By removing meal deliveries and bulk doorstep deliveries of packaged consumer goods to small businesses, India’s 1.4 billion customers will instead have to rely on the e-tailer’s core offerings. Part of the reason for zeroing in on India for the cuts is that the market there is dealing with regulatory upswings and heavy competition with India-based businesses.
🇨🇳 U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo insists America doesn’t want to cut ties with China. Raimondo vocalized this in a speech on Wednesday, despite the obvious and glaring steps America is taking to protect its technological and military prowess from Beijing. Over the past ten years, China and The United States’ relationship has grown somewhat sour as China’s communist government has forced the U.S. to compromise human rights values. Trump-era tariffs have been kept in place by the Biden administration - an action originally taken in accusation of alleged theft of trade secrets.
iLevel With You
More topics for the average American household to consider…
🛍️ 196.7 million Americans shopped in stores and online on the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. This is a new record, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The five-day holiday shopping period from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday boasted the highest numbers since the organization first came to be in 2017, jumping nearly 17 million from 2021 numbers. This record far-surpassed expectation by more than 30 million shoppers. On average, shoppers spent $325.44 on holiday-related purchases over the course of the weekend.
👚 Returns account for more than 20% of e-commerce sales. According to figures from the National Retail Federation, that number is rising in comparison to the approximately 10% that account for in-person shoppers. User-experience technology is not yet able to allow customers to really know “if the shoe fits” - leaving many e-commerce-based stores in a pickle. Major retailers are closing the window of time available to refund or exchange items purchased and also adding on restocking fees.
🎄Wreaths Across America event will stretch from Columbia Falls, Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The event will fall on December 17th and approximately 2.5 million wreaths will be delivered to more than 3,700 cemeteries. All 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Guantanamo Bay are included in the event and thousands of volunteers will assist. At Arlington National Cemetery in 2018, approximately 80,000 volunteers participated in placing 400,000 wreaths on the graves of service members in the freezing rain.
GET SMART
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🤖 Warehouse Robotics Veteran Jon Schechter spoke with Logistics Viewpoints about the Greater Boston Robotics Cluster. This metropolitan area is home to a large number of innovative warehouse robotics companies that are leading the industry toward embracing AI.
📥 “Just-in-time” logistics operations may have been smothered by the pandemic. These types of supply chains took the brunt of the collateral damage during the early days of Covid-19 shutdowns as store shelves were empty and orders for inventory came in as little as possible. Retailers are now facing the opposite problem - shelves are overflowing with too many products as consumers are hesitant to buy with inflation so high. But experts are mixed in their opinion regarding the future of “just-in-time” logistics.
☁️ AWS Supply Chain, an Amazon-owned cloud-based software, is ready for business. The application is meant to improve supply chain visibility among customers and suppliers, mitigate supply chain risks, and lower the costs of operation - by eliminating delays and shortages.
Maritime ⚓️
OCEAN Alliance to upsize Transatlantic lane again | Container News
In this article, Asia Correspondent Martina Li has written about the OCEAN Alliance transatlantic service being revamped with four new 8,500-10,000 TEU ships and an additional four 11,000 to 14,000 TEU vessels.
Rail 🚂
Congress expected to step in to block rail strike | Fleet Owner
In this article, Fleet Owner contributor Scott Keith writes about the House of Representatives voting over whether to block a potential railroad strike as early as December 9th at the urging of the President.
The House votes to avert a potentially devastating railroad strike | Vox
In this Vox article, Li Zhou explains the power Congress has to avert a railroad strike. The House of Representatives voted on the rail unions accepting the offer presented to them by the Emergency Board and another vote passed seven sick days to be provided to workers. It’s uncertain what the Senate will agree to.
Electric Vehicles 🔋
Tesla is still dominant, but its U.S. market share is eroding as cheaper EVs arrive | CNBC
CNBC contributors Michael Wayland and Lora Kolodny write about Tesla’s dominance in the American market dwindling as cheaper optioning begins to roll out.
American Economy 🇺🇸
Consumers are keeping the economy afloat… for now | CNN Business
CNN Business contributor Nicole Goodkind writes about the persistence of American shoppers that are lending a helping hand to an economy… but for how long?
Security 🔐
Independent audits expose supply chain leaks | Supply Chain Movement
In this article, SCM contributor Marcel te Lindert writes about the leak uncovered in the supply chain by several indecent audits.
Cab Tech 🚛
3 Things I Learned About Trucking Tech in 2022 | Trucking Info
In this article by Trucking Info, the contributor Jack Roberts writes about the longevity of the internal combustion engine and the partnership brewing between autonomous technology and advanced driver safety systems.
Sales 🧾
Biden backs shift to zero-emissions truck sales at COP27 | Transport Dive
In this article, Transport Dive reporter Colin Campbell writes about Biden’s non-binding pledge at the COP27 in Copenhagen, Denmark to convert all new medium- and heavy-duty truck sales to zero emission by 2040.
Air ✈️
In this article, Reason Foundation’s Senior Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner writes about the Department of Transportation’s attempt to protect consumers from unfair practices in the aviation sector.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for November 28, 2024, from iLevel Logistics Inc.