John’s Blog

11-3-08

Dear Friends,

Whoever is elected tomorrow will have their hands full.  The transportation sector is a reflection of the overall economy as factories take downtime and consumers close their wallets.

At a time when the transportation sector participates in holiday stocking and replenishment the indicators are down across the board whether it is ocean, intermodal, truckload, LTL, or air.

Some are predicting that we need to dig in for a long protracted depression while others are saying that we can expect a recovery to begin in the spring of 09. 

Meanwhile, transportation companies are retrenching for the worst given the historic drop off in freight volumes this time of year.  Terminal consolidations, layoffs, and fleet reductions are the norm.

At Wagner we are taking a conservative approach with leases and staffing and keeping our options open for expansion.  We are entering into flexible leases where possible that allow us to expand or contract as the market demands.

From a transportation position, Wagner is looking at our lane capacity and willing to collaborate with other shippers to see if any of our lanes match with their needs.

We continue to implement our Red Prairie technology across the company and are very pleased with the increased productivity and accuracy the system provides.

Let’s partner in 2009 to drive efficiency and cost savings in your supply chain.

Have a great week!

John Wagner Jr.