The 2020 Food Shippers of America Conference app is scheduled for released Feb. 3, 2020. The APP will provide the most current conference agenda, a listing of all registered attendees, sponsor acknowledgments and other conference-related information. Registered attendees can expect an email from media@foodshippersofamerica.org with instructions on the APP release and download.

Please note that the 2020 attendee list is not available prior to the release of the 2020 Conference APP.

Food Shippers of America is looking for Member Companies to profile in upcoming issues of the bi-annual Food Shippers of America magazine. This is a unique opportunity to share with our readers information about your company, its products or logistical innovations you’re undertaking.  

If you would like your Member Company to appear in one of these profile presentations please contact Food Shippers at media_advisor@foodshippersofamerica.org.

Industry analyst Adrian Gonzalez will give a keynote presentation at this year's Food Shippers of America Conference on The Digital Supply Chain Journey: A Practical Guide to Getting Started. In addition, he will present the results from the following 2-minute survey at the conference. All respondents will receive a report of the results following the presentation. All contact information and individual responses will remain confidential; only aggregate results will be reported.

To participate in the survey, please click here. 

Thank you for your time and participation in this survey!  

Our Winter 2019 issue of Food Shippers of America magazine is also available in digital format for your phone, tablet and computer viewing. Please click here for immediate access. 

Previous issues of Food Shippers of America magazine may be found in our association website archives, or by clicking here.  

Thank you to all our members for your support!

Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
The Shippers Group is excited to start off the new year as the featured Corporate Spotlight by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)!

Transplace, a leading provider of transportation management services and logistics technology solutions, announced January 14 the strategic acquisition of Lanehub, a cloud-based platform and community that encourages shipper-carrier collaboration by automatically identifying and connecting companies with complementary freight lanes to save on shipping expenses.

FreightWaves
With an eye toward creating a new platform for freight demand-capacity matching, ELD supplier Trimble announced January 9 its acquisition of TMS management provider Kuebix. The deal will meld Trimble's network of more than 1.3 million private and commercial carriers with Kuebix's extensive roster of shipping companies.

This holiday season, #EPASmartWay partners transported nearly 2 billion packages to homes throughout the country. Along with holiday gifts and goods, they delivered the gift of a more sustainable future! #deliveringthegoods #sustainability #fuelsavings.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) is making its monthly magazine, 3PL Perspectives, available to all FSA members and suppliers. Please click here for a view of TIA's December issue. 

For more information about any articles appearing in 3PL Perspectives, contact Chris Burroughs at burroughs@tianet.org.

Transport Topics
Granting a motion by the California Trucking Assocition, Superior Court Judge Roger Benitez has issued a preliminary injunction against the new AB5 legislation, indefinitely banning implementation of the controversial worker classification law. In his decision, Judge Benitez said,' "With AB 5, California runs off the road and into the preemption ditch of the FAAAA. Accordingly, plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction is GRANTED.”'

Journal of Commerce
A controversial worker classification bill in the New Jersey legislature is effectively dead for the time being. However, the AB5-styled bill's sponsor, Sen. Stephen Sweeney, said the bill will be refiled in the legislative session that began January 14.

For a free trial offer, or to subscribe to the Journal of Commerce, please click here.

Transport Topics
A Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles has ruled that the newly enacted AB5 legislation is preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994, and that New Jersey-based NFI Industries and its subsidiaries were exempt from the new law.

SupplyChain247
Despite showing a 5% – 10% ROI within 18 months of implementation of a transportation management system, more than 50% of businesses still handle their transportation bookings with spreadsheets, phone calls and emails.

SupplyChain247
A single-cloud platform is taking the email, phone and fax out of the business model for restauranteurs by creating a network of supply chain partners using real-time data that offers greater transparency and efficiency while lowering waste and inventory.

FreightWaves
Despite debuting its proof-of-concept Class 8 autonomous truck at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Kenworth R&D Director Brian Lindgren did note the company is holding off on any fanfare as there is still a lot of validation left to do. "We're using this as a test bed," said Lindgren.

Journal of Commerce
Facing an increasing crisis in higher-margin carloads, railroads are looking to further their presence in consumer-driven supply chains by rewriting the way they work with marine terminals and trucking companies. Jean-Jacques Ruest of Canadian National Railway will  speak further on the subject at TPM20 in Long Beach, California March 1-4.

Food Shippers of America is both surprised and excited by the overwhelming early registration response to our 2020 Annual Conference.

Food Shippers is committed to ensuring that the annual conference provides ample and effective networking opportunities. We have found that balancing attendance with proportioned representation from shippers/receivers and the various service provider types (motor carriers, third party providers, railroads and technology providers) affords participants an optimal mix of attendees in conjunction with our venue’s hosting capabilities.    

We have received a record number of registrations and have reached the facility’s recommended capacity limits. Unfortunately, this will mean that we will not be able to accommodate everyone who would like to attend. Consequently, we have closed registration for all attendee types and are unable to make any exceptions at this time. If you would like, we can add you to a waiting list and if space opens up we will let you know. We will need the name and email for anyone who would like to be placed on the waitlist.

We regret any inconvenience and thank everyone who has registered and helped contribute to the tremendous early turnout!

Thank you for your ongoing support of Food Shippers of America.

It’s hard to believe that the 2020 FSA conference is just around the corner!

We have only a limited number of openings left in the afternoon round of the Sunday golf tournament. Advance registration is required, so if you would like to play please make sure to log in to your registration and sign up for one of the remaining spots. We will not be able to provide a waiting or standby list to play.

Ensure your spot in the 2020 Food Shippers of America Golf Tournamemt and sign up today! If you have any questions please reach out to Paul Newbourne at executivedirector@foodshippersofamerica.org.

Food Shippers of America has arranged for discounted transportation from the Orlando airport to the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton at Grande Lakes hotels for the 2020 Annual FSA Conference. 

MEARS Transportation will provide a $4 off discount for a shared ride shuttle round-trip ticket. Attendees can click here to book directly online (the discount code is built in).

Click here for other ride options MEARS offers for the Orlando airport.

2020 Conference Co-chair's Mike Marquardt, Birchwood Foods and Kyle Kottke, Kottke Trucking along with the Food Shippers of America Officers, Board Members and Advisors are pleased to present the 65th Annual Food Shippers of America's Conference Agenda as of December 12, 2019 (Subject to updates and changes).

Thank you to our committed sponsors for their support of our 65th Annual Food Shippers of America Conference, Feb. 23-25, 2020 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.

Click here for a listing of our 2020 Conference Sponsors. 

Hellenic Shipping News
Though some speculated a lack of very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), engine breakdowns, and detention for non-compliance would result with the IMO 2020  regulation implemention, industry insiders say the real issue is rising operating costs owing to spikes in VLSFO pricing.

The Packer
The Phase One trade agreement signed by the U.S. and China on January 14 will ensure between $40 billion to $50 billion worth of American agriculture is purchased by China during the next two years. Industry analysts said that the Phase One agreement is hopefully a stepping stone to removal of retaliatory tariffs from both sides.

Supply Chain Dive
Spending on robotics expected to top $112 billion in 2020, and more than double to $241 billion by 2023, with the pick-and-pack sector making up nearly 10% of the market share. While costs have been a deterrent to some extent, robotic prices have declined by 50% since 1990.