Food Shippers of America is excited to announce we were able to accept a record number of registrations for our 65th annual conference and expect a final total of 1,180 attendees, plus keynote speakers and industry thought leaders! 

Unfortunately, we ran out of space at the conference venue, otherwise we would have been able to register even more prospective attendees.

We thank all our members and sponsors for this fantastic response and their ongoing support of Food Shippers of America. 

The 2020 Food Shippers of America Conference app is now available for download. The APP will provide the most current conference agenda, a listing of all registered attendees, sponsor acknowledgments and other conference-related information.

Registered attendees should have received an email with instructions on the APP download. If you have not received instructions, please contact media_advisor@foodshippersofamerica.org.

Food Shippers of America is looking for FSA Member Companies to profile in upcoming issues of the bi-annual Food Shippers of America magazine.

Perhaps your company has a storied history that needs telling, or just surpassed a milestone in its growth expectations! We offer a unique opportunity for FSA Member Companies to share with our readers their company's goals and successes, visions and innovations. 

If you would like your FSA Member Company profile to appear in our print and digital publication, please contact Food Shippers at media_advisor@foodshippersofamerica.org.

Who Is Eligible for FSA Membership?

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. 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!

Journal of Commerce
The U.S. House of Representatives voted February 6 in favor of HR 2474, a bill similar to pending New Jersey legislation and California's AB 5, that would make it harder for workers—including truckers—to prove they are independent contractors rather than employees. Though the bill is not expected to advance through the U.S. Senate, questions linger as to whether this bill, or future federal legislation, would supersede state laws currently in place.

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

FreightWaves
The rise in diesel fuel in the wake of IMO 2020 hasn't panned out the way analysts predicted. Join host John Kingston and noted freight economist Noël Perry in a 20-minute podcast as they discuss what consumers still need to be aware of and Perry's bearish outlook for the trucking market.

Transport Topics
Despite predicting that gross domestic product growth would slow, American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello said it is unlikely the U.S. economy would slip into recession in 2020 or even 2021. However, Costello noted that while contract rates have remained stable, the spot rate market was off by about 32% for 2019.

Transport Topics
In a continued reduction of annual commercial vehicle registration fees, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a final ruling February 12 that further reduced the annual fees for motor carriers, private motor carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies for 2020 and 2021.

SupplyChain247
As spend on e-grocery continues to climb, one fulfillment strategy being considered integrates automated systems with the shopping experience inside the existing physical store footprint. The configuration would give shoppers choices in ordering, delivering or carrying out their purchases.

SupplyChain247
Organized supply chains operate more efficiently and achieve higher revenue growth, and a well-defined supply chain management plan makes that possible. Read on for how to create a template tailored for your organization's needs.

SupplyChainDive
In response to disruptions in global trade and demand cycles, Tyson has implemented an inventory tracking system that combines computer vision, machine-learning and edge computing resulting in double-digit gains in inventory accuracy, tracking speed and processing capabilities. The new system was developed in-house at Tyson's Manufacturing Automation Center in Springdale, Arkansas.

SupplyChain247
Outsourcing logistics and supply chain services to a Managed Transportation Service Provider comes with a host of benefits including improved supply chain visibility and efficiency, lower freight spend and decreased supply chain risk.

Progressive Railroading
With an eye toward putting flexibility into their customer's hands, Union Pacific Railroad announced earlier this month its launch of a developer portal that allows shippers to send or retrieve data and perform actions pertaining to railroad equipment directly from their own business systems.

Journal of Commerce
Shucking the take-it-or-leave-it attitude of 2019, Class I railroads are looking to win back market share and are willing to go with flat rates and rate reductions to make it so. "It's 180 degrees, the complete opposite of a year ago," said one IMC executive.

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

American Shipper
Aiming to protect and promote GPS service for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) service used by the transportation industry, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order February 12 that calls for an evaluation of the use of PNT service by critical infrastrucuture owners and operators.

DC Velocity
Projecting growth to nearly $300 billion by 2023, the temperature-controlled trucking market is turning to new telematic systems for the cold supply chain including IoT, 5G wireless networking and blockchain data sharing to provide enhanced environmental monitoring, track-and-trace capability and real-time data to shippers.

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 Feb. 12, 2020 (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. 

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 February issue. 

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