National Supply Chain Day started with a simple idea: the people who keep the world moving deserve to be seen. In this special episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton and Mary Kate Love, President of Supply Chain Now, welcome Dr. Stephanie Thomas, Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas and Executive Director of WISE, for a conversation on the people powering the global supply chain. The episode also features a keynote from Billy Ray Taylor, CEO and founder of LinkedXL, plus award recognition for Keith Moore of AutoScheduler.AI and Jim Opoka, recently retired from FEMA. Together, they celebrate the people behind hospital shelves, disaster relief, warehouse execution, and the next generation entering the field, while exploring clarity, ownership, people skills, AI, and why every supply chain professional should tell their story.   This episode is hosted by Scott W. Luton and Mary Kate Love. Produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton.   Additional Links & Resources Check out all the great resources and information mentioned during the show: Connect with Stephanie Thomas Connect with Mary Kate Love Connect with Billy Ray Taylor Connect with Keith Moore Learn more about LinkedXL Learn more about AutoScheduler.AI Learn more…

Freight rates have entered a new phase, and the signals pointing to it have been hiding in plain sight for anyone willing to look past the headlines and into the data. In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott W. Luton is joined by Jake Barr, Chris Caplice, Chief Scientist at DAT Freight & Analytics, and Bobby Holland, Vice President/Director of Freight Business Analytics at U.S. Bank, to dig into the newly launched U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index Rates Edition, a joint report combining U.S. Bank’s $46 billion in annual freight payment processing with DAT’s database of more than a trillion in freight market transactions. Chris breaks down why this tightening cycle isn’t the surprise so many transportation executives believe it to be, explaining how capacity, not demand, is the real driver this time around, fueled by driver shortages, tighter regulations, and unprecedented data center build-out. Bobby brings the numbers to life, showing how spot rate movement has historically preceded shifts in contract rates and why shippers should treat that signal as an early warning system rather than an afterthought. The conversation lands on what shippers can actually do about it: stress-testing budgets, segmenting freight into dedicated, contract, and dynamic…