The current market volatility is making disruptions commonplace, so how can you anticipate and navigate an ever changing landscape? In this episode of Supply Chain Now, hosts Scott W. Luton and Allison Giddens delve deep into the turbulent waters of supply chain management with industry experts Nathan Crocker and Drew Herpich from Nolan Transportation Group (NTG). Nathan Crocker shares his decade of experience in drayage operations, offering invaluable perspectives on strategic decisions, cost understanding, and the significance of diversification in today’s shipment landscape. Drew Herpich, NTG’s Chief Commercial Officer, highlights the essentials of planning capacity and connections at ports, shedding light on how inflation and capital constraints impact shipping decisions. From discussing how to use historical data to predict shipping timelines to the challenges posed by fluctuating interest rates, this episode covers it all. Listen in and also gain insights into the importance of choosing the right partners to handle unpredictability in supply chain dynamics effectively. Prepare for actionable insights that could profoundly impact how you manage logistics and make strategic decisions.

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton and special guest host Claudia Freed, President & CEO of EALGreen, welcome Chuck Johnston, Chief Strategy Officer at ReturnPro, for a deep dive into the “dark side” of supply chain: reverse logistics and returns management. They unpack why returns are a nearly trillion-dollar challenge in the U.S., how BORIS (buy online, return in store) strains store operations, and why many retailers still under-invest: leaders often can’t see the full cost across functions or make the ROI case for what’s treated as a cost center. Chuck shares how the space has evolved from yellow notepads to data-driven decisioning, highlighting intelligent algorithms that route items at the customer’s first return click, fraud mitigation with imaging and behavior signals, and how third-party innovation is compressing software build times. Claudia adds a nonprofit and circularity lens: donation channels, extended tax credits, and AI pilots (computer vision + MCP agents) that identify item condition and slotting in real time. Together, they explore where to start, why cross-functional “ambassadors” matter, and how partnerships across retailers, manufacturers, nonprofits, and 3PLs can turn returns from margin erosion into measurable value and social impact.   This episode is hosted by…