Week in Review: Recycled Trackers, Port Actors & Stalled Tractors

Change ripples through every corner of the supply chain this week, starting with a bright spot: 12 forward-thinking companies have earned Tive’s first-ever Green Impact Leader awards for breathing new life into used tracking devices. Then, it's back to reality at America's ports: dockworkers and management are sizing each other up again for crucial contract talks this month—the first since the tense three-day strike earlier this Fall.

Meanwhile, in the nation's heartland, farmers face a bitter irony as record-breaking harvests sit stranded in terminals, and cargo thieves are growing bolder—targeting electronics and food shipments with military precision. Yet the story ends with promise in pharmaceutical supply chains, where sophisticated tracking technology fights counterfeits and builds an unbroken chain of trust from factory to pharmacy. Let's begin!

Green Impact Leader Award 2024: Small Trackers, Massive Impact

12 incredible companies just showed the world that doing good for business and the planet can go hand in hand. At Tive, we just launched the Green Impact Leader award to recognize these companies—and to honor them for going all-in on recycling and reusing our trackers in 2024.

Winners Deliver Results That Matter

Every returned tracker represents a victory for sustainability, and these 12 companies delivered exceptional results. QuickSTAT protected life-saving healthcare shipments while prioritizing environmental responsibility. Taylor Farms applied its commitment to freshness and family farming partnerships toward tracker recycling excellence. Dexcom proved that managing diabetes care and environmental care work hand in hand. Meanwhile, Morrison Express, Geodis, and C.H. Robinson showed how logistics leaders can innovate through sustainable practices, as Automated Security IS and Track iQ demonstrated that security and sustainability strengthen each other.

Partners in Building a Greener Future

What makes these achievements particularly meaningful? Each winner found unique ways to weave sustainability into their core operations. NORA's specialized organ transport expertise and LifeCenter Northwest's life-saving mission didn't stop them from maximizing tracker returns. Ocati's produce distribution and Capespan's global fresh food network proved that every supply chain segment can drive environmental impact. We look forward to seeing how these 12 leaders continue to inspire others, and it makes us wonder: who will win in 2025?

ILA & USMX Set for November Contract Talks, Timing Hints at Political Calculations

Dockworker negotiations will stay quiet until after the election. However, following their October 25 announcement, it's a foregone conclusion that leaders from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) will restart talks at some point this month.

Stakes Run High After Recent Three-Day Strike

Last month’s three-day strike wasn't just for show—it forced both sides to extend their master contract to January 15 and sparked a tentative wage deal. However, several major hurdles stand in the way of lasting peace on the docks. Port automation remains a significant flashpoint while workers fight to protect their jurisdiction, healthcare benefits, and container royalties. Even the wage agreement hangs in the balance—it only becomes real if these other challenging issues get solved.

Politics Could Impact Labor Talks

Labor experts see November as a calculated time to restart negotiations because of the election, with attorney Melissa Atkins of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel noting that the incoming administration could dramatically reshape American labor relations. The spotlight now shifts to New Jersey's ports, where failure to reach a deal by mid-January threatens another shutdown. According to AlixPartners consultant Marc Iampieri, the recent strike was a clear warning—dockworkers proved they'd walk off the job to protect their interests. A second work stoppage could prove even more disruptive than the first.

Food Exporters Hit Breaking Point During Peak Season

American farmers and growers can't catch a break right now. While their harvests set record numbers—with ag exports jumping 12.5% from last year—getting products onto ships has never been more challenging. Empty containers sit in the wrong places, trucks wait in endless terminal lines, and vessels leave the port half empty.

Farmers Watch Crops Sit as Delays Mount

Major farm shipping hubs in terminals like Minneapolis and Omaha report heavy backlogs. Then, once produce and grains finally reach the West Coast, they face another wall: containers now languish at LA and Long Beach ports for over 9 days on average, the longest wait since October 2022. Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis also reveals a worrying trend: after months of improvements since February that peaked at 64.8% reliability in August, trans-Pacific westbound performance dropped to 63.6% in September—the first decline since April.

Money Lost When Food Can't Move

Shipping rates add further context. By late October, East Coast rates to Asia dropped 11% to $400 per container, matching West Coast prices. Yet cheaper rates mean nothing when crops can't reach their destination in time. While dockworkers' strike worries are on the back burner for now, normal operations hang on to get export volumes flowing smoothly again—especially with West Coast ports still digging out from their backlog mess.

Cargo Theft Surge Hits Record Levels, With No Signs of Slowing

The latest data from Overhaul paints a concerning picture—cargo theft keeps climbing, with September showing even higher theft levels than July and August.  

Peak Times & Hot Spots Tell the Story

The numbers reveal a clear pattern: 63% of cargo thefts strike between Tuesday and Thursday, with thieves favoring the early morning (6:00 am through noon) and evening hours (6:00 pm through midnight) at 33% each. Southern California leads the pack of high-risk zones, followed closely by Chicago, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. Electronics remain the prime target, making up 27% of all thefts, with California accounting for 53% of these incidents.

Methods & Tactics Signal Growing Sophistication

Criminals stick to what works: 30% of thefts target full truckloads, while last-mile courier hits follow at 28%. The preferred method? Snatching unattended cargo from warehouses, distribution centers, and delivery spots (32% of cases). Food and drinks trail electronics as the second-most stolen items at 22%, showing thieves target both high-value tech and essential consumer goods. These patterns point toward organized criminal operations rather than random acts of opportunity.

Safeguarding Medicine: How Technology Protects Your Prescriptions

Your pharmacist hands you a prescription. The pills should heal you—but are they real? Modern medicine requires absolute trust, yet counterfeiting threatens patient safety worldwide. So, healthcare systems are fighting back by turning to technology.

From the Factory Floor to Your Local Pharmacy

Back in 2015, drugmakers faced a critical challenge: tracking every single bottle of medicine throughout the supply chain. What started with a few hundred healthcare partners watching over your prescriptions grew into a vast protective network of tens of thousands by 2021. Think of it like a digital passport system: each package of medicine has its unique "travel history," making it nearly impossible for fake medications to slip through the cracks.  

When Minutes Matter: Speeding Up Safety Checks

Picture a pharmacy technician spotting something unusual about a shipment of insulin. Before modern tracking systems, they'd spend hours or days making phone calls, sending emails, and waiting for answers about the medicine's safety. Today, healthcare workers tap directly into a shared knowledge network, getting immediate answers about medicine authenticity. Quick access means faster responses when concerns arise—and for patients waiting on critical medications, faster means the difference between life and death.  

When Supply Chains Snap, Tive's Got Your Back

When the supply chain feels like a five-ring circus, you need a ringleader who can oversee all the acts. Tive and its suite of solutions transforms daily logistics dramas into smooth-running shows, offering everything from real-time tracking to 24/7 monitoring:

• Trackers: Revolutionize your shipment tracking with Tive's advanced Solo 5G and Solo Lite trackers. These devices offer real-time location and condition monitoring to ensure the security and integrity of your cargo.
• Tive Tag: Enhance perishable shipment protection with Tive Tag—an affordable and reusable paper-thin temperature logger—to verify that your goods have remained pristine throughout transit.
• Platform: Streamline your supply chain management with Tive's intuitive cloud platform, offering real-time shipment visibility, analytics, and integration capabilities for seamless tracking and monitoring.
• Industries: Tive caters to a diverse range of industries, ensuring tailored solutions for unique supply chain challenges—from perishables to high-value goods to transportation and logistics to pharmaceuticals… and beyond.
• 24/7 Live Monitoring Team: Our experts are available to help ensure that your shipments are constantly watched over and managed to guarantee timely and secure delivery.

Arm yourself with innovation: let Tive lead the way in transforming your supply chain operations. Embrace the future of logistics—get started with Tive today.

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