Feds to meet with FLOW members to speed up supply chain

The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday announced a new initiative to collaborate with supply-chain partners to speed up the movement of goods and reduce prices for consumers.

USDOT officials will convene with members of the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) group, which was launched in March o help solve supply-chain issues through increasing transparency in the supply chain. Member organizations are sharing data with USDOT to determine problem-solving solutions, USDOT officials said in a press release.

There are now 36 FLOW members, and more are expected to join. The group is developing a digital tool that gives companies information on the condition of a region in the supply chain so that goods can be moved more quickly. Current supply-chain conditions make the flow of goods more fragile and unable to adapt when faced with unusual circumstances, USDOT officials said.

BNSF Railway Co. is a member of FLOW. The organization also involves the Georgia Ports Authority, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and several intermodal and shipping companies, including Hapag-Lloyd, J.B. Hunt, Maersk and TRAC Intermodal.