The less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping market is undergoing unprecedented changes amid the wave of digital transformation. With growing freight demands and persistently tight capacity, the industry is seeking ways to break free from traditional models and achieve cost reduction and efficiency gains. The recent appointment of Adam Blankenship, Chief Commercial Officer of BlueGrace Logistics, to the Digital LTL Council signals an acceleration in the industry's embrace of standardization and automation to address challenges and seize opportunities.
BlueGrace Executive Joins Council: A New Opportunity for Standardization
Florida-based BlueGrace Logistics, a non-asset-based third-party logistics (3PL) provider, has seen its Chief Commercial Officer Adam Blankenship appointed to the Digital LTL Council. This move aims to foster collaboration and standardization across the LTL sector. Established in November 2020, the council brings together over 20 industry stakeholders, including carriers, logistics service providers, shippers, and technology vendors, to develop unified standards for electronic bills of lading (EBL), cargo tracking and visibility, and freight exception management.
"We welcome Adam and BlueGrace Logistics to the Digital LTL Council," said Brian Thompson, Chief Commercial Officer of SMC³. "Adam's years of experience in leading technology applications at BlueGrace Logistics, along with his leadership and industry expertise, will contribute significantly to the council's mission of developing the first scalable set of unified standards for digital LTL automation."
Digital Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities in LTL Shipping
In a conversation with Jeff Berman, News Editor at Logistics Management , Blankenship shared insights on the future of automation and digitization in LTL shipping.
"Over the past two decades, the LTL industry has approached challenges and problem-solving in a highly fragmented manner, with each carrier developing its own methods," Blankenship noted. "This applies to customer communication, documentation requirements, and workflows between shippers, consignees, suppliers, and intermediaries. The result has been misalignment and inefficiency."
The council's primary goal, he explained, is to identify commonalities and eliminate non-value-added processes by introducing governance rules and standards. This approach aims to create a more consistent network service connection, supporting machine learning and artificial intelligence while reducing human intervention and errors.
Blankenship emphasized that the industry has long grappled with manual processes and paper-based documentation, leading to numerous issues. Digitization offers a path to a more streamlined and error-free environment, unlocking data flows that enable advanced functionalities like business intelligence and predictive analytics.
Navigating High Freight Costs and Tight Capacity
With freight volumes outpacing capacity for over a year, the broader supply chain community—including 3PLs, shippers, and LTL providers—faces a challenging environment. Blankenship highlighted the limitations of traditional solutions, such as adding trucks or raising prices, given labor shortages and systemic inefficiencies.
"The LTL community has been undercapitalized for years, making it difficult to invest in the necessary systems, technology, and infrastructure," he said. "Now is the time for the industry to become healthier, recapitalize fleets, and build the foundation for the next 20 years of supply chain demands."
The Digital LTL Council, he added, provides a collaborative platform for stakeholders to focus on fundamental improvements, freeing up resources to create more value for customers and expand service capabilities with fewer errors and exceptions.
Progress on Standardization: EBL, Tracking, and Exception Management
The council's core focus is addressing systemic issues laden with errors, exception management, and rework, which consume time and lead to customer dissatisfaction. Blankenship stressed the importance of process reengineering and standardization, particularly in communication and data sharing.
"Network service integration and client-to-client connectivity are critical. When we all speak the same language, it becomes easier to implement non-manual processes," he said. "Standardizing EBLs, network service connections, and API or EDI integrations will enable more efficient tracking and visibility, as platforms become interconnected."
Currently, even large customer relationships often lack interconnected platforms, requiring intermediaries to bridge gaps. Blankenship pointed to the absence of a single source of truth as a major hurdle, particularly for mid-sized and large shippers. The council's efforts aim to establish standardized process documentation and electronic interface roadmaps to enable consistent data sharing.
Collaboration Amid Competition
Despite competing in the marketplace, council members share a common interest in foundational improvements. Blankenship clarified that the council's work does not create competitive advantages but instead establishes better ways of conducting business at a basic level.
"This is about addressing the frustrations customers voice—issues like billing problems, claim challenges, and service failures—which often stem from disconnected data and non-standardized processes," he said. "By creating a single source of truth and gradually untangling these issues, we can build the next foundational blocks for communication, documentation, and data standardization."
The ultimate beneficiaries, Blankenship concluded, are the customers, who gain higher-quality product delivery, thoughtful supply chain solutions, reduced error rates, improved billing experiences, and enhanced efficiency across carriers, LTL providers, and 3PLs.