Logistics experts are busy considering ways in which their supply chains can be redesigned so as to avoid the kind of congestion that has brought international goods movement to a virtual halt at major ports. But in the meantime, the system is crying out for some form of immediate relief.

Keeping rail freight moving in the bustling Northeast Corridor is a difficult task in the best of times. And even tougher in a pandemic.

U.S. importers and exporters are bracing themselves for the possibility of a strike — or, at the very least, a damaging worker slowdown — by dockworkers at West Coast ports, as management and labor seek accord on a new longshore contract.

The only certainty in logistics is that uncertainty will grow, opening the door to innovative and adaptable companies to emerge as industry leaders.

Juan Cazorla, head of the Transportation and Logistics Specialized Industry Group of Regions Bank, offers both a short-term and long-term outlook for the transportation and logistics industry.