John Brewer, director of distribution and logistics for CKE Restaurants, has been in the food distribution business for close to two and a half decades, a span that included 9/11 among other natural and human-caused disasters. But the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain was an entirely new experience for him, as refrigerated capacity tightened and reefer tender rejection rates shot to new heights.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career,” said Brewer, who participated in a...