Leveraging Logistics Blog

The holiday season is in full swing, for Christmas shoppers and - for our purposes - those involved in freight and logistics. As hectic as this time of year can be - especially this year - it's important to step back and smell the roses (or evergreens - if you can get your hands on one). That's why we're sharing a special twist on a holiday classic. Feel free to make it a new tradition at your holiday gatherings. Enjoy our freight and logistics Christmas poem...

With the many supply chain issues facing freight and logistics today, it can be hard for businesses to see the forest for the trees. But in uncertain times, the certainty of a long-term strategy is even more important. While developing such a plan is tough for many businesses, making it a 3PL strategy (third-party logistics strategy) takes the burdensome part away. The shipper working with the right 3PL provider gets the best of both worlds, a coherent long-term vision, and responsive service when unexpected needs arise.

The advantage of transloading in today's supply chain cannot be limited to singular form. In fact, the benefits of transloading - put simply, the transfer of goods from one transportation mode to another (and often from one container to another) - can include cost savings, improved flexibility, faster shipping and more. With the caveat that every case has its own particularities, let's go over some of the general advantages of transloading: Faster customer transit times While the act of transloading does take time (think one to three days), by not limiting to one particular mode of transport, transloading allows you to take advantage of the various forms of freight transportation available to choose the fastest possible combination for your needs. Speed is also improved by other transloading efficiencies when well-planned. Flexibility for better product positioning Particularly for maritime freight, since it stops at a port for staging ahead of its next move, a shipper can shift the load based on current needs. So if a product is out of stock in one region and plentiful in another, the shipper can reprioritize the destination of the load. Distribution Center Optimization In some cases, you may not need distribution centers (aka DCs) at all, as you can group goods while transloading and ship them straight to their final destination. If DCs are still needed, at the very least, additional steps can be removed by performing a series of value-added services at the time of transload. Ability to reach more destinations This may seem obvious, but don't forget that transloading gives you options to use whichever combination of freight transportation options is best to reach a given destination. With these combinations, it also means loads can reach just about anywhere. Save container inventory, and cost Steamships are placing a premium on their maritime freight containers, with costs rising exponentially throughout 2021 partly due to supply and demand issues. By transloading at the port, you're using that container less than if it continued on over land, therefore you're paying a bit less. And as an added benefit, the container is returned to circulation faster for the next shipment.  And with all the above-listed benefits out of the way, you're probably thinking, "how much?" Read on to see more about how cost factors in.

Freight and logistics is a high-stakes game for shipper/receivers and truckers who carry the freight - perhaps more than ever with supply chain stresses. As InTek President Shelli Austin says, it can feel like a logistics tug-of-war! But that doesn't mean it needs to be contentious between all parties. A simple Google search will show a variety of tips for trucker etiquette at the docks, but there's not too much guidance out there for shipper/receiver etiquette. So we thought we'd offer a few tips from our experience that shipper/receivers can follow to make life easier for those transporting loads - and themselves.

Chilly temperatures are the norm in much of North America when December rolls around, and for shippers, that change in weather means an added challenge for some goods: How to protect freight from freezing. Goods that can be affected include the obvious - beverages like soda, juice, beer and other liquids can expand, and cause packaging to burst. But also affected are the the not so obvious dry items like coffee, makeup, and batteries - all of which can suffer damage that makes them unusable. While that prospect sounds scary, proper planning can protect freight from freezing this winter whether you're shipping full truckload, LTL (less than truckload), or intermodal.    

Let’s face it, less-than-truckload (LTL) can be one of the hardest freight modes to get “right.”  

We talk with shippers daily about LTL, truckload and truckload brokerage potential service solutions. And this should be expected with over 50% of the freight spend in the US is with these two modes of service.

At one time or another a company shipping products will have to access the freight spot market to obtain a price and capacity to move one or more of their shipments.  While the task of obtaining a quote is simple because of the thousands of asset and non-asset freight service providers that make themselves readily available for the call or email request, the task of narrowing down the best solution is often more troublesome because of the variables found in how spot freight quotes are assembled and presented.

Logistics and supply chain decisions have a direct impact on a company’s bottom line and its success to achieve a competitive advantage in the markets they serve.

Believe it or not, but a third party logistics company / freight broker helps companies minimize a shipper’s risk when sourcing freight through their operations.