Articles
Carriers Corner: Air, Ocean, Rail, Road Topics
Is Dedicated Fleet Service Right for Your Company?
Implementing a dedicated fleet—assigning a group of tractors, trailers, drivers, and other resources exclusively to carry out operations for a chosen set of facilities or lanes in any transportation network—offers a number of potential advantages. Among the benefits shippers may derive are improved on-time delivery performance, guaranteed capacity, and reduced freight transportation costs. Relying on […]
Read MoreThe Benefits of Reducing Your Carrier Base
You’ve heard the adage, “Focus on the journey, not the destination.” In the transportation business, you must be relentlessly focused on both. This is where carrier relationships come into play. Allocating individual shipments haphazardly across a large number of carriers limits both operational efficacy and economies of scale. Too many touch points in the supply […]
Read MoreDo Your Logistics Partners Value Customer Service?
The most dreaded phrase in the English language just might be: “Please hold for the next available operator.” Good customer service experiences have become few and far between, with more companies either entrusting their customer outreach to computerized voice-prompted systems, or worse, outsourcing to call centers that have little knowledge about the companies they represent. […]
Read MoreCustomer Service: The Two Percent That Matters Most
Evidence abounds that American industry’s customer service system is broken. For example, 80 percent of companies believe they provide superior customer service – yet only eight percent of their customers report having received superior service, according to a recent Bain & Company survey. A business that is unaware of its customers’ perceptions is headed for […]
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Get Peace of Mind by Choosing the Right LTL Carrier
In the harried world of logistics, selecting a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier is one of the most important decisions a shipper will make. LTL carriers that know and properly value the variables affecting the cost of goods delivered and the overall customer experience can mean the difference between keeping you satisfied or losing your business. Shippers […]
Read MoreShipping Perishables Without Going Bananas
Perishables. It’s a word that can make any shipping manager or logistics provider cringe. The loss of perishable goods in transit means lost revenue. But a host of technologies and new solutions take the fear out of shipping perishable goods such as pharmaceuticals, food, and plants. Choosing the right type of packaging and testing it […]
Read MoreHelping Truckers Survive and Flourish
What is the biggest challenge facing carriers today? Pick one: the driver shortage, fuel prices, insurance costs, new equipment costs, shipper and consignee demands, customs delays, border delays, technology demands. And the list goes on and on. Ask our company that question and we’d answer “drivers.” Insurance companies want us to only hire drivers who […]
Read MoreSqueaky Wheels Get Political ‘Oil’
In March 2007, I was fortunate to travel to Washington, D.C., as a delegation member of the Illinois Trucking Association. I spent several days discussing issues such as diesel prices, alternative energy, taxes, and toll roads with members of Congress. In every instance, these issues directly correlate with the financial well-being of the trucking industry. […]
Read MoreTransportation as Corporate Change Agent
For many years, transportation was considered the backwater of the business world. Over the last decade, however, forward-thinking companies have identified transportation as a driving force for change. As a result, they realized increased profits and improved customer service throughout the supply chain. Wal-Mart, for example, uses its distribution savvy to dominate the retail field—and […]
Read MoreDriver-Shortage Issues: Carriers Get Creative
With trucking demand projected to exceed capacity for the next 15 years, and drivers retiring or leaving the business faster than they can be replaced, trucking companies and third-party logistics providers are scrambling to protect themselves from serious operating disruptions caused by driver-shortage issues. Shippers, in turn, feel the impact of the problem when contracting […]
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