The U.S. truck capacity shortage is putting a serious kink in supply chains across the country. The trucking industry is saddled with increasingly stringent regulations, dwindling drive time hours and fewer drivers entering a field that’s already understaffed. Economic growth – while certainly a good thing – has compounded the capacity issue, and it isn’t likely to wane anytime soon. Getting ahead by partnering with a reputable 3PL provider in your region will improve your supply chain transparency and lower your costs long-term.

No industry is untouched by the truck capacity deficit because virtually all businesses – large and small – rely on efficient trucking to keep goods flowing – intact, on budget and on time.

A top-tier Cleveland 3PL provider like On Time Delivery & Warehouse can help mollify your truck capacity troubles by addressing inefficiencies and performance gaps in your supply chain. These weaknesses will have an increasingly profound effect on productivity and profits in the current climate unless you tackle them head-on. Most companies need help to do it right.

Thriving businesses have already discovered that working with a reliable Cleveland 3PL is one of the smartest investments they’ve made. Some of the primary gains noted include:

• Negotiation of better freight shipping rates. A direct causal relationship exists between ongoing trucking capacity woes and soaring shipping rates. It comes down to simple economics (lower truck capacity supply – even when demand stays the same – leads to an uptick in price). The best third-party logistics providers have buying power we can leverage to your advantage. We can demand higher volume on freight so we command better freight rates for our clients.
• Flexible intermodal shipping. Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping is in high demand, but we can also help our business-to-business clients access a wide range of shipping modes to best meet their needs. Clients seize full advantage of certain capacity options they may not have realized were even on the table.
• Access to fleet management and large carrier network options. It’s time-consuming to sift through all the carrier choices and smartly select which will return the most value. Plus, it’s something that must be consistently re-evaluated. When businesses take this on themselves, it can siphon off significant time and resources from core operations. Contracting with a Cleveland 3PL that’s already established a vast network of reliable contacts gives you the advantage of quickly pinpointing the carriers most beneficial for your operations. Beyond that, we take on the daily fleet management (i.e., hiring drivers, handling payroll, auditing these process) so you aren’t mired in the day-to-day grind of it. That’s an increasingly valuable benefit given that the new ELD mandate means tighter standards and greater oversight.
• Taking advantage of technology. On Time Delivery & Warehouse has invested in transportation management software, which means you don’t have to. These systems allow us to determine not just capacity, but also identify possible gaps your supply chain efficiency. Ultimately, this puts you ahead of the game.

Our team can also help you connect with international freight shipping options, warehousing solutions and distribution problem fixes.

If you have questions about Cleveland 3PL services, contact On Time Delivery & Warehouse by calling (440) 826-4630 or sending us an email.

Additional Resources:

The US truck capacity shortage – what shippers need to know, By Lawrence J. Gross, JOC.com

More Blog Entries:

Finding the Best LTL Shipping Service in Ohio for Your Small Business, Feb. 27, 2018, Cleveland 3PL Provider Blog