Trinity Logistics is proud to share that it has received Comparably’s Best Company for Work-Life Balance and Best Company for Perks and Benefits Awards for Small/Medium sized companies for 2022.

“Trinity strives to create an environment where Team Members have the ability to focus on both work and  life,” said Jessica Wilson, Team Services Manager. “Company perks and benefits are one part of our company culture that supports flexibility and work-life integration.” 

Committed to being the best People-Centric freight solutions provider, that extends to Trinity’s Team Members who are the foundation to the services provided to shippers and carriers. Trinity’s culture is rooted on the principles of servant leadership and meeting the individual and diverse needs of Team Members.

Trinity offers the perks and benefits one would expect a company to, including medical, health and wellness programs, robust retirement savings plans, career advancement opportunities, tuition reimbursement and paid time off. Part of what makes Trinity different is additional paid time off for Team Members to serve their community, participation in the employee run non-profit, extended on-site education, mental health support, financial wellness programs, health benefits for four-legged pals through pet insurance and annual awards with the opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip each year. 

“Trinity’s leadership is focused on empowering our Team Members to be their best, unique selves and we are proud to be Different on Purpose,” said Megan Morgan, VP of People Operations. “It’s about living our purpose: Improving lives by constantly striving to be our best. We provide the tools for our Team Members to be their best and believe in having fun along the way.” 

0Comparably Awards are based solely on sentiment feedback provided by employees who anonymously rate their employer throughout the year. For both awards, the Top 100 highest-rated companies are recognized by Comparably. 

“According to our studies, having work-life balance and great perks and benefits are significant drivers of what employees want today in their workplaces,” said Comparably co-founder/CEO Jason Nazar. “Trinity Logistics’ award wins in these categories is a testament to the organization’s commitment to the needs of its people.”

Interested in working with an organization that is committed to you and your career growth?

About Trinity Logistics

Trinity Logistics is a Burris Logistics Company, offering People-Centric Freight Solutions®. Our mission is to deliver creative logistics solutions through a mix of human ingenuity and innovative technology, enriching the lives of those we serve. 

For the past 40 years, we’ve been arranging freight for businesses of all sizes in truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), warehousing, intermodal, drayage, expedited, international, and technology solutions.

We are currently recognized on Transport Topics’ Top 100 Freight Brokerage List, a Top 3PL and Cold Storage Provider by Food Logistics, and a Top Company for Women to Work for in Transportation by Women in Trucking.

About Comparably                                 

Comparably is a leading workplace culture and corporate brand reputation platform with over 15 million anonymous employee ratings on 70,000 companies. With the most comprehensive data on large and SMB organizations in nearly 20 different workplace categories – based on gender, ethnicity, age, experience, industry, location, education – it is one of the most used SaaS platforms for employer branding and a trusted third-party site for workplace culture and compensation. For more information on Comparably’s studies and annual Best Places to Work Awards, visit Comparably News.  

If you’re a company that ships products, you need to learn about all shipping options available to you. This allows you to manage your costs better while keeping your product moving. When applicable, freight consolidation is an option that can save on your shipping. There are also many other benefits to consolidation. We’re here to help you better understand what freight consolidation is and what it can offer your logistics.

WHAT IS FREIGHT CONSOLIDATION?

Freight consolidation is when a shipper combines multiple shipments within a region into a single load hauled by a carrier to a destination region. The load gets broken down into smaller parts and delivered by a regional carrier to their many destinations. Or vice versa, they get picked up by a regional carrier to merge into a single shipment and delivered to their destination. Freight consolidation is ideal for shippers who frequently move a few pallets or smaller amounts of product. 

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

Savings

Often, shippers will only use half or two-thirds of a trailer but still pay for the entire space. Whereas, with freight consolidation, you can earn preferred rates and optimize your logistics. Most importantly, you save time and money. 

By consolidating your smaller, regional freight, you can avoid paying a higher rate. By shipping your freight all at once instead of sending loads individually, you’re able to pay bulk rates. 

You can also avoid the costs that come along with using storage sites, inventory management facilities, and your own fleet of vehicles. Freight consolidation providers can provide these for you to better manage your shipment until its delivered. You won’t have to store your shipment on your own. Instead, you’ll be able to send it to the facility where it will ship to your retailers. This will help streamline the process should you need more inventory. 

Taking it a step further, you’ll also have fewer trucks on the road. As a result, you’ll be spending less on fuel and spending less per mile since it will be on one truck instead of many. The savings can be significant enough to make a big difference in your company’s bottom line. This can be a real difference for mid-sized and smaller businesses that see their profits cut by their shipping costs. 

Reduce Risk

You’ll also see increased security. Damaged freight continues to remain a lingering issue for shippers. Things happen in shipping and can be the reality of doing business. Consolidated shipping is not only more cost-efficient, but it reduces the on-again, off-again handling of your freight. Ultimately, when using an experienced shipper and consolidating your freight, your products will be in safer hands. 

And not only that — it will be in those hands less often. Having your freight consolidated also means that it will be on fewer trucks, making the odds smaller of it being in an accident. 

It goes beyond safety too. Freight consolidation also benefits through added reliability. Because your product is handled less, there is a lower risk of something going missing or delivering to the wrong place. There’s also less of a chance that something will interrupt your delivery, causing it to be late. This all adds up to you gaining peace of mind and having happy customers on the other end of your shipment. 

Improved Flexibility and Time Management

Freight consolidation will improve the flexibility of your shipping needs and make your orders more timely. Freight consolidation often offers faster transit times and reduces wait times for transporting small loads. By storing your freight at a consolidation facility, your products will be ready to go when needed. This improves your timeline and inventory flexibility, which your customers will appreciate. 

Changes happen in orders and can throw things into a real mess sometimes. Yet, freight consolidation will not hinder your ability to get your products to your customers on a short turnaround. Through a consolidation strategy, you can get your freight delivered on your schedule. Expert providers will help you put a plan into place so your freight gets on a truck and the road while better utilizing truck space and time.

Better Visibility and Control

With consolidated shipping, your visibility improves, as does your control. Let’s say for some reason, quality control alerts you that there’s a problem with your shipment and it’s already been shipped. Normally, you would have to wait for the supplier to send a replacement, meaning your delivery timeline is now out of your hands. In contrast, consolidation allows you to perform quality control measures as soon as the product reaches the warehouse. This reduces the chances of losing time and control due to unforeseen problems.

Using freight consolidation also gives you more control over your due dates and production schedules. You’ll be able to manage the entire distribution chain on your own or with a logistics partner. 

Improved Relationships

This process not only benefits you but your customer or retailer too. By shipping smarter, you’ll be able to build better relationships with other companies, customers, and your carriers.

First, you can establish relationships with other businesses that use LTL shipping. If you find another company that ships a similar product or sized load on the same schedule to a shared retailer, you can establish a shipping partnership. This partnership can help reduce costs for both of you and build smarter loads through shared freight consolidation shipments.

As for your customers, they’ll appreciate that you’ve gotten together for more efficient shipping since they work with both companies. They’ll also appreciate the savings that freight consolidation provides. 

Having the right carrier relationships will make it all happen for you. You’ll need a carrier relationship you can rely on to manage your orders and make sure products deliver on time. Perhaps your products have special needs that your carrier will have to accommodate. Not having a good relationship established won’t reassure you that your shipment will turn out fine. Having consistent relationships with carriers can also lead to you receiving better pricing. 

CHALLENGES WITH CONSOLIDATION

Finding Carriers

Because freight consolidation can seem complicated, not all carriers are willing to haul them. Even when you can find a carrier willing to transport your consolidated shipments, be sure that you are well-informed and charged appropriately. Partnering with a third-party logistics company (3PL) can help assure you find a carrier to haul your shipment and get a fair rate for it.

More Time Planning

Although it can save you time transporting, consolidated shipping does need some extra time spent organizing and planning. You’ll need to be aware of factors such as pricing, dimensions, timing, and other specifics to guarantee that your shipments arrive both safely and on time. 

WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK?

Freight consolidation can save you headaches. There are many businesses using freight consolidation to help streamline their shipping process, get products to their customers faster, and help to build and maintain relationships. However, it’s crucial you have a complete understanding of how consolidation works to ensure proper delivery. 

One of the best practices of consolidated shipping is to use an experienced provider. By working with an experienced provider, you’ll be able to overcome the challenges that come with freight consolidation and solely reap the benefits. 

Luckily, here at Trinity, we’re experts in freight consolidation. By working with Trinity, you’ll gain peace of mind knowing your shipments are taken care of. Our Team of experts can help you plan and organize your shipments, recommend freight consolidation when it’s suitable, and you’ll gain access to our vast network of carrier relationships.

If freight consolidation is a shipping method you’re interested in but need guidance on, we’re here to help.

AUTHOR: Christine Morris

All businesses want to grow, but growing a business isn’t an easy task. It is one of the toughest challenges that a company can face. And there are many ways to go about assisting and capturing on that growth. One option that I’d like to talk about today is on improving your logistics.

You may be the best at being the business idea maker, the manufacturer, the seller, but logistics and the supply chain can be confusing and complex. Trust us, we know. Choosing to work with a third-party logistics company (3PL) can help in removing those confusing and complex tasks, as well as aid in your company’s growth.

What is a 3PL?

Depending on the capabilities of your logistics provider, a 3PL is a service company that can handle several or every aspect related to logistics in your supply chain. This can include fulfillment, transportation, supply chain management, transportation tracking and tracing, inventory management, and more. 3PLs can either be asset based or non-asset based.

Not quite sure what that means? Click here to learn more.

3PL’s are a flexible service, meaning you can choose for help in one piece of your logistics puzzle, or have the 3PL assist with the whole enchilada that is your supply chain and logistics. This also makes 3PLs an affordable service because you can choose to get help on only what you need.

You can quickly see how working with a 3PL can help you with any logistics challenges you may be facing. But how can a 3PL improve your logistics overall? And how does that help with your company’s growth?

Lower Costs

This one is easy. Since all 3PLs handle logistics, they have the experience and relationships built within their networks to better run that aspect of your business. They are able to negotiate lower shipping rates and discounts on the services they use. Not to mention, 3PLs offer access to technology that you would otherwise have to pay for yourself. Without a 3PL, it can take you years to find the best shipping providers and services you need to run your logistics smoothly. Working with a 3PL expedites that process while reducing your costs.

Warehousing & Distribution

Need warehousing space? Rather than setting aside money every month on rent for warehousing that you may not always need, take advantage of a 3PLs connections and get warehousing when and where you need it. This means you could have stock warehoused in several locations, expediting your deliveries. Faster distribution means you’ll have happier customers.

Flexibility

3PLs offer flexibility in your logistics by being able to service you on-demand. You can cut costs by removing or reducing transportation and warehousing assets and outsource when demand increases. Companies that have products with a peak season, or increased demands during the holidays can call upon a 3PL as needed during the rollercoaster that is consumer demand.

Additionally, working with a 3PL gives you the flexibility to try different services to see what works best for your company. You can ship your products via truckload, try out intermodal shipping, or have the 3PL help manage your whole logistics operations with a TMS (transportation management system). You get to choose what works best for you company.

Experience

Speaking of what works best for your company, a 3PL will have that experience and insight. They know how to run and manage logistics operations efficiently and help you with that. Looking to expand into a new geographic region or try e-commerce? A 3PL can help by making recommendations on how to best move forward. Regardless of your challenge, a 3PL provider will have the necessary expertise to guide you on the most beneficial path.

Free Up Resources

When growing your business, you need to invest your time and money into where it would make the biggest impact. Logistics can take a lot of capital when doing it all yourself, so outsourcing to a third party can free up your resources. By focusing on what your team and company is best at and outsourcing the logistics, you’ll be able to provide your customers better products and service with your more efficient operations.

3PL Statistics

If you’re still not convinced about outsourcing to a third-party for your logistics, here are some statistics from the 2019 23rd Annual Third-Party Logistics Study. These go to show that improving your logistics can help your business in many ways.

• 75% of shippers said the use of 3PL services has contributed to overall logistics cost reductions.

• 91% of 3PL users report their relationships with 3PL providers are successful and their work has positive results

• 86% of shippers said the use of 3PLs has contributed to improved customer service.

• 58% of shippers indicate they are increasing their use of outsourced logistics services this year.

• 73% of 3PL users agree that 3PLs provide new and innovative ways to improve logistics effectiveness.

These are some of the ways a 3PL can help with improving your logistics and growing your business. Every company is unique and faces its own challenges. The first step in finding out exactly what can your company can improve upon is by having that initial conversation with a 3PL.

With 40 years of experience, a relationship-driven team, and the added benefit of being part of the Burris Logistics family, Trinity Logistics is the 3PL to help your business thrive.