Hello there. I’m Holly, Trinity’s friendly neighborhood freight Agent Recruiter. 

Every day I have the privilege of working with our Authorized Agents as well as finding new freight agent businesses to welcome into the Trinity family. This has given me a bird’s eye view of what it takes to run a successful freight agent business. And I can tell you, IT’S HARD!!! It’s a grind. It’s a hustle. It requires a BIG dose of grit and determination. But it’s in our blood! We thrive on the fast pace, the opportunity for unlimited income, and the flexibility of running our own show. 

With all that being said, I’m extremely proud of the tools, resources, and personalized support Trinity provides to our Authorized Agents daily. While I could go into all the things we can do to help support your freight agent business, today, I’ll settle for the opportunity to introduce you to four unique resources we provide our Authorized Agent network to make their days easier and their businesses more profitable. 

SAVE TIME WITH RFPs

Do you find Requests For Proposals (RFPs) an annoying time suck? Not anymore! At Trinity, we take care of the heavy lifting for you. 

Trinity’s Authorized Agents have full access to our in-house Pricing Team for RFPs both large and small. Our Team works hard to combine data from many market sources plus our extensive internal lane history to compare a total of nine data points. That’s some impressive wizardry, I tell you! This will not only save you time from figuring out the right pricing but also give you confidence that the pricing details you share with your customer are spot on. 

And that’s not all! We also provide you with real-time market-specific rates focused on your customer’s needs. This way, you can be as hands-on or hands-off in the process as you choose. 

AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT CAPACITY

You’ve just saved time on the pricing aspect of your RFP. It’s complete, and you’ve won your lanes, but what happens next? 

You get on the phone with your relationship carriers for their rates and volume commitments. In an ideal world, the rates are great and there’s plenty of capacity. Awesome! Time to get back to helping your customers and growing your freight agent business. 

But how often does that really happen? Often, your relationship carriers don’t run those new lanes, don’t have the capacity to commit, or ask for rates above the market. So, what do you do then? Most likely, head on to those dreaded load boards. 

Here comes Trinity to save the day. Our Authorized Agents have full access to our Carrier Procurement and Development Team. This Team of Trinity experts will take the data from your RFP, find you capacity using our proprietary lane matching technology and then get rate agreements in place for COMMITTED capacity to service your customer’s needs. 

So, if you often work with RFPs for your customers, go ahead and press the easy button with Trinity!

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

Are you looking for a deeper dive to uncover your most profitable freight?  We’re here to help you with that! By using your load history, our Pricing Team will provide you with a Network Analysis to give valuable insight into your most profitable lanes. With this data in mind, you’ll be able to focus your sales efforts on the markets that produce the highest margin to help you reach your freight agent business goals. We’ll help you work smarter, not harder! 

EASILY DIVERSIFY YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS

One more thought for the day; let’s say you specialize in full truckload freight. In fact, you’re such an expert that you can almost move it with your eyes closed.

But in this constantly evolving freight market, your customers ask you for help with all kinds of other weird stuff like less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, drayage, ocean or air, expedited freight, technology solutions, warehousing, e-commerce…maybe even a total outsource!

With you being a full truckload shipping expert, this may sound intimidating! And the last thing you want to do is send them somewhere else and risk that “other guy” poaching your freight.

There’s no longer a need to worry! Trinity Logistics has you covered. We offer full operations teams for our Authorized Agents to handle ALL other modes besides full truckload. Pair that with our parent company, Burris Logistics, and their opportunities, and it’s simple. You bring the opportunity, and we do the rest. All you need to do is sit back and collect the extra margin for your growing freight agent business.

Additionally, we provide you with monthly mode training classes so you can learn and be confident in what you are selling. There’s no need to be the subject matter expert on all modes when you have Trinity Team Members to support you and your freight agent business. 

JOIN THE TRINITY FAMILY AND BEGIN GROWING YOUR FREIGHT AGENT BUSINESS

Trinity Logistics has over 30 years of experience aiding in the success of our freight agent businesses, with many of our newer businesses seeing a 50 percent increase over a two-year period from joining. Consider joining our Authorized Agent Network today so you can gain more time to focus on your customers, generate more revenue, and we’ll focus on everything else. 

To learn more about our Authorized Agent program and all the ways we can save you time and help you build a successful freight agent business, feel free to contact our Agent Team phone at 800-846-3400 x 1908 or click the button below! 

I'd like to connect with Trinity

When one hears “supply chain,” typically they first think of the physical components; the raw materials needed by a specific time for manufacturers or finished products to retail stores. The digital parts of supply chains work in a similar fashion. Cyber supply chains focus on keeping the physical aspects of business moving using applications, information systems, or digital vendors. And so, cyber supply chain risk management is crucial for business continuity.

Without addressing cyber supply chain risk management in an intentional and thoughtful manner, the industry will continue to remain susceptible to further disruption. Publicized breaches are the tip of the cyber-impact iceberg. Attacks occur with such frequency, and via many attack vectors, that a breach is occurring or imminent in any network or system.

According to the annual X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, manufacturing and other suppliers suffered nearly a quarter of the cyber attacks in 2021. Amidst the disruption faced by the pandemic, these attacks only further distressed supply chains. However, with a cyber supply chain risk management plan in place, companies can focus on reducing the frequency and impact of such events.

WHAT IS CYBER SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT (C-SCRM)?

Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) is the process of ensuring the integrity of your supply chain’s supporting systems and data. This includes identifying, assessing, and mitigating the risk associated with the interconnected nature of information technology and service supply chains. Since cyber supply chain risk can be compromised at any point where technology is leveraged, C-SCRM applies to both hardware and software and covers the entire life cycle of those systems.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

C-SCRM is Not Just an IT Problem

Cyber security for businesses isn’t quite that separate from physical security. The digital aspects of supply chains touch all parts of an organization, so C-SCRM should too. Cyber security risks can come from many different places such as physical sabotage or most commonly, human error via social engineering. Don’t make the mistake of thinking C-SCRM is the sole responsibility of the IT department. Whether physical or digital, security is part of everyone’s job.

Know Your Risks and Threats

If you don’t know your cyber security risks, it’s hard to have planned countermeasures for cyber threats. First, make a list of key scenarios that might endanger your cyber supply chain. Some common risks are integration loss, phishing attempts, malware, and hacking. Once you’ve created a complete list of risks, work through the most likely and highest impact scenarios first. Then, create plans to prevent and mitigate risk should a successful breach take place.

Assume a Breach Will Happen

We all like to think a breach will never happen, but these days it’s not if but when. Assuming a breach will happen allows you to better assess the impact of one on your system. Once you understand how affected you could be, you’ll better understand how to mitigate the effect of one.

Track the Links in Your Supply Chain

Working with third parties removes some of the control you have for cyber supply chain risk management. And static monitoring isn’t enough to keep your data and networks in your supply chain safe. Static monitoring gives you a one-time snapshot of their controls, but what about tomorrow or next week? Cyber supply chains aren’t static, so your monitoring shouldn’t be either. Many organizations assume they’re secure once they’ve implemented a cyber supply chain risk management framework, but it doesn’t stop there. Continued tracking is the most efficient way to ensure your data is always protected.

WHAT COMPANIES SHOULD FOCUS ON TO REDUCE CYBER ATTACKS

Network and System Hygiene

Cyber supply chain risk management starts with the management of the components making up the networks and systems of each link in the chain. Much of what supply chains need is straightforward hygiene. This includes updating older components, ensuring patching is consistent and comprehensive, and tighter controls on the use of open-source software to understand and mitigate any potential vulnerabilities.

What is the magical tool needed to affect this, you ask? It’s time. IT departments need enough staff to allow for time spent in this area. Many companies have grown to have some degree of heterogeneous systems and networks in place. Additionally, there’s been a recent move to remote and hybrid work styles. These recent changes have caused IT departments to need more team members to strengthen cyber security.

Monthly manual work is needed to ensure updates are completed and patches are deployed. Making it easier to perform this work involves homogenizing the environment. It’s an investment that can lead to improved cyber security for an organization.

Securely Transform

Digital transformation has been a staple in the changing work environment over the last two years. But those changes are a breeding ground for potential vulnerabilities.

Every digital transformation is a security event. This includes events like moving processes to the cloud or leveraging automation. Understanding the changes introduced in any digital environment is critical to defending your digital borders and reducing the blast radius if a successful breach occurs.

Ensuring the understanding of how new technologies connect to systems, how users interact, and how data flows is key to reducing the impact of the inevitable cyber-attack.

Beyond Logs

Logging security and other events are table stakes these days. But it’s only useful if observation and understanding are applied to those logs.

Based on the number of systems and infrastructure in use today at even a smaller organization, the manual survey of logs can no longer count as observation. This is due to the number of differences between various software and hardware providers.

Having a solution or partner in place to intake and analyze logs is more critical now than it ever has been.

The second need is the ability to understand it all. The trick is that it’s not about understanding one individual log. It’s about understanding them both alone and as they relate to one another. Again, this greater depth of understanding is where a solution or partner comes into play. Understanding allows for the identification of any anomalies so you can act upon them quickly and decisively.

CYBERSECURITY IS A PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM

These cybersecurity steps are critical to keeping your data safe and establishing your business as a reliable supply chain partner. Successful attacks will continue to occur, but if you have the right team, solutions, and partners, your business can be more secure among cyber supply chain risks.

Cybersecurity is a people, process, and technology problem, so make sure to ally yourself with some of the good guys, like Trinity Logistics. We work with all our partners to understand and address potential supply chain risks, providing you with the technology and data you need while maintaining optimal cyber security. Our Technology Team is knowledgeable and experienced in cyber supply chain risk management, consistently working to keep our and your data secure. 

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Managing transportation costs is a top challenge for shippers, while another challenge that goes in hand is sourcing consistent and reliable capacity. Here enters the contract and spot markets. Which one is best? Which has better shipping freight rates?

Some believe the spot market is the way for shippers to save money and stay on top of capacity, while others think it’s contract. Choosing to use spot rates versus contract rates can be one of the biggest decisions for a logistics manager. Understanding their differences and when is best to use them will help give your business success. So, let’s dive into each of these markets so you can better determine your business’s strategy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT ARE SPOT RATES? WHAT IS THE SPOT MARKET? WHAT ARE CONTRACT RATES? WHAT IS THE CONTRACT MARKET? 
HOW TO TRACK RATES IN THE SPOT MARKET? HOW CONTRACT AGREEMENTS ARE SET 
WHO IS THE SPOT MARKET BEST FOR? CONTRACT RATE PROS/CONS
SPOT MARKET PROS/CONS HOW TO GET YOUR BEST SHIPPING FREIGHT RATE ON THE CONTRACT MARKET 
HOW TO GET YOUR BEST SHIPPING FREIGHT RATE ON THE SPOT MARKET WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CONTRACT IS BROKEN? 
WHAT’S BEST FOR ME? TECHNOLOGY NEEDED FOR RFPS 
NEED HELP WITH YOUR STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE SHIPPING FREIGHT RATES?

WHAT ARE SPOT RATES? WHAT IS THE SPOT MARKET?

Spot freight rates are short-term transactional quotes for moving freight. These shipping freight rates are the price a transportation provider offers a shipper for a one-time quote to move their product from origin to destination. They reflect the real-time balance of supply and demand in logistics and the truckload market.

The quote is based on the value of the equipment needed at the moment of settlement. What determines the value of that equipment? Well, whether there is an excess or shortage of that exact equipment in the market and the lane at that time. Because market conditions directly affect spot rates, they are dynamic and can change day to day, even hour to hour. This is because the freight market can be more complex than simple supply and demand.

Thus, an increase in supply will lower spot rate prices if not accompanied by increased demand. And an increase in demand will raise spot rate prices unless accompanied by increased supply.


How to Track Rates in the Spot Market

You can keep track of the spot market through several industry websites and freight load boards to give you an inclination of what’s happening in the spot market. Some resources we like to follow are DAT and FREIGHTWAVES. 

We even push out a monthly update to keep you in the loop of rates and other happenings in logistics. You can find our latest Freight Market Update on our YouTube channel.

It’s crucial to stay on top of the spot market should you find the need to use it. Even if you decide to use contract freight, it’s good to keep a pulse on it as contract rates are affected by the spot market. The higher spot rates are, the higher contract rates are too.

Who is the Spot Market Best for?

Many carriers, shippers, and third-party logistics (3PL) companies turn to the spot market for competitive rates. No matter how big or small, every shipper will move some of their freight on the spot market at some point. The spot market is great for when you might have a one-off shipment outside your usual shipping lanes. It’s good for shippers who don’t have enough regular volume for contracts or those who need more capacity than they contracted out. Or even those specialty shipments or non-standard load requirements.

Spot Market Pros/Cons

HOW TO GET YOUR BEST SHIPPING FREIGHT RATE ON THE SPOT MARKET

Provide Accurate, Detailed Shipment Information

Though you can get a spot quote with as little as the origin and destination zip codes, pick-up date, and equipment type, it’s best to have ALL shipment information ready. Excluding any critical information may have you unexpectedly paying for it later. The more precise information you have, the more accurate your spot rate quote will be, so you won’t have any surprise added charges.

Information you should have for your best quote:

Provide Ample Lead Time

Shippers will request spot quotes anywhere from a week in advance to the day of. Most will request them one to two business days before their shipping date. The more time you can give before your shipping date, the better, as spot rates tend to increase as the pickup date approaches.

Giving yourself a few extra days to secure pricing and capacity will usually work in your favor and lead to less expensive freight rates. This is because there will be more carriers available versus trying to find one on your shipment day.

Don’t Wait Too Long to Confirm a Good Spot Rate Quote

Spot market rates are volatile and quickly change over short periods of time. Therefore, the quote you received yesterday may be different today. So, when you find a rate that works for your shipment, don’t wait to confirm it. Instead, lock it in ASAP for confirmed pricing and capacity. Once agreed on a rate, a reliable provider will rarely change it UNLESS an important piece of information about your shipment changes.

Set Appointments During Regular Business Hours

There is usually more capacity available during regular business hours. As incredibly hard-working as they are, drivers still like to be home on holidays, weekends, or nights when possible.

If your appointments need to be precise, make sure to include that information in your quote request so your quote can be accurate. But, if you can be flexible with your times, setting appointment windows instead of strict appointment times can open you up to more capacity. For example, drivers have to manage their strict Hours of Service so a flexible appointment window can help them better plan their day.

Spot Market Technology

Many providers offer digital freight platforms and give you access to free instant freight quotes. This can be a great way to stay on top of current pricing without sending a lot of emails to different providers. Good freight providers will have logistics experts on call should you have questions or need more help. But having the ability to get quotes on demand can add time back into your day.

Be Mindful of Carrier Selection

While cost is important when choosing your transportation provider, make sure you consider several other factors into consideration. You should consider their experience, efficiency, and service. While a cheap quote is great, it can sometimes result in a missed pick-up, hidden accessorial, or even a damaged product. All this could end up costing your business more.

When shopping the spot market, shop around and get quotes from a few different providers. Once you have a few quotes, evaluate the rates while considering your shipment requirements and ask yourself a few questions about your potential provider:

WHAT ARE CONTRACT RATES? WHAT IS THE CONTRACT MARKET?

A contract rate is a rate quoted by a transportation provider to a shipper for a set lane and its freight characteristics over a set period of time. Contract rates can also be known as primary rates, bid rates, committed or dedicated rates. In short, they are a long-term, stable pricing agreement between shippers and transportation providers.

The contract market is highly dependent on the spot market. Typically, the three to six months of spot market activity leading up to an RFP will influence contract rates.

Contract agreements are great for both shippers and transportation providers as the shipper gains committed capacity while the transportation provider gains fixed rates and dedicated freight volume. Everybody wins.

How Contract Agreements are Set

Contracted agreements or Requests For Proposals (RFP) can be set as mini bids (monthly), quarterly, bi-annually, or annually. However, since the contract market and its rates are based on the fluctuating spot market, it’s rare to see a contracted agreement set for more than a year to stay in tune with the market.

Contract agreements are set during the bidding process, aka the RFP. The shipper will take the RFP and send it to a network of transportation providers and those providers will reply with their quotes. At the end of the bid process, the shipper will award lanes to specific providers based on their rate, service, capacity, and any other considerations.

CONTRACT RATE PROS/cons

HOW TO GET YOUR BEST SHIPPING FREIGHT RATE ON THE CONTRACT MARKET

Any shipper has the opportunity to host a bid. There’s no set minimum shipment requirement. So, no matter how large or small you are, you can take advantage of an RFP.

Just like getting quotes for the spot market, the contract market requires detailed information to get your best rates. The more information you can tell your potential providers, the more reliable rates and capacity you’ll be able to get offered. Information that should be included in your bid:

What Happens When a Contract is Broken?

Sometimes, contracts will get broken. For both shippers and carriers, breaking a contract may result in fines. Most likely when a carrier breaks a contract, they will end up with a dissatisfied customer and disqualification from future bid opportunities. While shippers will face a damaged carrier relationship, less reliable capacity, and most likely, higher rates on the next bid.

Technology Needed for RFPs

While the practice of RFPs sounds great, what’s the catch? For an RFP to work effectively, shippers need to be organized in their execution and collection of information. No matter your size, every shipper needs a way to track and store their supply chain data and procurement information. It helps to have one central location to keep all your freight volumes, provider names, and awarded lanes.

Some smaller shippers will use tools like Microsoft Excel, Google Docs, or even their providers’ technology platforms to manage their RFP data.

But if you’re a larger shipper, those tools can be overkill. Instead, 90 percent of shippers use digital platforms, often transportation management systems (TMS) to manage their procurement information. A TMS can help take the complexity out of RFPs and take your process from a few hours to a few minutes. It allows you to enter your contract information quickly, select the transportation providers you want quotes from, and click send. It will also help you have one location to easily view bids and communication around your loads, keeping you from overwhelming clutter.

Regardless of which workflow you decide for your business, it’s crucial to have a well-documented record on hand to easily reference.

WHAT’S BEST FOR ME?

Usually, no shipper runs all their freight through the contract market alone. As there are positives to each market and it can be hard to predict all volume, most shippers work to have a strategic blend of both spot and contract rates. What works best for your business will depend on the current state of the freight market, your freight, and your provider relationships.

Some questions to ask yourself when determining what market will work best for you are:

If you have determined that your volume is sporadic and not consistent, the spot market may be best for you, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t work with a carrier contractually. You can still build an approved carrier list with strong relationships even if you have to use the spot market on every shipment.

If you decide contracted freight is best for your company, keep an eye on spot market indexes and position your RFP bidding based on the freight cycle when possible. By moving your RFPs to when the market is at its lowest levels, you’ll gain your best rates.

Some shippers budget for 70 percent contracted and 30 percent spot or 50-50. No matter your balance, the freight market is always changing and so should your strategy. Keep a pulse on the market and your business needs so you can always find what’s best for your company.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR STRATEGY FOR COMPETITIVE SHIPPING FREIGHT RATES?

A shipper’s decision in balancing the use of contract versus spot rates can be difficult. Finding a good strategy for competitive shipping freight rates can be a lot of trial and error.

If you’re having challenges deciding when to use each market, Trinity Logistics can help. We have the technology and expertise you need to simplify your logistics management and offer support. Our Team Member experts are here to help you with your logistics strategy, including offering Quarterly Business Reviews and Freight Market Updates, so you can keep a pulse on industry trends and your company’s growth.

START A CONVERSATION WITH TRINITY TODAY

Russ Felker, former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of GlobalTranz, now joins Trinity Logistics as their CTO. 

For the past 30 years, Russ has been leading technology changes, not only as a CTO, but also as a founder and technology advisor, creating technology solutions for business problems. He’s worked with companies both small and large, international and national. No matter the industry, he’s always had a passion for using technology to improve customer experience and help companies allow their people to focus less on clicks and more on service. 

Russ says that Trinity’s core focus on company culture and people is one of his primary reasons for joining the company. He’s thrilled to begin working with Trinity to bring technology solutions that will create more ways for people to connect, build relationships, and improve efficiencies.

He finds his recent work at GlobalTranz and several other transportation companies has only heightened his interest in the industry and business.

“I’ve learned that in transportation, disruption and change is all around us,” says Russ. “I want to work with Trinity to put us right in the middle of it all. While that might sound scary to some, I want people to talk and know about Trinity as the company that brought positive, creative disruption to the industry. I know with this great opportunity, and the amazing people at Trinity, that we can do just that, together.” 

“We are excited to have Russ’s creative and intuitive talent join our executive team and lead our technology into the future,” says Trinity’s President, Sarah Ruffcorn. “He has a passion for creating excellent experiences for shippers and carriers that will help us take the Trinity experience to the next level.”

We are looking forward to the insight and experience Russ will bring to the business in its dedication to best-in-class experiences and technology initiatives over the next several years. 

To learn more about Trinity Logistics, visit https://trinitylogistics.com. 

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 dynamic 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 in the Top 20 freight brokerages 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.

You’ve finally decided it’s time to get some help with your logistics. You’ve heard about third-party logistics (3PL) companies and the services they offer having many benefits to those who use them. According to a report by Ibisworld, there are over 20,000 3PL companies in the U.S. alone. 

When looking to choose the right 3PL for your company, it all comes down to what you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for one with advanced technology, great customer service, an extensive carrier relationship network, or perhaps an expert in your commodity, there’s sure to be one that makes sense for your business. 

Choosing the right 3PL is essential to ensure your company gets exactly what it needs for its logistics. With so many different 3PL companies out there, we wanted to offer you some information so you can choose the right one for your needs. In this blog, we take some of our competitors and compare them, as well as ourselves, so you can see how they differ. 

First Steps

First things first, to find the right 3PL for your company, here are some steps you can follow to ensure you choose the right partner:

Logistics Companies Comparison

We chose some well-known 3PLs to analyze for our comparison, including C.H. Robinson, XPO Logistics, Redwood Logistics, and ourselves. We’ll compare the different companies’ backgrounds, technology, and company culture to help you start your search for a 3PL provider. 

Background Information

One thing you should look into when researching 3PLs is their background. It’s important to find out some basic information about your potential provider, such as how long they have been in business, the number of locations they have, and their company’s mission.

C.H. Robinson 

XPO Logistics

Redwood Logistics

Trinity Logistics

Technology

Technology is a key aspect of the success of your logistics companies. Many 3PL companies provide different technology perks to help simplify your logistics processes. Let’s look at what these companies offer.

C.H. Robinson

C.H. Robinson offers technology applications for transportation management through their Global Transportation Management System (TMS), freight visibility, pricing, and analytics through Navisphere, planning through PO Management, and procurement through Procure IQ. They also offer carriers technology through their Navisphere Driver App. 

XPO Logistics

XPO Logistics offers a digital transportation platform designed to increase efficiency for their customer, called XPO Connect. This platform gives visibility into shipment status and helps streamline tasks through automation and digital sourcing of capacity. 

Redwood Logistics

Redwood offers their digital logistics platform called LPaaS. This stands for Logistics Platform as a Service and XPO make this the centerpiece of the company. This “open platform for digital solutions” highlights that LPaaS is the connection between logistics and technology to create a network that is efficient, cost-effective, and personalized for your logistics solutions.

Trinity Logistics

Trinity offers best-in-class technology for both shippers and carriers. Shippers can take advantage of Trinity’s Customer Portal to stay updated on their shipments, access or pay invoices online, or request new freight quotes easily. If looking for transportation management, shippers can find their own customized transportation management solution with Trinity, whether that be Integrated Outsourced, Managed, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), or their own specific TMS solution. For less-than-truckload (LTL) shippers, there’s Banyan LTL to make shipping your LTL freight easier. 

Carriers have just as many technology options as shipper customers through the Carrier Portal, TriumphPay for quick and easy payments, and load booking features through DAT BookNow. 

Carriers and shippers can both take advantage of easy tracking technology options such as MacroPoint, Trucker Tools, and FourKites. 

Company Culture

One final aspect that you should learn about your potential 3PL company is its culture. You want to find a 3PL provider who aligns with your mission, as well as treats their employees right. We all know a happy employee equals great customer service!

C.H. Robinson

C.H. Robinson embraces their value through their E.D.G.E program; evolves constantly, delivers excellence, grows together, and embraces integrity. 

XPO Logistics

XPO’s values are inclusivity, safety, being entrepreneurial, being respectful, and being innovative.

Redwood Logistics

Redwood believes in environmental stewardship, social and workplace culture, and corporate governance. 

Trinity Logistics

At Trinity, culture revolves around a set of Guiding Values. Those are:

Teamwork: We listen. We collaborate. We solve. 

Integrity: We do the right thing!

Legacy: Our journey has a purpose.

Fun: Fun lives here!

Continuous Improvement: We aspire to reach our {untapped, full, greatest} potential.

Excellence: We challenge the status quo. 

Determination: We are persistent and unshakable in overcoming obstacles.

Leaders: We are all leaders committed to serving and empowering others.

Find What Works Best for YOU

Whether large or small, having many years of experience or few, or having multiple platforms of technology or just one, the best 3PL for your company is your decision alone. While we at Trinity would love to work with you, we know that the best relationships are built upon respect, equality, trust, and communication.

We hope this logistics company comparison helped you begin your research into your future 3PL provider. Make sure you find the right provider that aligns with your goals and will help you succeed. And if that provider happens to be us, we’re ready to provide you with our People-Centric Trinity Experience.

Request a Freight Quote with Trinity

By: Turner Lee

Over the last 18 months, the trucking industry has faced uneven supply and demand, congested ports, rising costs, a global pandemic, labor shortages, and a boom in online consumer spending. As a result, demand for truck capacity and rates remain elevated. What’s one thing straining capacity and raising rates? Dock delays and detention. Dock delays and detention not only affect truck drivers but shippers as well. In this blog, we’ll dive into what truck detention is, why it happens, how it impacts truck drivers and shippers, and how shippers can help reduce dock delays and detention.

WAITING, WAITING, WAITING…

According to a recent Trucker Tools whitepaper, wait times at shipper and receiver locations have increased compared to a year ago. As a result, delays at docks and detention ranked as the number one challenge carries currently face. While loading dock wait times have plagued the industry for years, recent woes have worsened them.

Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed reported waiting for longer than two hours on each load. This is in line with data collected by a DAT solutions survey showing that 63 percent of drivers say they spend more than three hours waiting when loading and unloading. Freightwaves also collected data on driver wait times. In June, average wait times were around the two-hour mark but are now showing past two and a half hours.

At the same time, 79 percent of those surveyed in the Trucker Tools whitepaper say that they never or rarely receive detention pay when they wait for more than two hours. Half of those surveyed reported receiving detention pay only if negotiated in advance. Of those surveyed, 65 percent responded that detention pay has not increased or otherwise improved in the last year.

WHAT IS TRUCK DETENTION?

Truck detention can be one of the most irritating things drivers have to deal with. When a driver arrives at a pickup or delivery location, there’s a built-in “free time” period in which the driver will wait while the truck is getting loaded or unloaded. This “free time” is what people consider to be a reasonable expectation for the time it should take the shipper to load the trailer or the receiver to unload it. This “free time” varies from carrier to carrier, but a good baseline for most is two hours. Anything over two hours is extra and considered truck detention. Once a truck driver has had to wait over their “free time” limit, they will often charge truck detention fees.

The carrier company decides detention fee amounts and the shipper or receiver handles payment of it. Generally, truck drivers will ask anywhere from $25 – $100 per hour to cover this extra waiting time. Most motor carriers will have a clause in their contract with the shipper or broker stating their detention fees. The purpose of truck detention pay is to compensate the driver or carrier when the shipper or receiver holds them up. You’ll find that truck detention is more common with full truckload shipments than with less-than-truckload (LTL).

WHY/HOW DOES TRUCK DETENTION HAPPEN?

There are so many factors that can cause truck detention to happen. In most cases, the driver is set back and not loaded on time by the shipper/receiver.

Truck detention is not for when the truck driver’s delay is on their own terms. This includes if their truck broke down, congested traffic, or being delayed by another pickup or delivery appointment. While some delays are not the shipper’s fault, American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found that customer inefficiencies were a major contributing factor to detention.

A lack of organization or lax attitudes on docks tends to create the problem of dock delays; shipments could not be ready to go, or the dockworkers may not be in as much of a rush as the truck driver. Additionally, warehouses may not be well organized to get the shipments ready in time.

As of late, there are also other factors to consider, such as the labor shortage. There could be a limited amount of dock workers or overworked workers, which doesn’t help the situation.

According to Business Insider, nearly 10 percent of all truckers recently said they’ve had to wait six hours or more. In addition, one in five drivers said that preloaded trucks weren’t ready by the time of their appointment, that products weren’t ready, or were still being manufactured. Delays were also attributed to shippers and receivers that overbooked appointments, booked more trucks than they had space to accommodate, or didn’t have the equipment to load and unload the trucks.

HOW TRUCK DETENTION IMPACTS…

Truck Drivers

Truck drivers say that waiting at warehouses for shipments is one of the most aggravating parts of their jobs.

Detention impacts the profits of carriers and uses up their valuable driving hours under Hours Of Service regulations. According to a survey by ATRI, 83 percent of truckers run out of available hours due to detention. In addition, according to a whitepaper by J.B. Hunt, of the 11 hours drivers have available to drive during a shift, an average of only 6.5 hours are spent on the road while the rest is wasted on detention.

A study by the Department of Transportation (DOT) found that because of detention alone, drivers lose an estimated $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion every year. In addition, the Inspector General’s audit report estimate that driver detention decreases U.S. truckers’ annual earnings by $1,281 to $1,534 or three to three point six percent of a driver’s annual income.

It also affects safety. According to the data from the FMCSA, in 2015, 415,000 crashes occurred involving large trucks. Detention time increases the risk of crashes by using up drivers’ available waking hours, contributing to fatigue while driving. The FMCSA report states that detention increases the likelihood of truck crashes involving fatalities or significant injuries.

Since truck detention delays drivers, it eats into their legal hours of service and causes further delays. Once a truck driver experiences a delay at one location, a snowball effect happens. The driver becomes delayed or misses their next appointment, causing even more possible detention, delays in supply chains, and most of all, lost pay. This can significantly eat into their pay.

Speaking of pay, according to a DAT survey, only three percent of drivers said they receive detention pay for at least 90 percent of their detention claims to shippers. Often, truckers are afraid to ask for detention pay. A study found that 20 percent of truck drivers who work for smaller companies don’t ask for detention pay to “remain competitive and maintain good relationships” with customers. Moreover, when carriers do receive detention fees, some don’t always pass along the money to the driver for their lost time and wages.

On top of not always being paid, a detention fee does not fully make up the cost of the driver’s stationary truck and lost time.

Truck drivers say that detention underlies a larger problem in the industry: a lack of respect for truck drivers. Every day, thousands of drivers arrive at their destination only to find no loading docks or crews available to unload the freight. In addition, there’s often no place to park while they wait. As a result, they end up searching for any place safe enough to park nearby. Some may find a rest area or truck stop, but those can fill quickly.

Other drivers aren’t so lucky and end up driving for extended periods searching for a place to park, ending up forced to park in less than desirable locations. This puts the driver in danger and overwhelms local infrastructure. An example of this is the overwhelmed Los Angeles port causing neighborhood streets to be clogged by trucks hauling or waiting to haul shipping containers.

Besides these scenarios, detention can also hurt a carrier’s business reputation with shippers.

Shippers

It’s crucial to note the impact of dock delays and truck detention goes beyond drivers and carriers. Detention reduces the amount of capacity that is available, making it a huge problem for supply chains.

It also impacts shippers financially. Detention fees come unplanned and cut into your profit. Detention fees can add up to hundreds of dollars per truck every day, which adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

Regular detention affects your reputation. A survey showed that 77 percent of carriers are more selective in who they are willing to work with. Additionally, 80 percent of carriers stated there are facilities that they will absolutely not work with. According to an ELD survey, 43 percent of carriers say that the number of shippers/receivers they refuse to go to has increased since the ELD mandate was implemented. As a result, they can see better data on who consistently causes detention. Carriers state they also tend to avoid shippers with strict appointment times and don’t offer delivery windows.

Not all carriers will wait for you. Only 17 percent of carriers said they would wait as long as it takes to be loaded. The majority said they would only wait up to four hours before pulling their drivers from the shipment.

The effects of poor dock scheduling and detention can add up and result in more issues in your supply chain. This can include late deliveries, poor customer service, potential perishing of cold-chain products, loss of shipper of choice status, freight refusal by carriers, and higher freight rates. In addition, detention and delays hurt supply chain performance, carrier relationships, and impact labor costs. You can also face chargebacks from your customers who are unhappy about not receiving goods by the agreed-upon delivery date.

Considering the current market, shippers cannot afford carriers to blacklist them due to detention.

HOW TO MINIMIZE DETENTION AND DOCK DELAYS

Sometimes, delays are unavoidable, but it might shock you that your procedures could make you more vulnerable to delays. Effective dock scheduling and end-to-end visibility are critical to controlling costs and delays. In a report by Logistics Management, approximately 40 percent of an organization’s total freight spend is inbound freight costs. These costs come from poor dock scheduling, increased delays, detention fees, and other unexpected issues.

For shippers to reduce delays and detention fees, they need to understand how better dock scheduling can reduce risk and benefit them. Efficient dock scheduling amounts to better processes throughout your supply chain. This means more vendors, carriers, and customers will want to work with you.

There are many great ways to reduce or cut detention at your docks.

Staggered Appointment Times

One shipper told Uber Freight that they could save as much as $300 from detention per load just by staggering their pickup times.

Extended Facility Hours

Like staggered appointment times, adding more hours of operation can decrease congestion and lower detention for truckers. Having more time means you can space out appointments, and wait times decrease. Adding weekend and/or evening hours can go a long way.

Mode Specific Dock Doors

Having doors dedicated to different modes can help to keep things running smoothly. High-velocity doors and LTL doors can help ease congestion for drivers.

Adding More Dock Doors

Though not workable for everyone, adding more dock doors or moving to a warehouse with more dock doors, can accommodate more appointments and lower wait times.

Have Better Dock Awareness/Improved Dock Scheduling

Make sure your dockworkers have the product ready before scheduling the appointment. Furthermore, you can encourage them to have the process done in two hours or less to avoid detention.

Make sure to space out your appointments so that your workers have enough time to load/unload the truck. Overscheduling is a huge cause of detention. Improving your dock scheduling lowers your risk of delays for drivers.

Using Technology

Forward-thinking shippers are using technology to reduce detention time.

Web-based dock appointment scheduling solutions enable shippers, carriers, and consignees to collaborate on dock scheduling. By distributing the responsibility among everyone, organizations will be able to proactively keep wait times at a minimum.

Carriers can avoid frustrating detention time and shippers can manage inventory more efficiently. Technology can give you greater visibility into inbound shipments. Besides reducing detention, you can also better manage inventory levels, increase warehouse efficiency, and reduce congestion by limiting idling in the yard.

Hiring More Labor

While this might be tougher to secure right now, it’s often cheaper to bring in extra workers than it is to pay detention fees. Unready freight is one of the major causes of detention. When there is more labor on-site, orders can be prepped and loaded quicker.

Staggering Your Labor

By staggering your labor hours, you can ensure loading and unloading can continue during lunch hours rather than the entire staff breaking all at once.

Drop and Hook Programs

If possible, with space, drop and hook programs are the easiest way to avoid detentions. What is a drop-and-hook program? This allows the driver to drop the trailer, hook an empty trailer, and head on their way. Often the shipper can use the dropped trailer for storage as a courtesy. Yet, shippers and carriers must work together to ensure that these trailer pools don’t expand and sap the fleet. In addition, drop and hook don’t work for live freight. When it works well, drivers wait less, and both shippers and the trucking company are more profitable.

Communication

Make sure to share your yard map with the truck driver so they know where to go and who to contact if there are any issues. Also, be sure to communicate with your warehouse that the truck must be loaded within a given timeline, such as two hours or less.

Improved Operations

It all comes down to improved planning, more visibility, and optimized labor. Smart shippers are looking at data to prevent overscheduling, maintain staff and equipment, and address problems.

Hold Regular Business Reviews with Your Logistics Providers

It’s critical that shippers and their logistics providers discuss performance regularly. It will help you identify key problem areas and introduce potential changes to help reduce driver wait times and fees and keep your supply chain efficient. In a whitepaper by J.B. Hunt, it was estimated that eliminating even 30 minutes of wait time would give a driver an extra hour on the road. This would be equal to 50 more miles per day or 12,500 miles per year. These carrier savings translate to increased supply chain efficiency, less risk of road accidents, and improved operational performance.

When asked about detention solutions from carriers, they’ve responded that customers who were organized, used technology, maintained scheduled appointments, or had as-needed extended hours, significantly reduced delays.

LET’S DO BETTER

Delays are the worst-case scenario for today’s supply chain professionals. Each delay amounts to a potential setback further down the supply chain. We’ve had plenty to deal with that has been out of our control, but truck detention is one that we have more control over.

Shippers need to take steps to reduce their impact by improving dock scheduling and operations to ensure a positive and timely, customer experience. And in the competitive market we’re in, drivers get to select who they want to run for. Don’t be one that gains a reputation for dock delays.

If outsourcing your logistics, make sure to work with a provider who can help be a resource for more than arranging your freight shipments. At Trinity, we’re your logistics consults, too. We make sure to take the time to have educated conversations about your logistics and operations, to help you reduce delays and have a more efficient supply chain.

We offer many technology options like our tracking and tracing options that can keep tabs on your truck and freight, as well as a transportation management system (TMS) to give you insight into valuable data. If you choose to work with our Managed Service Team, we offer you quarterly reviews with our experts so you can take a deep dive into your data for improvements.

Truck detention and dock delays remain a problem for many, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Take charge of your dock operations today and find an improved supply chain.

REQUEST A FREIGHT QUOTE WITH TRINITY

Author: Christine Morris

I’m sure you’ve heard the term TMS before in logistics, but what does it stand for? The term TMS is short for Transportation Management System. The reason you’ve probably heard that term TMS is that it is the most common and effective way for shippers to manage their logistics in one place. This technology allows companies to manage their transportation in one place. Transportation Management software offers you a way to view insightful data, gain visibility, and better manage all the moving parts in the shipping process. While a TMS might seem daunting and expensive, it’s become an essential tool for businesses to be successful.  

Who uses Transportation Management Software? 

If you have a business in which you regularly need to ship, move, and receive goods on a regular basis then a TMS is a technology you should consider. Many companies use a TMS, such as manufacturers, distributors, e-commerce companies, retail businesses, and companies that provide logistics services (like us). A TMS is best suited for companies that spend more than $1 million in freight, use an array of transportation modes, have several locations, get a majority of your freight via the spot market, or manage most of your data through Excel spreadsheets.  

Why You Need Transportation Management Software 

Transportation management affects every part of your logistics process, from planning to procurement and more. It’s a large piece of the logistics puzzle. If you’re not using a TMS, what are those processes? Are you using programs like Excel and Outlook to manage your shipments? How do you gather and view data? How much visibility do you have into your logistics? Simply put, a TMS makes your transportation easier on you, enabling you to serve your customers better. To give you a better idea of how it helps, let’s look at the benefits.  

What are the Benefits of Transportation Management Software?  

There are so many benefits to using a TMS. Through a TMS, you can automate and optimize your processes, gain visibility into your logistics, and view valuable data.  

Automation 

A TMS allows your company to eliminate your manual transportation processes. A TMS offers you automation with your load planning and execution through its advanced algorithms. With this, it can optimize each shipment, allows freight tracking by using real-time updates, payment processes are simplifying and streamlining invoices are audited, and develops reports through its in-depth data collecting.  

Optimization 

A TMS is a perfect resource if you’re looking for your logistics to be more efficient and optimized. For one example, a TMS can analyze many batch shipments based on various sophisticated parameters and can determine the most cost-effective route plan for your shipment. A TMS can make recommendations for you on different factors like least-cost mode analysis, freight consolidation options, and continuous move opportunities. It can also account for many other factors, including your due dates, mileage, vehicle weight, stops during transit, and out-of-route parameters. The optimization engine of the TMS allows for dynamic, static, and closed-loop routing. 

Visibility 

Real-time visibility of your logistics data and activity are the primary value drivers for companies implementing a TMS.  A TMS can help you view data from internal systems, vendor systems, and get data that may not have been accessible before. Along with collecting data, visibility from a TMS allows your stakeholders access to update their part of a shipment and receive their own real-time. A TMS will essentially act as a virtual control tower for all your logistics updates and communications. Visibility has gone from being an optional benefit to a necessary one in logistics. Using a TMS can change visibility from being a challenge to a strength for your business. 

Reporting 

The reporting offered by a TMS is another huge value to companies. Access to data is becoming more of a necessity for supply chains, but it can be hard to gather it all. Most of the time it’s spread out among various platforms – e-mails, portals, and laptops. A TMS makes it easier for you to compile and view your data through reporting. A TMS has multiple options and breakdowns to give you the best analysis of your data. TMS reporting can provide you with insight into your freight volumes, lane analysis, freight spend, RFP analysis, and so many more. You can dive deep into your data, breaking it down further by load route, price, and even state-by-state to see your load count and total spend as well. A TMS can also give you monthly metric reports, world reports, and various graphs and breakdowns to help you interpret your data for better performance.  

What Does Trinity Logistics Offer in Transportation Management Software?  

There are many different routes you can take in acquiring transportation management software. Simply put, you can choose to purchase transportation management software directly through a vendor or work with a logistics provider, such as Trinity, that offers it as a cloud-based service.  

A Trinity, we understand everyone’s needs are different, which is why we offer a highly configurable system. We offer you three main options to start with: software as a service (Saas), a managed TMS, or an integrated outsource TMS. If none of those options quite fit what you need, we can further customize your solution so you get exactly what you’re looking for.   

No matter your specific needs, you’ll gain access to our best-in-class technology backed by superusers with logistics expertise. Through our People-Centric service, you’ll gain valuable insight and support in your logistics management.   

Looking to learn more about what TMS solutions Trinity can offer you?  

Get a free supply chain analysis to see what you need.  

Looking FOR TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY BUT NOT A FULL TMS? 

We understand committing to a TMS is a big change, especially if you have no experience with one. That’s why we now offer you our Customer Portal, exclusively available for shippers working with Trinity. There’s no commitment or additional charges and you’ll get to experience a sample of our transportation technology. Track your shipments, request quotes, view and pay your invoices online – all in one place.   

Start shipping with us today to gain access.  

Wait, I Still Need More Information on Transportation Management Software..  

We have plenty more educational resources for you to learn about a TMS.   

Download our Guide on Transportation Management Systems. 
Check out Albaugh's Case Study to see how a TMS helped their company.

Author: Turner Lee

Staying up-to-speed in leading technology requires time and investments. With all the current and upcoming logistics technology, it can be confusing for shippers to identify what will have the best impact to stay competitive now and in the future. 

HOW LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP

Businesses today have never been in so much need of change and upgrade with their technology. Their list of challenges to overcome is never-ending. They have retailers demanding more visibility. Then there’s the struggle of finding capacity, managing costs, meeting service requirements, creating a more resilient operation, and more.

There are several current and emerging technologies available to help to address many supply chain problems. There’s a lot to go through, so let’s dive in and see how logistics technology can help.

…WITH CAPACITY

The ability to match a carriers’ network to a shippers’ network is very important. At the end of the day, you still need to match a driver and truck with an available shipment. Available logistics technology can help make that happen, but there still needs to be more adoption of it for it to be more effective.

…..WITH RISK MANAGEMENT

One thing the pandemic taught us is the importance of risk management and resilience. Mitigating your risk comes down to using technology to make better decisions faster by using better data. You must use a network of data to measure yourself against the current market and your peers.

…WITH PRODUCTIVITY AND COST MANAGEMENT

Shippers have an ongoing need to improve productivity and cost management. Technology can help you create win-win opportunities to match loads to available capacity. Or get more committed capacity and good on-time service at a reasonable cost. Logistics technology can help you be more productive while better managing your costs.

…WITH CARRIER SELECTION

Carrier selection can be time-intensive. The process of calculating the best combination of rates and lanes for a particular shipment can be lengthy. Logistics technology automates the carrier selection process, reducing your time spent. It allows you to select the best carrier for every shipment in real-time based on the cost and service level. Technology also helps with carrier vetting through digital applications and API feeds. 

…WITH SHIPPING UPDATES IN REAL-TIME

Most customers and shippers now expect real-time tracking. Technology allows shipment data like tracking and more to your customer in real-time using methods like APIs or geofencing. The days of frustrating phone calls to chase down freight locations are now history.

…WITH IMPROVED ROUTING

Load planning and driver routing can impact your logistics costs. Companies that have complicated delivery patterns can’t really be sure their network is optimized no matter how much time and money they use to plan without technology. Technology can do in seconds what it would take a human hours to do and do it accurately every time. This comes as a major benefit when developing routes incorporates several factors, like rates, delivery windows, and more.

…WITH REDUCED PAPERWORK

Logistics has always handled a lot of paperwork and data. For shippers, it can be easy to become bogged down in all the manual processes that they are responsible for. Not to mention, a single error can cause problems up and down the supply chain. Technology allows you to cut down on errors and time, freeing you to concentrate on more productive tasks. It also allows for easier storage, giving quick access to anyone who needs it.

….WITH GREATER TRANSPARENCY

Thanks to technology, the supply chain is more transparent than ever. Your customer’s expectations and needs have increased to include transparency. Logistics technology enables your customers to receive instant answers to their queries and delivery status. This feature has gone from a nice extra into a necessity for you to stay competitive.

…WITH EFFICIENCY AND FASTER PROCESSES

Technology has led the way to supply chains becoming faster and more efficient. Through warehouse and transportation management systems, businesses can quickly pull data, track resources, and reduced stock with real-time reporting. Through full visibility across your supply chain, potential errors, risks, and opportunities are seen, allowing your business greater efficiency.

…WITH COMMUNICATION

Good communication creates improved business. Technology has made this possible by changing the supply chain for the better. The software enables teams to input data that is accessible for all stakeholders. Technology also allows better insight data, allowing your company to better forecast and communicate your requirements. An increase in your communication also allows for a stronger relationship between you and your stakeholders. 

…WITH HAPPIER CUSTOMERS

The ultimate consequence of the benefits outlined above is happier customers. More efficient logistics operations mean that your freight gets out of the warehouse and to your customer faster. Through centralized storage plus real-time tracking removes any uncertainty for your customers. Technology increases transparency and communication between all stakeholders. 

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS TO WATCH

The logistics industry has perhaps the most to gain from new technologies. In recent years, we’ve seen a massive advancement in areas like artificial and augmented intelligence, advanced analytics, and automation. These advancements also bring new expectations, forcing companies to adapt or fall behind. There’s also more pressure coming from customers demanding their products come faster and cheaper than before. 

Here are the top logistics technology trends your company should be keeping an eye on and consider implementing.

ARTIFICIAL AND AUGMENTED INTELLIGENCE

The logistics industry has started using artificial intelligence in their transportation and more. AI has been making a huge difference in logistics through applications like warehouse automation and predictive optimization. According to research, using AI in logistics can increase companies’ gain by more than 50 percent a year. 

There’s also augmented intelligence. Augmented intelligence combines human intelligence with AI automated processes. According to Gartner, augmented intelligence is its way to create $2.9 trillion of business value. This would lead to an increase of $6.2 billion hours of worker productivity globally by the end of this year. Augmented intelligence is expected to be used more to allow businesses to do their jobs quicker while reducing mistakes and allowing for cost savings. 

DIGITAL TWINS

Digital twins may be one of the most exciting logistics technology trends to keep an eye on. As many know, products are never the same as their models. Modeling currently doesn’t consider how parts wear out and need replacing, how fatigue accumulates, or how owners make changes to suit their needs. Digital Twins technology changes this once and for all. 

Digital Twins allows you to engage with the digital model of a physical object like we would with their physical counterparts. The potential uses for this in logistics are vast. Digital Twins could collect product and packaging data to identify potential weaknesses and recurring trends to improve future operations in shipments. Warehouses could use it to create accurate 3D models of their centers, experimenting with the layout or the introduction of new equipment to the impact with no risk. Logistics hubs can create Digital Twins and use those to test out different scenarios to increase efficiency. 

REAL-TIME SUPPLY CHAIN VISIBILITY

Supply chain visibility is no longer an extra benefit for companies to have. It’s now needed and is taking another step forward – becoming real-time. 

Real-time data is more in demand by customers and carriers than ever. New startups are creating technology that promotes a quick response to change by allowing companies to use real-time data. This data can include things like traffic patterns, weather, or road and port conditions. Companies that make use of an integrated supply chain are reporting to be 20 percent more efficient than those without.

IOT SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

You can’t mention visibility without bringing up the Internet of Things (IoT) Sensor technology. By using connected IoT devices on parcels, it allows warehouses to track inventory or shipped freight. Container management that’s powered by IoT can be made easier with real-time monitoring. You’ll see increased fuel efficiency, preventative maintenance, and container operations more proactive versus reactive.

BLOCKCHAIN

Blockchain is an open ledger of transactions distributed among computers in each network. Since everyone has access to the shared blockchain, there is complete transparency. This also makes it impossible for users to hack into. It also makes it easier for different carriers or shippers to share data. Before a company can completely adopt blockchain, there are a few steps required. First, companies need to digitize, standardize, and cleanse their data. Then companies must form an ecosystem of partners to operate in a shared, permissionless blockchain environment.

Blockchain has grown to be a big buzzword as one of the most overhyped logistics technology trends. That’s because it depends on its market development and on the partners using it. Blockchain’s concept has also been difficult for the public to grasp. Despite its strong potential both in and outside of logistics, there’s been a lack of real development. 

Yet, there are some pilot projects and small-scale operations in effect to keep watch of. UPS and Warren Buffet’s BNSF Railway recently joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance. 

DATA STANDARDS AND ADVANCED ANALYTICS

Data in logistics has always been isolated. Companies store their data in whatever way they deem fit. This leads to a fragmented system, allowing inefficiency, and making it difficult to digitize operations. 

One of the biggest logistics technology trends points out that isolated data will not be an option if you want to keep up with changing times. The Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), created in 2019 recently set new data standards in container shipping. Their mission is to create common information technology standards for digitalization and interoperability to make the shipping sector more efficient for both customers and shipping lines. 

Other logistics fields still have work to do to solve data inconsistencies. There are many young startups focused on creating predictive and advanced analytics platforms as a solution. When data becomes standardized and digitized across the industry, all companies will benefit. Logistics data is essential for planning future deliveries and understanding what goods the market needs. 

GROWING NEWCOMERS

New technology isn’t the only one shaping the future of logistics. There are also new business models and industry players. Without a need for a rich asset background, these startups tend to focus on the asset-light parts of the supply chain. Since they have more flexibility, they can offer quicker pricing and quotes. 

An example of this is Uber which launched Uber Freight in the U.S. in 2017, now expanding into Europe and Canada. There’s also Amazon expanding its expertise in warehousing and transportation. They’ve already made plenty of headway with Prime Air, the electric drone service it’s building, to fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages under five pounds, to customers in less than 30 minutes. It’s also recently reported that the company has been importing new Amazon-branded intermodal containers. 

SUSTAINABILITY POWERED BY TECHNOLOGY

Sustainability is a trend across all industries. More people are choosing companies that have an eco-friendly reputation. Companies are investing more in reducing emissions. As a result, ecological technology is beginning to influence logistics. For example, last-mile delivery is very time and energy-consuming. It presents many opportunities for a fresh approach. To lessen its environmental impact, companies leverage technologies like electric vehicles or AI-based software to calculate a route with low emissions.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Autonomous vehicles are still in the early stages. Even so, it’s a huge, discussed technology. A few short years ago, they were more unreal, but many companies are investing in them. Self-driving trucks could be efficient in operating busy roads to predict and analyze traffic. They could also help ease some of the driver shortage and capacity.

WAREHOUSE ROBOTICS

Warehouse operations have undergone a significant shift recently.

Technology has been progressively integrated and the trend looks to continue. According to the Global Customer Report of 2019, there has been an 18 percent YOY increase in the testing of warehouse robotics. Robotic technology comes in various forms, like wearable technology, driverless vehicles, or multifunctional robots. No matter the form, it can improve the efficiency and speed of warehouse processes. Industry trends focus on the automatization of manual work. The goal is to make routine work cheaper and more comfortable for their business. It’s also used to improve monitoring, receiving, and dispatching products in the warehouse.

CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO

TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (TMS)

A cloud-based TMS provides you with real-time visibility of your transportation, data insights, dashboards, reporting, and analytics. TMS technology may not be new, but its technology that continues to improve and offer a lot of insight into your logistics. Through real-time data insights, TMS technology can help you reduce risks and spot opportunities for cost savings through efficiencies. In an ARC survey, respondents indicated freight savings of 8 percent through the adoption of a TMS.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) support inventory, demand forecasting, scheduling, and predictive analytics. Tasks that could take people days or weeks are reduced to minutes. Through automation, you can save time and increase efficiencies in your supply chain. The level of automation can be semi-automated, completely automated, or a mix of both. 

SHIPMENT TRACKING SYSTEMS

Years ago, customers would book shipments, receive an estimated delivery date, and then be left waiting. Now software allows customers to access tracking on their shipment 24/7. User experience is enhanced, and time and money are saved. Here at Trinity, we currently use FourKites, MacroPoint, and Trucker Tools for our shipment tracking. 

INTERET OF THINGS (IoT) AND RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID)

Many devices made have built-in WIFI capabilities or sensors. The easy access to WIFI and the internet connects everyone to everything, which is why it’s called the Internet of Things. The adoption of IoT is on the rise. It opens many opportunities in the supply chain, like reducing costs and delays. Sensors can be placed into trucks, cargo ships, trains, on parcels, or more. They can also connect to an alarm system or have a dispatcher that monitors and tracks. One example would be temperature monitoring for temperature-controlled products. IoT isn’t new technology, but it continues to impact and grow in logistics. 

RFID technology is a popular way a company can track inventory. A tag or sensor gets placed on a product, and radio waves are sent out. Data then gets received and processed by the company. RFID tags are like barcodes, but the superior speed of delivered information and data processing is more appealing. 

AUTONOMOUS TRUCKS AND DRONES

Autonomous cars are already a reality with trucks not too far behind. Companies like Embark and Uber have already used autonomous trucks, and Tesla will be releasing their electric truck soon. Even though the trucks are not completely driverless yet, it’s a huge step in this breakthrough technology. As mentioned prior, Amazon will be using electric drones soon through Amazon Prime Air. The drone deliveries are still a few years out, but the idea of an even quicker delivery is appealing.

FIND TECHNOLOGY THAT WORKS FOR YOU

With so much available and upcoming in logistics technology, shippers should partner with experts who can offer customized solutions. Be sure their technology is not only flexible but that they stay on top of technology trends. Adopting technology in your business can provide you with more visibility, connectivity, advanced analytics, and more. Technology can help you enable better collaboration with your stakeholders and offer greater efficiency across your entire supply chain. 

Here at Trinity, we understand technology can make or break your supply chain. This is why we continue to stay ahead of cutting-edge tech and make sure to have the best technology applications available to you. Additionally, by working with Trinity, you’ll not only have the data and applications you need but the experienced tech and logistics professionals ready to serve you.

To find out more about what best-in-class technology applications you gain with Trinity, 

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To learn more about Trinity’s TMS and Managed Services through a free supply chain analysis, request a consultation. 

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Author: Christine Morris