Using transportation management software (TMS) is a powerful way to gain control and visibility over your supply chain. But trying to decide which transportation management provider to use can be overwhelming. There are so many different software platforms available and providers that offer transportation management software. How can you choose the best software and provider for you?

When starting your search for a transportation management provider, there are several questions you should ask yourself: 

BREAKING DOWN THE TWO TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PROVIDERS

On a high level, there are two different types of companies that offer TMS products. There are software companies whose sole purpose is to develop and sell TMS software. Then there are third-party logistics (3PL) companies that offer TMS software as one element of the many other logistics and transportation services they provide. 

There are differences and advantages to working with each kind of transportation management provider. Particularly, sourcing your TMS through a 3PL provider can have some major benefits, especially for small- to medium-sized businesses.

In the past, implementing a TMS was usually out of reach if your company was not of a certain size. However, advances in transportation management software have made it an option for more companies than ever.  

For this reason, deploying a TMS can be a new experience for small- to mid-sized companies. And working directly with a software provider can be intimidating if that’s the case. Additionally, logistics may not be a core focus for smaller companies, so they might need an extra hand in determining their best solution.

TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE COMPANIES

The transportation management software of today is nothing like it was years ago. However, implementing a TMS will often make it the new backbone of your supply chain. And if you’re looking to purchase software outright versus outsourcing with a 3PL, you’ll soon realize that not all transportation management software companies offer the same thing. 

When shopping around for your own transportation management software, you’ll want to look for these capabilities:

According to Intek, these are some of the top transportation management software providers:

3GTMS

BLUEJAY

CLOUD LOGISTICS

DESCARTES

JDA

KUEBIX

MANHATTAN

MERCURY GATE

ORACLE

SAP

TMC

TMW

TRANSPLACE

A TMS ALONE MAY NOT BE WORTH IT

Just like buying QuickBooks doesn’t automatically make you an accountant or purchasing Adobe Creative Suite doesn’t make you a graphic designer, purchasing a TMS outright doesn’t automatically make you an expert in how to use it. 

To start seeing the benefits of transportation management software, you’ll need a team of experts to use it. You’re going to need to build out a team of transportation management software specialists who can expertly use, read, and pull reporting from your new TMS. Unfortunately, the amount of expertise and support needed can be difficult to find, establish, and maintain. 

This is where you might find a greater benefit to using a transportation management software provider who does more than sell TMS software.

MAKING A CASE FOR A 3PL PROVIDER

You might think 3PL companies only handle arranging freight, but they offer so much more and can be an ideal transportation management provider.

Transportation Management Software

A 3PL can be an excellent option for a transportation management provider. Not only do you gain access to their TMS technology, you know that they will know the software inside and out as most make use of it themselves. You’ll have access to experts who know how to make use of all the tools and reporting. Additionally, many offer Managed Services with their transportation management software, meaning you could have a team of TMS specialists ready to help you from Day 1. No worries over finding, training, and retaining your own in-house team.

Access to Their Relationships

Outside of their transportation management software, you’ll also gain access to a 3PL’s relationships. This includes their carrier, vendor, and technology relationships. So, whether you need them or not, it’s still good to know that should the time come when you need some extra help, you have a 3PL on your side to support you through their built industry connections.

Expertise

Often, 3PLs have seen it all. They’ve most likely worked with many different companies, freight, and complicated situations. They’ve faced supply chain disruption, tight turnaround times, and transportation inefficiencies. Having a logistics expert like a 3PL on your side can be an exponentially significant benefit. It can be near impossible to source the type of knowledge and consultative expertise a 3PL has without directly working with one. 

Customizable Solutions

Generally, a 3PL will work with your team to deploy a system that specifically meets your needs, while a software company is more likely to offer an “out of the box” solution. That’s perfectly fine if you know exactly what you are looking for. But for smaller companies with less logistics experience, it can be overwhelming. A 3PL can help fill the knowledge gaps and ensure your investment is valuable and will have ROI.

This difference can also have an impact on the cost of implementation. Software companies tend to consider a customized solution as more work for their implementation team, which translates into person-hours, and into higher implementation fees for your company. On the other hand, an experienced 3PL can guide you through the process and advise the best options for your company, and that’s not considered an additional service. Again, this may not be required for companies with very experienced and knowledgeable logistics departments – especially if they have implemented a TMS before – but it’s extremely valuable for businesses that may be doing this for the first time.

TRINITY LOGISTICS COULD BE THE TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PROVIDER FOR YOU

Trinity Logistics is an excellent example of a 3PL that offers a TMS to its customers while also offering many other services.

At Trinity, we understand everyone’s needs are different, which is why we offer a highly configurable system. To start, we offer you three main options in transportation management software:

If none of those three options fit your business’s needs, we can further customize a solution for you, so you get exactly what you’re looking for. No matter your unique needs, you’ll gain access to our best-in-class technology backed by superusers with logistics expertise. And through our People-Centric service, you’ll gain valuable insight, support, and knowledge for your company’s logistics management. 

GET A FREE SUPPLY CHAIN ANALYSIS TO SEE WHAT SOLUTIONS WE HAVE FOR YOU

NOT LOOKING FOR A FULL TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE?

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

START SHIPPING WITH TRINITY TO GAIN ACCESS

Author: Christine Morris

Many companies and consumers are waiting and wondering, where are my goods? If you work in logistics, then you know exactly where they are. A significant number of ships are waiting outside of U.S. ports, carrying millions of dollars worth of goods ordered by Americans. What started as a binge in online ordering during the pandemic has had lasting effects on supply chains. There’s continued to be overwhelming demand, creating port delays which then caused higher shipping rates, newly created fees, and so many more issues brought to light among global supply chains. We’ve seen record-breaking highs of imports throughout the year and currently, there’s no end in sight. Many are trying to find solutions and put them into place to get out of this hole we’ve dug, but is it working?

PORT PROBLEMS

Before the surge of imports faced by the ports, containers would wait at terminals for up to four days on average before unloading and delivering to warehouses. For those delivering by rail, it would take less than two days. Now, the average for ships waiting is nine days, if not more. Some have waited weeks. According to reported data by the Port of Los Angeles on November 12th, the average time ships had to wait at anchor was up to 16.9 days.

Besides the growing wait times are the increasing number of ships that are stuck waiting. According to Marine Exchange,before the pandemic, ports would see no more than 17 ships waiting to dock. However, recently it’s been common to find upwards of a hundred or more ships lingering in the ocean near ports, waiting.

It doesn’t seem there is one particular problem that is causing these backlogs and port delays. Rather, many port problems are being highlighted.

Returning Empty Containers is a Struggle

One of the loudest heard complaints adding to the port delays is the struggle truck drivers and companies are facing in returning empty containers. In a survey by the Harbor Truck Association, 15 companies responded that they had a combined 4,251 empty containers sitting. Additionally, 86 percent of them were on wheeled equipment and the rest were in stacks. One motor carrier stated that they had been stuck with empty containers since August 31st because the terminal would not accept them.

Many motor carriers and importers say there are port delays and cargo not getting picked up because the port terminals don’t allow drivers to return their empty containers and make a swap. Meanwhile, the port officials are saying they first need to make room to be able to accept them. Additionally, these sitting empty containers are further adding to these port problems by creating a chassis shortage.

Where are the Chassis?

First off, if the term chassis is new to you, let me briefly explain what it means. The chassis is a special trailer used to carry and transport the ocean container over the road. They are needed for truck drivers to be able to haul and deliver these containers.

A short supply of these chassis is another problem causing the growth in port delays. Typically, a truck driver will go to the port to swap the empty container they have and retrieve a full one to deliver. However, when truck drivers are turned away from the port with their empty containers, they will often park them and the chassis, at truck lots. But, without the chassis and ability to make a swap, they then can’t go pick up a full container from the port. So, currently, most chassis in Southern California are sitting under empty containers, strewn across truck lots.

Simply No Space

Another reason for the port delays is simply a lack of space. Warehousing and truck yards have been so full lately that they have little room to receive a new container of goods. Local officials have indicated some shippers eager at avoiding extended delays, ordered their goods earlier for next year, essentially using the ports as a makeshift warehouse for the time being. And even with the recent implementation of 24/7 operations at the Southern California ports, the ports may be running 24/7, but the warehouses are not. There’s just not a lot of space to put all the containers.

Lack of Labor

The labor shortage has affected every industry, but the ports are having a tough time clearing out all the freight due to a lack of labor. A shortage of dockworkers and truck drivers is one reason for port delays. Being that two-thirds of the cargo at the two ports in Southern California is hauled by trucks, these terminals are saying that the driver shortage may be to blame.

Inefficient Appointment Booking

Others are blaming the ports’ outdated booking system for the growing port delays. Usually, truck drivers must make an appointment to return an empty container and pick up a full one. But with the surge of freight and no space, port terminals have placed new restrictions. Every terminal has its own set of rules on when and where containers can be returned and picked up. This even pertains to the color of the container. With no centralized database, truck drivers are making bets by placing multiple appointments at different terminals in hopes they’ll meet requirements somewhere and get to return an empty container. Yet lately, the marine terminal could decide last minute that the terminal is full or that they aren’t accepting a certain color container that day and turn the truck driver away, usually after they have already waited a while. Terminals are saying that there are more no-shows lately with the truck drivers, stating that they just don’t show up 50 percent of the time.

Too Much to Handle

What may be the biggest problem with the port delays is that there is too much freight to be handled. Gene Seroka, the executive director at the Los Angeles port recently told 60 Minutes that the entire system is overwhelmed with the tsunami of orders that are flooding in from Asia to the U.S.

There can be many reasons to attribute to the growth in port delays. With everyone pointing fingers, one of the questions is, how do we get everyone to take some time off from playing the blame game and instead talk through a plan to clear out the backlogs at the ports? Because until then, the number of ships waiting off the coast of the ports is repeatedly breaking record highs.

PORTS HITTING RECORD HIGHS

Los Angeles and Long Beach

The number of ships waiting in the San Pedro Bay to dock at the port of LA and the port of Long Beach broke the previous record of 87 ships on November 15th, according to cFlow. To put that into perspective, the number of containers on those waiting ships is roughly 24 percent more than the port of Los Angeles imported during the entire month of September.

Back around October 14th, the cargo waiting off the two Southern California ports was worth around an estimated $25.5 billion, which is more than the annual revenues of McDonald’s.

At the start of November, there were nearly 60,000 containers at these ports that had been there for more than nine days, according to reported data by American Shipper.

Both Southern California ports are moving 19 percent more containers than in 2018, which held the previous record. Currently, the ports look to outpace 2018’s record of 17.5 million containers processed in 2018. This year alone, the two ports are looking to handle a combined 20 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Virginia

In October 2021, both the ports of Charleston and Virginia achieved container volume records. The Port of Charleston reported 234,923 TEUs handled, while the Port of Virginia’s new record was 318,000. That’s about a 16 percent increase year-over-year (YOY).

Combined, the Virginia Port Authority said that since August 2021, 444,600 imported TEUs had been processed, which is a 19 percent increase YOY. Additionally, there was a nine percent increase in exported TEUs, with a volume of 254,600.

South Carolina

Since the start of the fiscal year, South Carolina ports have faced a 15 percent increase in processed containers YOY, having handled 919,440 TEUs. In October, South Carolina ports handled 107,773 imported TEUs, a 12 percent increase, with furniture imports rising 55 percent YOY and vehicles up 5 percent.

Georgia

In October, the Georgia Port Authority announced that, for the first time ever, the Port of Savannah had processed more than 500,000 TEUs in a single month. The previous record was 498,000 TEUs in March 2021, with the new record being 504,350 TEUs, an increase of 8.7 percent YOY.

TRYING TO SOLVE THE PORT CRISIS

24/7 Southern California Operations

In October, the Biden administration unveiled its plan to help the port delays in Southern California. Since the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach account for 40 percent of the sea freight in the U.S., they wanted those two ports to be running 24/7. Having round-the-clock operations and pushing truck drivers to make appointments outside of peak times should help address some of the backlogs there.

Southern California Implements Fees

Also in October, the two ports announced that they would begin fining shipping companies $100 a day for every container left on the docks, past an allotted time. In their guidelines for the fees, shipping companies have six days to move containers if their next step is rail or nine days if the next step is by truck. Every day over, the fee would be increased by $100; so $100 the first day, $200 the second day, and so on.

The fees were initially supposed to go into effect November 1st, but it was then delayed to November 15th to give shippers and carriers more time to avoid the new fees. Even with the delay, the ports started keeping track of containers waiting on the docks on November 1st. As of publishing this article, the charges are delayed to November 22nd.

These emergency port fees were aimed at getting containers moved out of the ports faster. The charges will go to the carriers who would then pass it along to the shippers. These charges, if they go into effect, could become millions of dollars in fines. According to port data. as of Friday, November 12th, the Port of Long Beach had 17,314 containers for trucks over nine days and 575 containers by rail over six days. If the fees had gone into effect that day, ocean carriers would owe at least $1.8 million in combined fees.

Port of Long Beach Ups Container Stacking

The City of Long Beach also recently loosened zoning restrictions on container stacking temporarily. It used to be that only two containers could be stacked together at container yards and warehouses, but now they are allowing up to five to be stacked. The higher stacking could help free up some space.

The State of California Makes Efforts

The state of California has been working on its own efforts to improve the backlogs and port delays. Governor Gavin Newsom recently directed agencies to find any state-owned properties that could store containers near the ports by December 15th.

Additionally, starting November 17th, Newsom announced that California will increase weight limits for trucks carrying goods in and out of ports. The weight restriction has increased from 80,000 pounds to 88,000 pounds in hopes it will help speed up the processing of containers. This will be applicable through June 30th.

By the end of this year, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency also have a plan to help the labor shortage affecting the ports. They plan to name an industry panel to explore how to increase training and education programs for port workers and others in the supply chain who could lose jobs with automation and the transition to clean-fuel vehicles.

Washington Also Implements Fees

In early November, the Port of Tacoma and Washington United announced one-off long-term dwell fees of $315 and $310 for loaded containers that sit at the terminals for more than 15 days. This is in addition to their current late fees of $230 every day for any that are waiting more than four days.

Pop-Up Container Yard Projects

Georgia‘s Port Authority is reallocating $8 million o open five pop-up container yards in Georgia and North Carolina. This will free up dock space for the Port of Savannah, which leads the U.S. in agricultural exports.

Cargo congestion has been so bad at the Port of Savannah, those officials are planning to use a small airport in Georgia as their temporary overflow yard. Containers will move to these pop-up yards by truck or rail to create more space for cargo coming off ships.

Infrastructure Bill

Lastly, there’s also the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package to help aid U.S. ports. This package contains funding for port equipment and upgrades, dredging and channel maintenance, marine highways, rail needs, safety improvements, and emissions lower projects. This includes $5.2 billion in direct funding for any ports that handle 90 percent of internationally bound cargo, according to the American Association of Port Authorities.

GOOD NEWS

Even though the port delays seem like there is no end in sight, there has been much good news on the situation recently. For one, the recent shift to 24/7 operations at the Southern California ports has already improved service times for container ships. The LA and Long Beach ports have seen a 20 percent reduction in the number of container ships spending more than nine days as more shippers have agreed to move cargo during off-peak hours.

Additionally, the recent fees announced by the Ports of LA and Long Beach have been delayed to November 22nd. This is because the port of Los Angeles has seen a 32 percent decline in the number of containers qualifying for the fee compared to October 28th. Both ports reported a combined 26 percent decline in aging cargo. Because of the significant improvement in clearing containers, the ports decided to push back the fee another week to give shippers and carriers an extended grace period. They will continue to track the data to see what steps to take next.

Since September 1st, the Port of Savannah has seen a decrease of 60 percent in waiting containers, as retailers have been picking up cargo more quickly. Because of the extra space for dockworkers, Savannah reduced the number of ships waiting by 40 percent. As a result, their turnaround times have been much quicker, around 41 minutes for a single move and an hour when dropping an empty container to pick up an import load.

ADVICE FOR SHIPPERS

Even still, experts don’t foresee a large slowdown anytime soon. Instead, port problems and delays will continue into 2022 because of all the challenges supply chains have faced and some of the solutions are longer-term.

What we’re seeing is more cargo owners working with their ocean carriers to try to diversify their supply chains. Some of this includes rerouting to less busy and backlogged ports or ordering only what is needed to give the ports more time to move containers instead of creating more backlogs by ordering too early.

The best advice we can give you when working with your logistics provider is to make sure you are communicating your shipments early on. Giving AT LEAST two weeks or more notice (more is better here!) will help you secure any type of capacity.

You should also prepare for any extra costs. This includes demurrage, port wait time, per diem, or other fees and charges.

Lastly, make sure you work with a provider who helps you with more than just arranging your shipments. Find a provider who also works as your logistics consultant. You want someone who has eyes and ears on the market and can communicate and help you navigate any current or future disruptions so you can get ahead.

LOOKING FOR A LOGISTICS CONSULTANT?

Trinity Logistics is here and ready to help you. We stay updated on the freight market and help you pick up on any early warning signs of disruptions or delays, finding ways to help you prepare for potential constraints to your shipping.

We treat your shipments as our own and work with you to find the best alternative solutions when needed. We stay dedicated and do not stop working until we can help resolve any challenges you may face with your logistics.

Our Team Members are true experts in the logistics industry. We’ve been in business for more than 40 years and have been through many cycles of the logistics market. Because of that, we do more than just arrange your freight. When you choose to work with Trinity, you’ll find you have a whole Team of logistics partners invested in your business. Our only goals are to simplify your logistics so you can succeed and see growth.

Request a Trinity Quote

Author: Christine Morris

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

Trinity Logistics takes pride in being a leading name among independent freight agents. We have many benefits to offer through our freight agent program, but the one we’d like to talk about today is education. With Continuous Improvement being one of the eight Guiding Values at Trinity, continued education is important to the company, so we ensure all Trinity Team Members receive educational opportunities, and this includes our Freight Agent network.

WHY CONTINUED EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT IN A FREIGHT AGENT PROGRAM

There are many reasons why continued education is vital to your success. When you look at the most successful people in the world, they know and understand that we never stop learning. Additionally, the logistics industry constantly changes; it is never stagnant. New regulations take place or newer technology makes waves. Continued education is needed for you to stay current with the latest developments, skills, technologies, and more. Continuing your education is the best way for you to stay ahead of your competition. Many other careers need continued education and freight agents are no different.

WHAT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES DOES TRINITY’S FREIGHT AGENT PROGRAM OFFER?

CONTINUED EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Trinity has an in-house Education Team that provides you with many opportunities to continue your education and training on business strategy, industries, modes, sales, and other skill sets you may need. There are virtual classes held every month, giving you opportunities to increase your sales skills and introduce you to any new Trinity technology. Most importantly, we offer our Freight Agents the same opportunities as our Team Members. In addition, there are many virtual courses offered outside of our monthly classes through our learning management platform. These courses can be taken in your own time and cover an array of topics such as leadership, cybersecurity, and customer service.

TECHNOLOGY TRAINING

Through Trinity’s freight agent program, we provide you with the technology resources you need to be successful while offering you support every step of the way. When it comes to technology, we make sure to maintain a competitive edge in the market, giving you, your customers, and carriers access to best-in-class applications. We also have an entire team of in-house software engineers who work hard to make our processes easy and data accessible.

We never want to leave you feeling lost or confused, which is why our freight agent program provides you with thorough training on current and upcoming technology. Through communication from our Agent Support Team, you’ll consistently be updated on any changes, big or small. Should you need any extra help with learning any technology, you’ll have your Agent Support Team available for any training and support.

INDUSTRY NEWS AND RESOURCES

Trinity’s freight agent program keeps you up to date on what’s going on in the freight market and other related industries. As a Freight Agent with Trinity, you’ll receive an email every day with Daily Industry news you might want to know. In addition, each month, through Trinity’s Freightwaves’ Sonar account and other resources, we curate a Freight Market Update in blog and video form. You’ll also receive a monthly Agent Support newsletter giving you insight into any Trinity news.

ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORT

Trinity has a Team dedicated to the support of our Freight Agents. Support Team Members will work with you to learn about your goals, offer suggestions, encourage you, and help you stay on track. Think you might need a little more help? We encourage spending one-on-one time through direct planning support and accountability reviews with our Agent Support leadership team members at Trinity. They have experience working with office structures of all sizes and can help dissect your business to get you closer to your goal numbers. They’ll be available to help recommend any educational opportunities and assist you with any of Trinity’s technology. You’ll never fall behind or feel unsure with the help of your own Support Team!

ANNUAL AGENT CONFERENCE

As a Freight Agent with Trinity, you’ll also be able to attend our annual Agent Conference. This year’s conference will be an all-day event held virtually on November 18th, 2021. You and your office are invited to hear from many speakers throughout the day, including members of our own Trinity leadership, sales directors, our Platinum Agents, and other industry professionals. In years past, we’ve had external speakers such as transportation economist Noel Perry and Transportation Intermediary Association’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Chris Burroughs.

This conference also includes workshops on the sales process and operations process for you to take part in and hone your skills and understanding. You’ll find technology and business resources available and even have chances to win some prizes!

PEOPLE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

We can boast all day about the educational opportunities and benefits that Trinity’s freight agent program offers you. But what really makes Trinity’s freight agent program different than others are the people behind it. It’s their commitment and dedication they have in helping you grow to be as successful as you want to be.

We realize you have a choice in who you’d like to partner with in your business. However, if what you’re looking for is a long-term partnership that is supportive of your growth, offers you continued education to remain competitive, and most of all, is made up of a Team of people who are passionate, dedicated, and striving for excellence, then Trinity Logistics may be the freight agent program for you.

Take the first step today and get connected with Trinity’s Agent Recruiting!

JOIN OUR FREIGHT AGENT NETWORK

It can be challenging for you to decide the best way to transport your products. Fewer decisions are bigger than deciding whether to operate a private fleet or outsource. On the surface, private fleets appear to be the better option, but you must recognize and understand all that goes into running your own transportation. Some companies believe operating a private fleet gives them more control over the business and operating costs. In contrast, others find that outsourcing their transportation gives them better insight into the market while reducing costs and creating efficiencies. So, which is better? Private fleets or outsourced logistics?

PRIVATE FLEETS OR OUTSOURCED LOGISTICS?

Well-known household names like PepsiCo, Sysco Walmart, and Tyson Foods all run successful private fleets. According to FleetSeek.com, a database of trucking operations, 344,657 private fleets are operating in the U.S. compared to 169,498 for-hire carriers and 203,068 independent owner-operators. So what drives companies to choose a private fleet or outsourcing?  

The idea of having your own private fleet to deliver your goods is alluring. On the one hand, you can retain complete control over your supply chain by operating a private fleet. But this can come with staggering costs and resources spent. The time and costs of managing a fleet may not be worthwhile for some companies. On the other hand, it can be difficult for those running and operating their own fleets, especially if it’s not their core focus. While the pandemic has had a small hand in encouraging companies to move away from managing their own private fleets, many of the real motivating factors are the plain challenges that come with operating your own logistics and transportation.

private fleets or outsourced logistics

PRIVATE FLEET CHALLENGES

Running your own fleet is a very asset-heavy business on its own. It requires a lot of capital investment in tractors and trailers along with other costs of technology, maintenance, insurance, driver pay, and more. Drivers are in short supply already, so finding a backup for sick drivers or losing drivers puts private fleets at the risk of losing capacity. Motor carrier insurance costs have been on the rise as well. Where a large trucking company could spread increased costs across a range of equipment and business segments, a small private fleet does not have that flexibility.

DRIVER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Driver recruitment is one operation of running a private fleet that you have to consider. Finding talent behind the wheel is an even more significant challenge lately with the driver shortage and driver-related issues are a current top concern of private fleets. According to the American Trucking Associations, the driver shortage hit 60,800 at the end of 2018. Current trends point to the shortage growing to over 160,000 drivers by 2028. In addition, a recent ATRI analysis of census data on employment sectors shows that the trucking industry has the lowest percentage of young entrants and the highest percentage of aging workforce entrants.

In a recent survey by the National Private Truck Council (NPTC), more than a third of all challenges private fleets face are driver-related, like aging drivers and their retirement, recruiting, turnover, hiring, and retention. With the ever-surging freight demand and a growing labor shortage, private fleets must work even harder to recruit and retain drivers. In addition, private fleets must fight with for-hire carriers over drivers as they are working even harder to attract drivers from fleets with more money, better equipment, and better routes for more home time.

COSTS

Many companies want to operate private fleets to manage their transportation costs; however, many more costs go into a private fleet. First, there are the upfront capital expenses, which can be expensive when starting out. You also have to consider fuel, insurance, driver pay and benefits, licenses, certifications, permits, technology like ELDs or software applications, training, and drug testing. There are also unanticipated costs to plan for, like liability costs for any accidents or claims. According to a study by the FMCSA in 2006, the cost to a company for a non-fatal injury crash averaged $195,258, while the average cost of a fatal crash was $3,604,518. In addition, costs for private fleets are rising with the increasing costs of fuel, insurance, and equipment maintenance as new and used trucks deal with material shortages.

CAPACITY

Many companies want a private fleet to have easy access to the capacity to haul their freight. However, having just the right amount of available equipment and drivers is tough to decide. Often you’ll find that you either have too much equipment sitting when you’re slow or too little to cover orders when demand is high, leaving you to use the spot market to cover shipments that need to go out. There are always ebbs and flows to business. Even when planned there will be times when equipment is underutilized or there won’t be enough.

TIME SPENT ON TRANSPORTATION

One drawback to operating your own fleet is the time you must put into it. You have to arrange the shipments, make sure you have drivers, cover backhauls or find coverage when you don’t have enough capacity of your own, maintain regulations, insurance, and more. The constant monitoring and configuring of your own transportation demand a lot of time – time that could instead be used for revenue-generating tasks.

PRIVATE FLEET BENEFITS

There are many benefits to running your own private fleet, such as;

KEEPING CONTROL

If keeping control over your transportation is something you need then operating a private fleet is for you. By choosing not to outsource your transportation, you’ll have complete control over your supply chain. You’ll know that you always have capacity available, even when the market is challenging. You won’t have to spend time searching for available carriers or negotiating rates, and you’ll keep control over service levels since you’ll have company drivers and equipment readily available.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

In the previously mentioned NPTC survey, more than 92 percent of respondents said that customer service was the main reason they had a private fleet. Other factors included flexibility, reliability, dependability, and a desire to put their employees in front of customers. With these factors in consideration, some companies view their fleet as a core competency.

SAFETY

Safety performance is another benefit to private fleet operators. According to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) crash data, drivers in private fleets have shown to be three times safer than the overall trucking industry.

FLEXIBILITY

Additionally, you’ll have scheduling flexibility. Rather than depending on a for-hire carrier to pick up and schedule shipments, private fleet operators set the schedule themselves, giving you more control over on-time deliveries.

BRAND AWARENESS

Lastly, there’s the marketing aspect to consider. Private fleet trailers essentially act as “rolling billboards” for your company.

OUTSOURCING BENEFITS

In the 2019 Third Party Logistics survey by Korn Ferry, 63 percent of shippers said that overall, shippers are increasing their use of outsourced logistics. Taking into account the pros and cons of a private fleet, it seems some companies find that outsourcing their transportation suits their needs better. There are many benefits to outsourcing your logistics, such as;

FEWER COSTS

In comparison to private fleet costs, there are very few costs to consider when outsourcing. You don’t have to worry about the cost for the labor of drivers, their insurance, their certifications, driver recruiting, vehicle maintenance, fuel costs, and more. The only actual cost you have to worry about is the cost of having your freight transported.

MORE TIME

Since you won’t have to worry about the many time-consuming tasks of your own fleet, you’ll have more time to focus on your business versus your transportation. In addition, your employees will focus on revenue-generating tasks instead of all that comes with managing transportation.

CAPACITY

Even though private fleets come with some on-demand capacity, when outsourcing your logistics to a third-party logistics provider (3PL), you can be assured that you’ll have access to capacity that you wouldn’t have otherwise. 3PLs take care of all the relationship-building, growing a larger network than you could manage, and take care of covering your shipments for you. There’s no worry about finding available carriers or making sure you have available drivers and equipment. It is all taken care of for you.

OUTSOURCING CHALLENGES

Even though there are many benefits to choosing to outsource your transportation needs, there can be some challenges that come with it.

LOSS OF CONTROL

Some people aren’t fans of losing control. When choosing to outsource, you will lose some control of your provider selection, customer service, and rates paid on shipments. Sounds scary, right? That’s why if you’re choosing to outsource, make sure you find a reputable provider that you can communicate your wants and needs. Find one that will keep an open line of communication with you as your relationship grows so that you fully trust them and be okay with letting go.

LOSS OF VISIBILITY

This solely depends on the provider that you choose to work with and what they offer. Find a good provider with technology applications or processes in place to keep you informed. You may even find a provider that has options to give you more visibility than you would have otherwise.

MANAGING THE RELATIONSHIP

Time and effort must be invested when developing good working relationships. Your chosen providers must share an understanding of your strategy and provide you with innovative solutions to give you a competitive advantage. It may take time to be in alignment.

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

If choosing to outsource and make use of a provider’s technology, your IT teams must integrate applications and systems. Make sure your IT teams are capable of doing so and that your provider will provide assistance in the integration.

PRIVATE FLEET OR OUTSOURCING OPTIONS

Companies that don’t want to manage their own fleet have a couple of options when it comes to outsourcing. For one, there are dedicated services. This is an option if you already have a private fleet of your own. Essentially, you convert your private fleet to a transportation company so that they now belong to the transportation company but remain dedicated to serving you first and foremost. Some transportation companies may even let you keep your branding on the truck. This is a nice way to have more control but less responsibility. 

Another option is outsourcing to a 3PL completely. They will take complete control and responsibility for your logistics management. You’ll still have access to capacity, reduced costs, and excellent customer service; however, you’ll lose the benefit of your brand on trucks. This option allows you to COMPLETELY focus on your core business.

Looking to have the best of both worlds? There is certainly nothing holding you back from having a mix of a private fleet and outsourcing. Some companies, like Giant Eagle Supermarket, prioritize their private fleet but also use outside carriers for less critical shipments. As a result, they’ve found an advantage to mixing both services.

FIND WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

Regardless of the choice you make, getting your product to customers has never been more challenging. The driver challenge continues to be a problem, capacity remains tight, and freight rates remain high. Though we may be partial to outsourcing, you should look to find a solution that works best for your company.

Be sure to ask yourself these questions when deciding whether private fleets or outsourced logistics is best for your company:

If outsourcing some or all of your transportation seems like a good solution, consider Trinity Logistics as your provider. With over 40 years in business and Burris Logistics as our parent company, we consider ourselves experts in logistics, especially in more complex or specialty shipments.

We can help you with capacity through our extensive network of carrier relationships available. We have best-in-class technology available to meet your needs and help you with your business’s growth. We work with several modes and through our People-Centric approach, offer you guidance on when and what solutions you should use. You’ll find that when choosing Trinity Logistics as your provider, when given the chance to prove our commitment to great service and communication, we set the bar high.

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Author: Christine Morris

What do semiconductors, plastics, furniture, chlorine, and more all have in common lately? They are near impossible to find. As disruption after disruption has interrupted supply chains, shortages are now messing with shipping and demand. Specifically, raw material and product shortages are affecting the chemical industry. With many other industries relying on the chemical industry, this is becoming a significant challenge to overcome.

MATERIAL AND PRODUCT SHORTAGES

Shortages in the chemical industry have worsened over the last quarter. According to a June survey of 84 National Association of Chemical Distributors, nearly 85 percent of distributors report at least one imported item as out-of-stock. This is a huge jump compared to only 47 percent found in March. Inventories in the chemical industry have begun increasing, but they have yet to reach their pre-pandemic levels. These shortages are not only hurting the chemical industries but the many industries that rely on them. One example is the shortage of citric acid, as it’s often used in vitamin or electrolyte drinks, even in soda. These material shortages mean tight supplies, high prices, and continued delivery delays.

Some recent materials and products that currently face shortages in relation to the chemical sector:

Semiconductors

Many manufacturers worldwide are having trouble securing supplies of semiconductors, delaying the production and delivery of goods, and increasing prices. Several factors are driving the crunch, which first affected the auto industry. The shortage is going from bad to worse, spreading from cars to consumer electronics. With the bulk of chip production concentrated in a handful of suppliers, analysts warn that the crunch is likely to last through the rest of 2021. Materials most vulnerable in semiconductor production include wet chemicals, solvents, photoresists, gases, and substrates. Several semiconductor process materials in the petroleum supply chain are also running short. Those materials include acetone, PGMEA, NMP, and IPA, and a few of several solvents.

Plastics

Yet another shortage complicating business is plastics. Food packaging, automotive components, clothing, medical and lab equipment, and countless other items rely on them. Since March 2020, a perfect storm of events has been putting severe strains on the supply of plastic raw materials, base plastics, and compounded plastics. This shortage has hit plastic product manufacturers very hard. 

The demand for plastics continues to surge, especially for food packaging and automobile components plastics production. Plastics required by high purity chemical providers for packaging and wet processing equipment are experiencing raw material price increases due to availability issues.

Plastics make every kind of product imaginable — from food packaging, appliances, smartphones, and car parts to exercise equipment and roller skates. So with the ongoing surging demand for goods, it’s easy to see why these shortages are a big deal.

Chlorine

The swimming pool boom from the pandemic created a higher chlorine demand, thus contributing to a shortage. There was also a manufacturing lab fire in August of 2020 in Louisiana that only further aided the shortage. 

Some pool supply stores have imposed quantity restrictions. In certain regions, prices for chlorine tablets have doubled from last year. The chlorine shortage is widespread, and it will likely worsen as homeowners use their swimming pools for the season. 

Gas, Oil, Fuel

It’s not quite that there’s a huge shortage of crude oil or gasoline. Instead, it’s a shortage of tanker truck drivers who deliver it. According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, 20 to 25 percent of tank trucks in the fleet are parked due to the shortage of qualified drivers. The driver shortage has been an issue for a while, but the pandemic multiplied it. 

Gas prices, which typically rise at the start of the summer as seasonal regulations take effect — requiring the more expensive “summer blend” of gasoline needed to combat smog — are also rising. The national average has surpassed $3 a gallon this summer and could get even higher if any hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast or if there are any other disruptions to supply, such as a refinery fire. 

Other Raw Materials

As countries work to switch over to green energy, the demand for copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other rare earth elements is soaring. And these raw materials are vulnerable to price volatility and shortages as limited access to known mineral deposits is another risk factor. Only three countries together control more than 75 percent of the global output of lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements – the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, and Australia. Constraints on the supplies of their raw materials — especially polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and monoethylene (MEG) — are leading to factory shutdowns, sharp price increases, and production delays.

SHORTER SUPPLY + HIGHER DEMAND = HIGHER COSTS

Consumer spending rapidly grew because of the pandemic. Remote working and schooling created an increased demand for electronics. Higher demand came for food packaging and healthcare markets. Automotive production rebounded and surged beginning in the third quarter of 2020. All these and more are impacting the chemical industry.

These disruptions have undoubtedly led to rising prices. Echemi reported in late March that more than 20 chemical companies including BASF, DuPont, Dow, DSM, and LANXESS, have raised prices. These price hikes are largely due to difficulty in getting raw materials used to make products. And there’s less supply than there was a couple of months ago. As demand is rising relative to production, prices have increased for chemicals, like polypropylene, acetone, and other solvents. 

…AND LOGISTICS DELAYS

Not only have shortages worsened since March, so have delays. NACD’s survey found that 82 percent of respondents are dealing with an average uptick in travel time for their shipment of 11 days or more. And these issues extend throughout the supply chain. 

Containers and boats to ship products from overseas are in short supply. Products could be sitting in a factory overseas for months because they can’t get loaded onto a ship. Then you have the ports struggling with delays. Currently, you can look at live video outside of Los Angeles and you’ll see up to 30 boats driving around waiting to get an appointment because there are so many ships coming in. Ships are waiting longer to get in and once they do get in, there is a shortage of drayage drivers that only adds to the congestion. 

A lack of truck drivers and warehouse workers has contributed to the delays as well. The driver shortage was an issue before COVID, but the recent labor shortage in warehouse workers has created a larger problem. Say you do have a truck available. But if you don’t have somebody in the warehouse to pull the goods out of the racks and load them on the truck, then that’s another issue causing delays.

Supply chain issues continue to hamper the whole of manufacturing. It’s hard to look at the global supply chain and not think, “everything that can go wrong has.” The impact of these issues continues to impact many industries downstream. On raw materials such as chemicals and plastics, inventories are unlikely to be rebuilt amid continuing strong demand. There’s simply not going to be a quick return of inventories. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO DURING THESE TOUGH TIMES

Begin building a more resilient supply chain

Consider moving manufacturing operations closer to home. This can help reduce your transportation times from future delays or disruptions. Make plans now to be prepared for all potential disruptions. Disruptions to the supply chain are not new, but this current phase of repeat instances has been rougher than most.

Gain access to technology

Integrating technology into your supply chain has now become a necessity. Implementing technology like a transportation management system (TMS) will help all stakeholders maintain real-time communication and visibility. A TMS can help you optimize your routes and work with the best carriers, increasing your service levels and reducing any delays. It can provide you with data-driven insight so you can better manage current and future disruptions. And by using data analytics, you can recognize which carriers most likely have available capacity, reducing your time spent on transportation coverage. Gain insight into what’s happening across all markets, ensure proper rates for shipments, and keep more control over your budget and logistics costs with TMS technology.

Work with experts that keep a pulse on the market

An expert can help you pick up on early warning signs and help you prepare for potential constraints. They can also offer you alternative solutions when needed. 

Here at Trinity, we are a Team of experts. We do more than arranging your freight. When working with Trinity, we become logistics partners in your business and aim to help you with your growth. We can help you streamline your logistics procedures and give you insight into the freight market. We keep a close eye on it and keep you educated to help you plan and forecast. 

We also work very hard to follow through on what we say we are going to do. When issues arise, we work until they are resolved, keeping communication every step of the way. We have over 40 years of experience in logistics and industry challenges in supply chains is our day-to-day.

Industry experts and forecasters are saying this tough market is far from over. It may even look to extend into 2022. So don’t hesitate in asking for help. We’re here and ready to provide you with our People-Centric approach for you during this historical time in logistics.

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Author: Jennifer Braun

When was the last time you reviewed your logistics network and technology? If it’s been more than six months, then you’ve stumbled upon the right article. Now, you might be thinking, “I don’t feel like our process is necessarily broken. Is it really worth trying to fix it? Do I really need a transportation management system?” Yet, what if you could strategically reduce your overall spend while transforming your team from being reactive and task-oriented to proactive and customer-oriented. What kind of impact would that have on your company’s bottom line? 

If your business;

Then keep reading as we’re going to take a look at some common areas of improvement you could see with a Managed Transportation approach.

You’ll learn how Trinity’s unique solutions focus on finding the right mix of people, process, and technology. Through this, we can help leverage your supply chain into a competitive advantage for your organization.

Let’s dive in.

PAIN POINT 1: LACK OF EFFICIENCY

Lack of efficiency in your business is a direct result of a decentralized and very manual approach. Programs like Outlook and Excel were just never intended to handle a freight spend of $1M or more. If your freight spend is $1M or more, you’re probably working with a couple of hundred orders a month, with who knows how many stakeholders to help micromanage quotes, tenders, tracking, and tracing of shipments.

How much time is being wasted across your organization with overwhelming manual processes?

Does this process save you any money when it comes to freight spend?

Do you know if you are utilizing the right carriers?

Would contract pricing cost you less than the spot market in the long run? 

The bottom line is this is a reactive strategy focused on individuals’ tasks. To optimize your team and freight, you need a major shift towards being more proactive and customer-focused. This is where Trinity’s technology can help you. All of our Managed Transportation features a cloud-based TMS platform that creates a centralized freight command center, replacing your redundant manual processes with automation. Our TMS helps you manage the entire life cycle of an order and we can even integrate with your order management system to truly optimize your workflow. This means no more phone calls, typing out shipment details, or wondering where your freight is or when it’s going to deliver. Technology is one of the critical aspects of our solutions here at Trinity and also a major catalyst to transforming your supply chain.

PAIN POINT 2: PERFORMANCE

Efficiency isn’t just about getting faster; it’s about getting better. Finding and creating better team performance, better carrier performance, and ultimately improving your bottom-line company performance. So, is there room for improvement in these areas for you? Are your current strategies effective? Can they be measured? You may have answers to these questions that vary from location to location. You’ll usually find some of your distribution centers are better at procuring freight than others.

While a siloed strategy may have made sense for you at one point, companies grow and change. Considering change is a constant, a more wholistic approach will typically yield a better overall cost and carrier performance for you. This is what we consider to be the process part of our solutions. Data is a key driver for the strategy on this one.

On the surface level, it will appear that you simply are spreading your freight too thin across too many carriers or brokers. At Trinity, our Team of Logistics Consultants can quickly diagnose if you are leveraging your overall volumes to the best of your ability. Through strategic sourcing and customer-specific pricing, you can yield savings of six to ten percent, sometimes even more. It can also have a significant effect on improving on-time performance. Best of all, with Trinity’s Managed Transportation, you’ll always be able to track these metrics. You’ll be able to know exactly how your teams compare to the market and are able to adapt quickly when things change. 

PAINT POINT 3: VISIBILITY

It’s hard to overstate the importance of real-time visibility in today’s supply chain. When a customer or sales rep asks for a delivery ETA or if the warehouse needs to know what trucks are scheduled to come in; that can all fall back on your outdated and manual processes. Things like picking up the phone, back and forth emails, creating and sharing spreadsheets, that’s just your day-to-day visibility. What about those overall performance metrics and being able to measure your team or your carriers? Unfortunately for many shippers, there can be too many roadblocks for effective communication and a lack of overall supply chain awareness. 

However, with the right strategy and technology, visibility can shift from a challenge to a strength. Having access to a TMS takes over a lot of the heavy lifting for you, acting as a virtual control tower for all logistics updates and communication. With Trinity’s solutions, we included unlimited users who can access updates and data 24/7 via the cloud. We can even create push notifications where your team, your warehouse, and your customers can receive updates for their specific tasks automatically. For most shippers, real-time visibility has fully transitioned from an optional benefit to a business necessity – which is why Trinity brings all of this valuable information right to your fingertips. 

PAIN POINT 4: BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

Data has quickly become one of the world’s most valuable resources. In order to make effective decisions, proper data and analysis are needed, especially for logistics strategy or more enterprise-level decisions that reach far beyond the supply chain.

Now let’s say you do have access to good, tangible data. Even still, most likely your data is spread out among various laptops, email accounts, and carrier portals. Trying to compile complete and accurate information is difficult in itself this way, but the greater challenge is what can you do with this data?

That’s where working with Trinity comes in hand. We help compile and present a key analysis in a way that is easy for you to understand and collaborate on action steps for your company’s continuous improvement. Our customers are able to successfully leverage their data to lower costs, improve performance, and drive their company forward. There are many types of helpful reports you can expect to see such as carrier scorecards, customer profitability reports, to network analysis, and distribution projects.

From Surviving to Thriving

Whether or not your challenges have already been identified, through a Managed Transportation Discovery Call with our people-centric approach, you can learn how to take your business from surviving to thriving. Your consultation is free and the only thing you have to learn is how your business can operate more efficiently and strategically. 

What do you have to lose?

Intrigued? 

Request a consultation

Not quite ready for a consultation but still interested in learning more about Trinity’s TMS? Register for a brief presentation specifically focused on our TMS.

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Interruptions to the cold chain create problems such as spoilage, changes in the appearance, taste, or smell of a product, growth of harmful bacteria, or lost potency. Preventing any interruption of the cold chain is one of the main responsibilities of a logistics manager. Let’s look at some of the significant cold chain challenges you may have to face, and how you can keep issues at bay.

Does your freight need to stay cold? Whether you’re shipping items that require refrigeration or frozen food, your cold chain can face some challenges. Watch our video and learn what issues you may see in your logistics and how to solve them.

REGULATIONS

Regulations for the cold chain are ever-changing and complex, which is why they are one of the major challenges faced today. If your cold chain is worldwide, it can be more complicated as there is no one entity to regulate on a global scale. Each region has its own regulations, compliance mandates, and enforcement agencies. Some examples of these are:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

In the U.S., the federal regulatory agency for food and pharmaceuticals is the FDA. 

Most cold chain food regulations come from the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2017. This regulation covers the cleanliness and function of equipment, protocols set in place for transportation, employee training on the proper handling of food in cold chains, and records of all FSMA compliance.

When it comes to pharmaceutical products, many regulations affect the cold chain. Some of those include:

Canadian Food and Drugs Act

In Canada, the regulatory authority is the Government of Canada. The Canadian Food and Drugs Act was passed in 1920 and revised in 1985. It regards the production, import, export, and transport across provinces for food, drugs, and cosmetics including products like soap and toothpaste. It ensures products are safe, ingredients disclosed, and drugs are effective. 

International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH)

Many other countries, refer to ICH guidelines gathering data on a product’s safety and efficacy to establish a cold chain strategy. ICH brings together many regulatory authorities to discuss data and establish those guidelines. Gathered data is used to consider the duration of temperature excursions that can occur across distribution channels. 

Regulations can be complex and demanding at times, but they all have the same goals of retaining the safety, quality, transparency, and efficacy of cold chain commodities. The biggest key to keeping compliance with cold chain regulations is increasing end-to-end visibility in your cold chain. Keeping proper documentation of data throughout your supply chain can seem difficult but modern technology like a transportation management system (TMS), can simplify this cold chain challenge. Current technology applications like GPS tracking, ELD data, Internet of Things (IoT), and a TMS can give you advanced analytics and reporting that would otherwise be comprised of manual processes. Not only does technology offer you savings in time but of human error as many processes become automated. 

SUSTAINABILITY

Another significant cold chain challenge is the increasing spotlight on sustainability. The distribution and transportation of temperature-controlled products have shown to be major causes of greenhouse gas emissions. In comparison to other supply chain transportation, cold chain transport consumes 20 percent more fuel than other heavy vehicle types due to the refrigeration equipment. The biggest issue facing sustainability is the high-power consumption or combustion of fossil fuels necessary to power the cold chain’s cooling systems. 

There are also growing issues and increasing regulations on refrigerant gases used in cooling systems like hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as they are responsible for high greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015, the European Union set strict limits on the production and sale of high global warming potential HFC refrigerants. In the U.S., the Manufacturing Act of 2019 was passed which established a timeline of phasing down the use of HFCs by 2036. 

Because of the increasing pressure of sustainability and its regulations enacted on the cold chain, many large food and pharmaceutical companies have plans in place to reduce their carbon emissions. In 2015, more than 150 businesses in the U.S. signed the Business Act on Climate Pledge which launched for private sector businesses to express their support on international action on climate change. Also, in 2015, the Paris Agreement was created, signed by 195 countries at the United Nations climate change summit. This agreement aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the planet from warming by more than 2 degrees Celsius. 

Being sustainable in the cold chain is also something you can be recognized for now with awards such as the Supply & Demand Chain Executive Green Supply Chain Award or the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ Supply Chain Sustainability Award. Some ways to consider in adding sustainability to your cold chain is improving your cold chain management to reduce waste and your carbon footprint or considering alternative transportation modes like intermodal versus truckload when shipping your products. While you’re working on improving sustainability in your cold chain, make sure the providers you work with are equally interested in sustainability as well. Here at Trinity, we are proud of our sustainability efforts and to be recognized as a SDCE Green Supply Chain Award winner and as a Food Logistics’ Top Green Provider. 

TEMPERATURE VARIANCES

Shipping temperature-sensitive items? Check out our Temperature Shipping Guide for temperature suggestions?

It’s one of the biggest and most common cold chain challenges: maintaining the required temperature of the product throughout the entire supply chain. Any temperature that is higher than the set temperature can affect a product’s quality. Not all products that get exposed to a temperature past their threshold will spoil right away, as it depends on how steep and frequent the exposure was. Once a product has begun to thaw, it is considered contaminated. Depending on the product and temperature, that window of time can be very short. There are many times during cold chain in which a product can be exposed to a temperature variance: during unloading and loading of the product, from poor packaging, handling, or broken equipment.

Loading and Unloading

As your product moves through the cold chain, it can get exposed to temperatures outside its set temp. Whenever loading and unloading your product, handling should be as quick as possible. Preventing prolonged exposure to temperature changes prevents having problems with quality. 

Poor packaging or handling

There are many different ways to package your cold chain freight so it can keep its cool. If it’s not done right or in mind of your transit time, your goods can spoil before arrival. When handled poorly, they can become damaged, causing lost product.

Equipment problems

One way the cold chain can be interrupted is when your equipment breaks down. Refrigeration equipment can malfunction due to damage, inadequate maintenance, or losing power. 

In cold storage, doors becoming damaged are one of the common challenges they face. When cold storage doors become damaged, they can’t maintain their specified temperatures.

Due to inadequate maintenance, there can be a buildup of condensation in coolers and freezers, causing slippery surfaces and unsafe conditions for workers, as well as a spoiled product. Another maintenance challenge is handling the growth of mold or mildew, which can happen with poorly maintained temperatures. Should this happen, the freezer will need to be cleaned thoroughly and inspected for any problems. 

Transportation Breaks Down

Vehicles can break down at any time. Any hold-up in your cold chain shipment could mean more than just a time delay, it can mean a spoiled product. Make sure you’re working with a qualified carrier who inspects their truck or other modes of freight before the journey begins.

Keeping track of the temperature throughout your cold chain is another way to combat having your products exposed to changes in temperature. Temperature monitoring systems are quickly replacing any manual processes of collecting temperature information, saving time, and preventing spoiled products. This also allows cold chain managers insight into their problem areas and being able to fix them.

Some of these temperature monitoring systems are RFID or wireless sensor network, thermal imaging, and temperature loggers. RFID or other wireless sensor networks are the most common in the cold chain. These sensors capture the location and temperature, communicating the information back to a database and allowing parameters like an estimated shelf life to be calculated. You’ll often find these in warehousing and cold storage. Thermal imaging is exactly what you think it is; imaging that is taken showing the different temperatures of everything in the photo. Thermal imaging uses a sensor to convert the radiation given off at different temperatures into a visible light picture. This is also often used in warehousing and cold storage. Lastly, temperature loggers are another type of sensor placed next to cargo in transportation. They can be set to record as frequently as every second, minute, or hour. Once removed, they can be plugged into a computer so the temperature data can be transferred and analyzed.

TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED SHIPPING CAPACITY 

Another significant cold chain challenge is available capacity. Capacity is always a challenge for any industry, but even more so for the cold chain, especially right now. With freight in high demand across all industries and capacity slim, drivers can pick and choose what shipments they want to take based on (already) high rates. Reefer trailers are already limited with the increased demand on cold chain, but when rates for moving other high-demand commodities such as lumber or retail keep increasing, those drivers can choose to utilize their reefer trailer as a dry van to haul should those rates be better paying, further reducing cold chain capacity. Cold storage warehousing is seeing the strain as well because of the growing freight demand. More storage space is needed in the supply chain and new buildings are being built, but those currently in production or needing their building supplies (which are also in high demand), puts yet another strain on shipping capacity until that demand has decreased. With the cold chain demand increasing and available equipment and drivers doing quite the opposite, can the logistics sector keep up? Read more in our current whitepaper.

DON’T LET THE COLD CHAIN SCARE YOU

There is a lot of juggling to do when managing the cold chain. If even one ball is dropped, it can affect the whole cold chain. You can prepare as best as you can for these cold chain challenges, but sometimes it’s nice to know you have backup when you need it most.

Luckily here at Trinity, we’re experts in complex situations. In fact, I would say it’s our specialty. We’ve seen every possible problem there could be and are happy to help. By working with Trinity, you can gain access to the data you need to improve your performance and output, find equipment and capacity when you’re finding it difficult, and work with someone who understands current regulations, no matter the region or type of commodity you work with. We’re here to have your back regardless of what cold chain challenge comes your way.

Simplify your cold chain challenges.

Not ready to request a quote? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and watch our latest State of the Industry and Freight Market Update videos to stay on top of what’s going on in cold chain. 

Author: Christine Morris

By definition, logistics is the management of the transportation of materials or equipment from where they are to where they need to be. For everyone, materials or equipment need to arrive on time and with no damage, and this lies especially true for those coordinating construction projects. Construction sites require heavy-duty and valuable equipment and materials that must be delivered on schedule. The absence of a logistics plan and tracking for your freight to your construction sites can lead to several problems. Here are some reasons why you don’t want your logistics in construction projects to be an afterthought. 

BEHIND SCHEDULE

It only takes one delayed shipment for a construction project to cause the schedule to fall behind days, weeks, or even months. According to the Electrical Contractor, in 2017, 61 percent of construction projects were shown to be behind schedule. Obviously, this is a big problem in the industry. Even worse, being behind schedule raises costs. Over half of those 61 percent of construction projects that were behind schedule were also over budget. 

EXTRA COSTS

When materials or needed equipment aren’t delivered on time and on-site when the crew members are scheduled, then they are sitting ducks with nothing to do. Since scheduled, they will still need to be paid for those days that they are on-site, whether they are working or not. Additionally, you’ll have to pay them for any extra days that they will need to complete their work, which may come with extra costs due to pushing back their work schedule. When the material or equipment needed is not on the job, you’re simply not making money. 

You’ll also need to consider theft. According to the National Crime Information Center, nearly 1,000 pieces of commercial construction equipment are reported stolen each month. Thieves often target valuable construction equipment like bulldozers, forklifts, or generators, and even materials with a high resale value. Theft can be costly as you not only have to replace the stolen equipment but face the possibility of increased insurance costs due to the claim. 

Choosing a provider to support your logistics in construction projects can give you the potential to avoid, or at least be better prepared should something happen. 

REDUCED TRUST

The worst issue caused by improper logistics planning is reduced trust in your customers and partners. Falling behind on schedule and incurring extra costs that have to go somewhere makes you seem less reliable. You could lose customers and gain a poor reputation. Nobody wants that for their business. 

BE BETTER THAN THE REST

Having effective transportation and logistics in construction projects ensures that your materials and equipment will be delivered on time, keep you on budget, and keep your reputation among customers. Yet, becoming effective with your logistics can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be. Consider partnering with a third-party logistics company (3PL) to help you can gain a competitive advantage by better managing your logistics. 

CONSIDER A 3PL TO HELP WITH LOGISTICS IN CONSTRUCTION

Focus on what you do best and let a 3PL do the rest. Working with a 3PL can eliminate the headache of handling your logistics in construction projects by offering you access to :

A VAST CARRIER NETWORK

You need experienced, qualified carriers, and 3PLs, such as Trinity, to have those much-needed relationships with them. A 3PLs service is to both shippers and carriers, allowing us to build solid relationships with carriers all over. Each motor carrier is vetted through our Compliance Team, so you’ll never have to stress over your freight arriving on time and safely.

MANY MODES

Since we work with so many carriers, we have access to many modes of transportation. Whether you need air, ocean, rail, truckload, or anything else, you’ll no longer have to work with several companies for your logistics needs. 

AUTOMATED PROCESSES

Whether you choose to outsource your freight transportation or all your logistics, you’ll see efficiency in the automation we offer. From carrier vetting, freight tracking, invoicing, and more, you can reduce your time on many manual logistics processes.

ACCESS TECHNOLOGY

No need to pay for (costly) technology when you can gain access to state-of-the-art technology when working with a 3PL. At Trinity, we offer tracking through FourKites, MacroPoint, Trucker Tools. View all your shipments and their statuses, pay your invoices online, or request a quote on a new shipment in our Customer Portal. Or work with our Managed Services team and see if a TMS solution is what you need.

GAIN MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR LOGISTICS COSTS

Through all the benefits mentioned above, you gain control over your logistics costs. When working with Trinity, you’ll have an expert on your side to help you make informed decisions so you can choose what works best for you and your budget.

KEEP YOUR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON TRACK

The main benefit you gain from using a 3PL for your logistics in construction projects is that it helps you simplify your challenges and find your own customized solutions. 3PLs, like Trinity, work with complex situations and variations frequently, and better yet, we thrive in them. In construction, we know your supply chain is always changing. When you choose to streamline your logistics, you can lower your costs and know your construction project will be completed on time. 

Trinity has supported construction and manufacturing companies of all sizes. We’ve aided in logistics projects like office buildings, roadways, housing developments, and more. We know that in your industry you need your materials and equipment exactly when and where you need them. Let Trinity help keep your construction project on track. 

Find my logistics solution