July 3, 2018

Trending Transportation Updates: June 2018

June was full of many newsworthy transportation, shipping and logistic developments. Here are some of June’s top trending transportation updates:

June 28, 2018

Could Self-Driving Trucks Be Good for Truckers?

The idea of autonomous trucks taking over the trucking industry has been all over the place in recent news. Some studies have predicted that robots will take about 40 percent of all jobs in the next two decades. That could make a lot of people out of a job, but in the context of trucking, automation — specifically autonomous vehicles — could be a godsend. Many people are very skeptical about how and if this could offer a positive impact on the huge driver shortage in the U.S., but tech and transportation firms think exactly the opposite. So, how could it be positive?

June 26, 2018

Refrigerated Trucks: All You Should Know

Refrigerated trucks, also known as reefer trailers, are an insulated freight shipment method for perishables and temperature sensitive products. Learn more here!

June 21, 2018

How to Weigh and Measure Your Load for Shipment

Size matters when you’re talking about freight. Space is limited, and how much it will cost you to ship your freight depends on having the most accurate measurements of your load. If you think you can just eyeball your load and record what you think the load’s measurements are on the bill of lading, think again. Inaccurate measurements — even ones off by a few inches — could cost you a lot. Any discrepancies between what the bill of lading says and the load’s actual measurements can lead to handling problems that could result in damaged goods. It also could increase your costs thanks to delays and unexpected surcharges.

June 19, 2018

Is Intermodal a Solution for the Capacity Crunch?

Truck and over-the-road (OTR) shipping account for the biggest part of freight shipping across the U.S. While offering a good bunch of obvious benefits, OTR shipping comes with quite a few challenges. The market has its ups and downs, and by now we have learned how to analyze, predict and manage it.

June 14, 2018

What’s Up With Diesel Prices?

This past week brought some great news for truck drivers. After a long period of 11 weeks of increasing prices, the U.S. average retail price of diesel decreased, dropping by .3 cent to $3.285, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration report on June 4.

June 12, 2018

Common Mistakes New Shippers Make

When companies just start getting into the shipping world, everything is new and confusing. It’s great to have a logistics professional on board to help guide the company through the shipping challenges. Unfortunately, not every company has the luxury of having a freight guru on their team if shipping hasn’t been a big deal for them.

June 7, 2018

Trending Transportation Updates: May 2018

There is no doubt that May had many newsworthy developments. Here are the top trending transportation updates ranging from the U.S.’s steel tariffs to the trending truck driver shortage.

June 5, 2018

The Ins and Outs of Freight Rates

Carriers don’t want to lose money, and customers don’t want to pay more than they should. there are many ins and outs of freight rates you need to know before booking a load.

May 31, 2018

Why Freight Visibility is Important

Along the supply chain, goods must be transported to and from suppliers, manufacturers, wholesale distributors, retailers and end users. Brokers, 3PL’s and freight haulers are involved in bringing a product to market, and because of this, visibility into freight location and status is essential.

May 24, 2018

Prepare for Worse Trucking Shortage Conditions

In the past two months, the U.S. has been experiencing a severe trucking shortage since the new electronic logging device (ELD) was implemented. Since the enforcement of the ELD mandate on April 1, the trucking capacity crunch has seemed to worsen.

May 22, 2018

How to Build a Strong Relationship with Your 3PL

relationship with 3plMore and more companies of all sizes are turning to 3PLs for help with their transportation management. Supply chains are becoming more complex, and securing capacity has become a challenge. 3PLs bring their expertise and solid resources to help shippers improve their logistics operations, while also driving cost savings, and generally make shippers’ day-to-day transportation challenges easier. It is important to set up a strong relationship with 3PL.

May 15, 2018

First Steps in Outsourcing Your Transportation Management

Many companies eventually come to the point when they realize it’s time to outsource their transportation management. Whether you are a large company or a small business, a good 3PL can help make your logistics operations more efficient and less stressful as well as increase customer satisfaction and help reduce transportation costs.

May 10, 2018

Minimizing the Impact of the ELD Mandate

ELD grace period is about to end The electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is causing major changes to the industry and is making drivers want to leave the transportation industry instead of using the ELD. The regulation of the ELD rule began on April 1 after a three-month grace period allowing drivers to implement the device.

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