It’s an interesting time for shippers as we all continue to feel the effects of the pandemic. According to American Trucking Associations, in 2020, 10.23 billion tons of freight were transported by trucks, accounting for 72.5% of domestic tonnage. Even now, two years later, as some sources report the pandemic shipping boom may be slowing down, truckers are still incredibly busy!
Because there are real people behind the scenes moving freight from place to place, as well as current challenges to the logistics industry like driver shortages, there are some implications for shippers. Essentially, with no shortage of shippers, truckers have more control over the freight jobs they’re handling; carriers have more capability to pick and choose the shipments they’re willing to take on.
So, if you’re shipping freight, there are several accommodations you can provide that’ll not only help you ship smarter, but also make truckers more willing to regularly work alongside you.
Get Proper Packaging Dimensions
Now more than ever, knowing your freight’s dimensions is vital. If a logistics company receives an inaccurate freight measurement that doesn’t match the expected dimensions, the item will need to be remeasured, resulting in delays. The dimensions also affect the pricing of your shipment. Inaccuracies may require remeasurement of the freight, rearrangement of the entire shipment, and pricing adjustments. With the trucking industry running at full capacity already, minimizing measurement inaccuracies will likely result in logistics companies readily working with you.
How to Measure Cargo Dimensions Properly
Consider Preventable Delays
Weigh stations are vital to the trucking industry, ensuring trucks aren’t overweight and maintaining compliance with state laws and safety guidelines. Typically, trucks are weighed before crossing state lines and/or when leaving a loading zone or delivery center.
Through time logged on the road, truckers and their dispatchers learn which delivery locations are the simplest and quickest to travel process through, and may skip a certain location if it’s notorious for delays.
Rethink Oversized Shipments
Oversized shipments, which are those with a Dimensional Weight of over 150 pounds, often lead to damage. An odd number of cases or freight which isn’t flat on top, for a couple of examples, may deter truckers who don’t want to risk damaging the goods or crushing cardboard packaging, when the load may ultimately be refused at its delivery site.
As a shipper, when shipping large items, best practices include using strong packaging materials and getting the proper measurements; it’s also worth considering dividing your shipment into multiple packages when possible.
Ship Smarter with Ground Force Logistics
Ground Force Logistics’ smart trucking services are unmatched at moving large volumes of freight during this demanding time for the logistics industry.
Our shippers benefit from:
- The latest and greatest transportation equipment and technology
- Management of all shipping-related costs, data, and information
- Flexible contracts, competitive pricing, on-time deliveries, and guaranteed capacity and load optimization
- Matching of the right cargo with the right transportation equipment
- Dispatching, monitoring, and delivery of cargo in a cost-effective, efficient, and timely manner
- Transparency regarding the status of your shipment
- Professional resolution of claims
To see if we’re a good match as your next trucking partner, click here for an instant shipping quote.