hotshot freight
/ By zipxpress / Trucker Homage/ 0 Comments

How to Help Truckers Stay Motivated

In any field of work, there are going to be periods where it is hard to stay motivated. Driving a truck is no different, but sometimes motivation can be even more difficult to find. Driving long hours and long distances every day can result in burnout, and many truckers feel as though they are not appreciated enough to continue to put in the hard work. Some drivers are able to find inspiration from within, but there are ways carriers can encourage their drivers to stay on the road.

One universal motivating factor is good pay. Some carriers continue to shortchange their drivers and offer minimal compensation packages. This is no way to keep employees motivated. Coming up with a fair payment plan is the first step a carrier can take to inspire their drivers and prevent employee turnover. With many boomers retiring from the profession, carriers will need to entice millennials to become their replacements, and the promise of a strong income is something many younger workers are looking for.

Companies should also focus on providing a good work-life balance. It can be difficult for drivers to be away from their families for long periods of time, and carriers should not abuse their willingness to be on the road. Drivers should have the flexibility to be able to come home and spend time with their kids if that’s what they value. Of course, a driver knows that he will be on the road when he signs up for the job, but he is more likely to continue performing at a high level if his job doesn’t interfere with his ability to enjoy life.

Other small incentives can work wonders. A hundred dollar reward to drivers for getting a load delivered quicker than expected is a great incentive. Gift cards or tickets to sports events also show truckers how much you appreciate their hard work. Little rewards go a long way to keeping morale up.

It’s important that driver motivation should come from within. However, the more carriers can align their goals with those of the drivers, the more successful they will be. The more prepared drivers are for the future, the more they’ll understand the importance of hard work. When they realize the reward at the end of the road, they may find more motivation throughout their career. At Zip Xpress, we treat our drivers with the utmost respect, and we do everything we can to ensure they can have time to be with their families. We take the extra steps in coordinating the delivery to make our driver’s job as simple as possible. To see how our drivers can help with your next shipment, get started with Zip Xpress today!

/ By zipxpress / Sustainability/ 0 Comments

The Benefits of Headload and Partial Shipments

Transporting goods continues to become more expensive thanks to new laws and a dire shortage of truck drivers. Capacity is on a constant decline. There are more candidates entering the truckload workforce, but the influx of workers hasn’t offset the demand for trucks. These issues have been costly for shippers, but there are multiple strategies to alleviate the stress that decreased capacity has put on transportation customers. One such strategy is utilizing headload and partial truckloads rather than moving all shipments as full truckloads.

Partial Truckloads Tendered as Full Truckloads

Many customers make the common mistake that the most cost-effective method is to ship the freight as a full truckload – even if it only takes up half of a trailer. This couldn’t be any further from the truth. In many cases – especially on cross-country runs – finding partial or headload solutions will be cheaper than LTL rates with common carriers. Here at Zip Xpress we offer competitive rates and provide superior service with our headload hauls by consolidating our shipments and minimizing terminal transfers.

When shippers employ a truck driver to haul a partial load as a full shipment, they are driving rates up across the country by contributing to the tight capacity shortage. They are also adding to the wear and tear of our highways since an excessive number of trucks are being put to work. If customers take a strong look at their truck usage, they may find that they are not working at maximum efficiency levels. Utilizing partial and headload shipping options can be a substantial cost-saver as well as help shippers to better coordinate their production and transportation schedules. To see how we can utilize our headload shipping service with your business, get started with Zip Xpress today!

supply chain risk
/ By zipxpress / Custom Carrier Solutions/ 0 Comments

Risk Management in Logistics

Logistics is an industry that requires strong risk management. There is a lot of uncertainty in logistics, particularly with timely deliveries, so it’s vital for companies to plan ahead to reduce the risk of failure. With capacity becoming tighter in the current market and only getting worse in upcoming quarters, there are many things that shippers can do to develop their risk management strategies. Our goal is to bring you superior planning skills and attention to detail when it comes to managing the risk of your product.

Managing costs is a major pain point for shippers and customers as truckload rates experience high levels of volatility in today’s market. Zip Xpress tries to alleviate the burden of these increasing costs by offering a variety of headload solutions including expedites high value or sensitive handling and crew waiting shipment. What these mean that the customer only pays for the space they need. It’s important to save as much money as possible when shipping partial loads, and the headload solution is a great way to allocate the correct funds while benefiting from fast, reliable service.

With minimal handling throughout the shipping process, Zip Xpress reduces a customer’s risk of lost or damaged freight. They provide direct, door-to-door deliveries on air-ride trailers, so customers can be assured that their shipment is in good hands. Instead of being shuffled through countless terminals,

The experienced professionals at Zip Xpress are detail-oriented, making sure to pay attention to every line of the BOL and confirm that all of the information is verified. Seemingly inconsequential inaccuracies can cause major disruptions in your service to the customer, and Zip makes every effort to eradicate these errors before they even happen. This dedication to risk management and efficient shipping processes is what makes Zip Xpress such a respected organization in the transportation world. To learn more about how Zip can manage your supply chain’s risk, get started with Zip Xpress today!

Holland Trucking ltl
/ By zipxpress / Miscellaneous/ 0 Comments

ELD and the Unending Detention Struggle

With the ELD mandate in full effect across the nation, carriers are getting more accustomed to stricter hours and regulations. While plenty of struggles occurred across the board, they have died down and it has gone back to business as usual for most carriers. However, there is one consistent pain point for shippers and carriers alike that is made even more difficult by the ELD mandate. This is the issue of detention, which has long been a source of contention between manufacturers and trucking companies.

Due to the restrictions of the mandate, drivers are on tighter schedules than ever before. Being detained by a shipper for even a few extra minutes can be the difference between on-time delivery and showing up several days late due to shut-down regulations and strict appointments at receiving warehouses. While most carriers have detention pay outlined in their contracts with shippers, it’s usually not enough to offset the loss of another load if the detention takes place. This means that drivers are often at the mercy of the warehouse in order to remain profitable or to get the load that will bring them back home.

Communication is key to solving the widespread problems caused by detention. Carriers, brokers, and manufacturers all need to agree upon loading and unloading times ahead of schedule. Drivers must provide constant updates so warehouses can accommodate for deliveries that are missed due to traffic or weather. Shippers and receivers should maintain a strict focus on doing their job as efficiently as possible. It doesn’t help their overall effectiveness to make a driver sit in line for hours just because he showed up a few minutes late. The new ELD mandate is about stringency, but when it comes to the workers that are affected by it, flexibility is one of our most valuable assets. To learn how we can make your shipment efficient and effortless, get started with Zip Xpress today!