The Road Ahead

It’s no secret that market rates for shipping have steadily increased. Due to increased production, harsh weather conditions and other effects on the market, carriers are having to adjust their pricing to accommodate these market forces. Yet while carriers are being inundated with shipment requests, shippers are finding that even though transportation costs keep rising, service levels are deteriorating. Shippers that don’t maintain any sort of relationship with their carriers are facing a falling level of service expectations, which only results in a lose-lose situation.

It is vital for carriers to provide a high level of service to their customers, providing guidance, ensuring shipments are delivered on time and communicating with their customers if anything goes wrong. What this trend shows is that when manufacturers only rely on the spot markets, they’re often found to be dealing with brokers that pair them with a company that sees the freight as “just another shipment.” Freight ends up damaged, claims need to be filed, and manufacturers have to produce replacements, all while dealing with a dissatisfied customer. It’s the all too familiar domino effect of cut-rate prices leading to cut-rate service and is not a viable long-term strategy,

As we’ve stated several times, the solution here is for manufacturers to build long-term, sustainable relationships with their carriers. These partnerships will allow both companies to provide an increased level of service to the stakeholders that get lost in these discussions on rates: the customer. Manufacturers who have partnered with their carriers have flourished through these challenging market conditions and have a much higher level of satisfaction both personally and with their customers. Once both sides go in with a partnership mindset, neither will be at the mercy of market forces.

At Zip Xpress, we understand the importance of service better than anyone. We work hard to ensure that every shipment will arrive on time and undamaged, and we provide our customers with the custom carrier solutions that will work for their business. Whenever a customer calls our offices, they’ll speak with a person who will help however they can, never with a machine. Our customers have a higher level of satisfaction than the average carrier, but that’s because we operate at a level where premium is the standard at Zip Xpress. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!

We’ve all experienced delays in shipping. Mechanical breakdowns, inclement weather, and traffic are unavoidable parts of life. Experienced manufacturing and logistics professionals understand that these are problems that they will face on a regular basis. What’s harder to understand is when these delays aren’t communicated to the customer. Sometimes, a simple phone call might be all it takes to avoid a catastrophic production line shutdown or retail storefront shortage. However, many transportation providers still seem to think that proactive communication is not an important service offering.

Large national carriers are undoubtedly successful, and they provide wide-ranging services that help many customers reach their delivery goals. Yet they experience the same inevitabilities as other carriers, and sometimes their customers suffer more because of it. When a breakdown happens, it’s likely that the customer won’t know until they call in to inquire about a delay. Larger, corporate customers will be given priority on the recovery because they provide more volume. Smaller customers simply get a new delivery date without much effort to correct the error or you’re told to check their website, only to see a product hasn’t moved in three days.

This is all part of big business, so we can’t blame these mega carriers for making decisions that help their bottom line. That said it’s important for manufacturers to remember that national carriers are not their only option. Logistics managers would be wise to build relationships with dedicated carriers who would value their business. Many of these providers know the importance of communication and will go the extra mile to ensure your satisfaction. Working with a specialized carrier will open new opportunities you may not have even realized existed, creating a more robust and effective supply chain. When something goes wrong, customers can expect to speak with a real representative who understands the issue rather than sitting through multiple phone prompts only to be told that there is no way to fix the delay.

At Zip Xpress, we understand what it takes to be a trusted carrier for our manufacturing partners. Every time a customer calls, they will speak with a person who will do whatever they can to assist with the shipment or direct the customer to someone who can help. Either way, customers who call Zip Xpress always get a person, never a machine. Our experience with our customer’s industries has familiarized us with the unique challenges associated with their freight, which is how we’re able to create a custom carrier solution for every company we partner with. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!

Congress recently passed a $1.9 trillion relief bill, and it has been signed by the President. While the main focus is on the economic relief for millions of Americans and businesses, $56 billion of this is expected to go towards transportation. And while much of that will be used for airlines and public transit agencies, it is still a benefit for the domestic transportation and trucking industries. An additional $59 billion will be going to help small businesses, many of which are local and regional trucking firms.

The much-needed aid can help many smaller trucking firms who are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. While trucking is an essential industry and drivers were able to stay on the road over the last year, many carriers still lost revenue due to losing the business of non-essential customers. While the package may not offset all of those losses, it is certainly a welcome relief for many companies and individuals.

The hope is that the stimulus will boost the economy as a whole, which should have a positive effect on the trucking industries. As more people become able to buy things, more orders will be placed, hopefully providing a boost to manufacturing across the nation. As we all know, more manufacturing means more shipments, and that is beneficial for anybody in logistics and transportation.

While the stimulus will do a lot to help logistics companies, the best way to help them is for manufacturers to partner with carriers in handling their shipments. A trusted carrier will be able to find the best solutions for any shipment, and provide your business with the best service possible. Partnering with a carrier will get your shipments where they need to go, ensuring that your customers are satisfied and you’ll be satisfied as a result.

At Zip Xpress, we understand the need for partnering with a carrier. Each of our customers is a trusted partner that we do business with, and we’re able to provide them with unmatched service through our custom carrier solutions. Every shipment with our partners is unique, but we provide our guarantee that every shipment will arrive undamaged and on time, every time. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!

Working from home isn’t exactly a possibility for truckers. It is, however, becoming the reality for many behind-the-scenes workers in transportation. While the logistics industry as a whole may have been late to join the work from home model, 2020 showed us that it is indeed possible. Many dispatchers, sales associates, and analysts have been able to perform their jobs from their home. They still need to go to the office on occasion, but it seems that the future of transportation may switch to a hybrid model.

When it comes to operations at Zip Xpress we prefer a “hands-on” approach since every shipment needs to be optimized on campus. We have procedures and protocols that we wish to follow to ensure the proper documentation and optimization of every shipment, however we follow all guidelines pertaining to social distancing and mask wearing. We also prefer creating custom carrier solutions in-house as well since the ability to collaborate is more effective when our team members are a room or two away.

At Zip one area that does work remotely is our sales team, since companies are preferring to conduct sales calls remotely. We’re delighted to work with companies that wish to conduct business remotely and are able to answer any and all questions through a phone or virtual call. We still believe that a phone call is the best method of doing business since you have a direct line of communication and we can get the best understanding of a problem you have, which allows us to create the best custom carrier solution for your business.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that regardless of whether companies are remote or not, they want dedicated service in ensuring every shipment arrives undamaged and on time. Our goal is to provide that service through whatever means possible and we’re happy to work with any company virtually or in person. The means of communication aren’t important, what matters is dedication in getting the shipments to their destination undamaged and on time. To see this for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!

2020 shook up industries across the world, and transportation was not spared. Between the pandemic, natural disasters, and a Presidential election cycle, business was anything but “usual” throughout the year. Spikes in demand for PPE and perishable goods led to bullwhip effects all over the country, while some industries were forced to shut down entirely. This affected all aspects of the supply chain, including drivers, carriers, brokers, and manufacturers.

The big story of 2020 for the entire world was COVID-19. This carried into transportation, as do most international crises. With some companies shutting down entirely, many carriers were left with uncertainty about their own future. However, the need for relief meant that there was still a major need to keep trucks on the road. With the eventual release of the vaccine, there was a little bit more hope that things would normalize again sometime in 2021.

COVID wasn’t the only story of 2020, though. Throughout the US, natural disasters ravaged the landscape and led to even greater needs for emergency relief. Western wildfires, Hurricane Laura, and the midwestern Derecho, among others, left thousands without homes and power. It was essential that our trucks kept running, bringing food and supplies to these areas to help out our fellow Americans.

One silver lining to all of these situations is that it showed the true power of American resilience as well as the effectiveness of collaboration strategies. Despite the seemingly endless barrage of catastrophes, we were able to work together to bring relief and optimism for the next year. The transportation industry was at the center of that, and it shows just how important it is to take care of our supply chain.

At Zip Xpress, we understand the need for stability and the desire for predictability. We’ve helped many companies create stronger supply chains through our custom carrier solutions and our unmatched dedication to service. We’ll do everything in our power to help our customers get their shipments delivered on time and undamaged, period. We work closely with every customer to ensure their satisfaction and their customer’s satisfaction. To see how we can help create the custom carrier solutions that are right for your business, start today with Zip Xpress!

The way that we ship and fulfill orders – both large and small – is constantly changing. Many advances have been made in the products and technologies the industry uses, allowing the shipping process to speed up and a reduction in damages. However, there is one area that still handcuffs the transportation industry’s ability to perform to its highest potential – infrastructure.

The American interstate system may be one of the most impressive feats in infrastructure in modern times, but that’s only one piece of the puzzle. Local roads, bridges, and tunnels all need to operate smoothly for transportation to succeed. Most of these infrastructure developments have fallen into disrepair and are in need of restoration. Without this investment, our infrastructure will continue to crumble and many areas will be unable to receive their shipments.

Investment in roads, bridges and tunnels needs to become a priority – and not just in the interstate system. Many rural roads in remote areas have become nearly unusable, and the inability for trucks to deliver to these areas contributes to the blight found there. Fixing roads and bridges across the country will not only speed up transportation, it will likely spur economic development.

Most importantly, and perhaps the most economic way to improve infrastructure is to optimize the space we already have. Optimizing shipments is one surefire way to reduce the number of “empty trucks” out on the road. By “recycling air” we’re able to reduce carbon emissions as well as reduce the number of trucks on the road, which helps prevent damage to infrastructure. It is our goal to help optimize all shipments and ensure our infrastructure can be preserved until reform comes.

At Zip Xpress, we understand your concern about infrastructure, which is why we’ve developed our headload solution to help vendors save space in the trailer. By optimizing every shipment, companies aren’t paying for “air” and reduce wasted space, which creates a reduction in emissions and empty trucks on the road. All of these efforts have a multiplier effect, and that is through just one of our custom carrier solutions. To see what other solutions we can offer your organization, start today with Zip Xpress!

Most warehouses don’t just ship products out to their customers – they also receive finished goods and materials on a daily basis. While shipping and receiving operations may be similar in nature, there are many differences that set them apart. The preparation, processes, and personnel can be very different for inbound and outbound freight at any given warehouse. Once you’re aware of these differences, partnering with your carrier will become a much smoother process.

Although we often think about trucks picking up from a warehouse and shipping out, that usually can’t be done until the inbound logistics process has been completed. Even plants that put the product together cannot move forward with production until they receive raw materials or other parts that are required for the final product. In many cases, inbound shipments must stick to a stricter schedule because a missed delivery can shut an entire production line down.

Outbound freight, on the other hand, does not usually require as much just-in-time scheduling. Once the product is finished, the customer and manufacturer can agree on a delivery date ahead of time, giving both parties some wiggle room when it comes to scheduling transit. Freight handlers who are responsible for outbound shipments don’t necessarily need to stage the product right away. Inbound workers, however, must be ready to bring materials off of a truck immediately to the production line.

None of these are hard and fast rules, and there are certainly exceptions when outbound shipments must be expedited and when inbound loads have flexibility. However most freight handlers can expect a wide variance between the ways they handle outbound and inbound materials. Fortunately, we can utilize communication and collaboration to ensure that all shipments arrive on time and get out the door in an efficient manner.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that you want every shipment to be as effortless as possible. Every shipment should arrive undamaged and on time so that you can delight your customers. Communication and collaboration with your carriers can help make this possible and understanding the nuances in logistics can ensure a successful partnership. Here at Zip, we educate our customers and work to solve their problems for them, creating custom carrier solutions tailored to their needs. To see what we can do for you, start today with Zip Xpress!