The Road Ahead

It is currently estimated that there are about 3.5 million truck drivers actively working in the USA. This looks like a large number on the surface, but the fact remains that there is still a massive shortage of truck drivers, and shippers have been struggling to cover all their freight for several years now. The manufacturing boom has slowed a bit, but the amount of product being produced is still outweighing the number of trucks that are available to carry it. As many lifetime drivers are retiring, younger people simply aren’t as attracted to a profession that was once seen as highly desirable. This is why carriers must focus on new trends and put extra effort into recruiting drivers if they want to continue to be successful.

Carriers can try to focus on the changing landscape of the industry to entice younger people as well as those who weren’t traditionally seen as the truck-driving type. This includes focusing on diversity and reaching out to women who currently only make up 8% of the pool of cross-country truckers. As attitudes change across the industry, there aren’t as many barriers to entry for women and minorities to get their CDL and to become successful drivers. Similarly, carriers should push hard for a strong millennial outreach program, highlighting why driving might have benefits for young people who don’t yet have families. Some of these advantages include flexibility, great pay if you work hard, and the perk of getting to see parts of the country that you may have never made it to before.

At Zip Xpress, we understand that the profession isn’t going away anytime soon. Potential drivers will need to work hard, but the benefits are rewarding to those who put in the effort. All of our partners in manufacturing still need their products shipped, nothing will replace this reality. Moving this product by truck is still the most effective way to get this done. Emphasizing that a job in trucking can be a flexible, lucrative, and long-lasting career is a vital part of improving a carrier’s recruitment program. To see how our professional drivers can handle your freight, start today with Zip Xpress!

Whether you love them or hate them, there are rules and regulations that must be followed in every industry. Transportation is no different, and the regulations are there to not only encourage fair trade, but also to promote safety and education across the sector. Trucks, trains, and planes are all massive, potentially dangerous vehicles that can cause great harm if they aren’t operated safely by trained professionals who understand the consequences of breaking the aforementioned regulations. Every year, it seems that new rules are proposed and applied, so it is important for any transportation organization to strive to be highly competent when it comes to compliance.

Over the past 2 years, the ELD Mandate has been a topic of much debate. But whether or not you agree with the terms of the mandate, the fact remains that all companies must be in compliance and that drivers, dispatchers, and even executives are responsible for making sure that it is followed. In fact, every June the CSVA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Association) inspects as many trucks as possible searching for safety violations as well as ELD compliance. The best companies will exhibit a culture of compliance from the top down, and will provide the training required for all employees to understand the importance of following industry rules. They will also set their own rules that may go above and beyond the legal regulations, just to ensure that every member of the organization are going the extra mile to stay compliant. This doesn’t apply only to the ELD Mandate, but to all industry rules and regulations that must be followed.

At Zip Xpress, we are committed to providing safe, reliable transportation services while complying with the rules and regulations set forth by the DOT. We understand that these rules and regulations are put in place for the safety of our drivers as well as for the protection of other stakeholders. We help our customers navigate through the compliance maze and deliver their shipments on time and undamaged. Our experienced staff is well versed in all of the rules and regulations our sector deems necessary for compliance – don’t put your freight at risk, trust us to take care of your next shipment. To ensure every shipment of yours is compliant, start today with Zip Xpress!

It may seem like common sense that any company involved in the shipping process should try to find the most efficient path for every shipment. However, there are still many out there who simply rely on GPS directions to get them from point A to point B. While this isn’t necessarily detrimental and can certainly work on a load by load basis, there are far more steps that can be taken to optimize routing and maximize efficiency. With new technologies, specialized employees, and a world of information at our fingertips, we can now plan for delays and analyze trends better than ever before. When all of these things are working together, carriers, shippers, and manufacturers will reap the benefits of lower costs, better on-time delivery numbers, and more overall success.

Optimization is especially important when handling consolidated shipments for multiple customers. A driver with one single truckload shipment may be able to allot more time for expected delays due to traffic, weather, or other outside factors. On the other hand, a driver carrying a variety of products going to different locations doesn’t have as much leeway when it comes to delays. One small traffic incident can cause him to miss his first appointment, which in turn will put more pressure on him to make each subsequent appointment after the fact. This is why so many logistics companies are employing analysts and investing in technology in order to find the best routes and make planning for delays more predictable. A single missed delivery due to weather isn’t the end of the world, but when we can analyze data and come up with new optimization plans, we are setting ourselves up for more success in the future.

At Zip Xpress, we factor in everything when it comes to ensuring your freight will arrive undamaged and on time. We operate as a team, seeking new and better solutions, even when previous efforts were satisfactory. We strive for excellence every time and we collaborate on what we can do better for the future. Our planners and customer service specialists ensure that everything was correct with the load before it leaves our warehouse. We optimize our routes and operate under the highest efficiency every day. We set goals to do everything better with a focus on continuous improvement. To see how we can optimize your route with your next shipment, start today with Zip Xpress!

Technology has continually made shipping goods more convenient, efficient, and reliable. From a single person sending a small-package gift to a friend cross-country to a major corporation scheduling hundreds of truckloads in a day, many shipping operations can be successfully carried out with just a few simple keystrokes. This has led to expansion and profit growth throughout the industry, but our tendency to rely on simplification can often lead to large problems down the road. Even with lightning-fast software and increasingly impressive AI making transportation more automated, we have to be sure to double check all of our work to guarantee accuracy during every step of any given shipment.

Because computers have become so central to the booking process for many transportation companies, the information in a shipment may pass through several systems and be relayed to multiple warehouses before a second human even takes a look at it. While these computers are highly capable of providing this information to each other, they cannot make up for any errors that were made during the initial data entry phase of the shipment. This means that the human operator at the beginning needs to make sure to double and triple check every line of data to prevent catastrophic problems down the line. Shipping and receiving addresses may seem rudimentary, but a single mistyped digit in the zip code could throw the entire shipment off. Failing to provide the correct PO number or dock door could lead to driver detention at the shipper, costing money for the customer and carrier. All of these could be prevented by simple accuracy checks and SOPs that ensure all workers are paying close attention to their data.

At Zip Xpress, we understand the importance of accuracy in the logistics world. We know that time invested at the beginning of any process will most certainly save time in the long run, as backtracking to fix a problem requires far more work than preventing the error in the first place. It is inevitable to encounter mistakes in any industry, but our detail-oriented, hard-working philosophy allows us to minimize the number of simple mistakes, thus reducing the negative effect of larger problems down the road. To see our accuracy with your shipment, start today at Zip Xpress!

When the ELD Mandate was originally proposed, many in the transportation industry were vehemently opposed to it. How could they continue to remain profitable while taking on fewer shipments? Why should they be regulated in a way that affects their ability to do business? When the mandate was approved, there was panic and anger across the field. But logistics is an industry made up of resilient individuals, and many people found a way to train, adapt, and eventually accept the reality of the ELD Mandate. Here are some changes made since December 2017.

While training has always been a vital part of logistics, many companies – especially smaller ones – invested more in training their employees on safety and compliance. It was necessary for drivers who had always used paper logbooks to understand the new system and be prepared for the changes. Those companies who trained found themselves at an advantage when the mandate was finally implemented. Other companies found themselves blindsided by the new rules, but they too eventually adapted and learned the rules, and violations dropped by almost half within the first year.

The mandate didn’t only affect carriers. Customers began to realize that they had to run their warehouses more efficiently. Keeping drivers detained for long periods of time became a bigger problem because it often meant they wouldn’t be able to make the transit without shutting down. This was especially true on the longer mile one-day shipments. While this also required training and preparation, it has proven to be a net positive for many manufacturers as they have been able to pump out more shipments in a shorter amount of time. It has also made for stronger relationships between carriers and customers. So, while the mandate still has its criticisms, many of them valid, one thing that most logistics professionals can agree on is that it showed the grit, determination, and never-say-die attitude that is prevalent across the industry. To stay ahead of the ELD mandate with all of your shipping needs, start today with Zip Xpress!

Between the time somebody comes up with an idea for a new product and the second it finally arrives in the hands of the consumer, there are a myriad of operations that take place. Supply chain professionals are involved in every part of the production and sales process, and in many cases, multiple companies must work together to ensure satisfactory production and timely delivery of the finished goods. The raw materials suppliers need to work with the manufacturing plants, who in turn must communicate with warehouses and distributors, who then need to coordinate shipping and delivery schedules with brokers and carriers. This is, of course, a greatly simplified breakdown of the process, but it shows how important it is to cultivate strong, reliable partnerships in every level of supply chain management.

Without strong relationships between different companies involved in logistics processes, communication often falters, leading to production delays, maintenance problems, and missed deliveries. By working together to tackle these problems and come up with a common goal, organizations can set realistic expectations and prepare each other for any potential problems. This means that manufacturers should tell their carriers their schedules ahead of time, and carriers in turn should be straightforward about their capabilities and potential time restraints. When a strong relationship has grown between these companies, it is far easier to understand each other’s nuances and collaborate ahead of time to eliminate delays.

At Zip Xpress we firmly believe in forming long-term, transparent partnerships with both our partners. By treating every professional relationship with care, understanding, and an open-mind, we can work together with our partners to provide a seamless supply chain experience for all parties involved. This helps every organization to grow and makes for a respectful, enjoyable working environment. In an industry as fast-paced and busy as logistics, we believe that this helps us stand out in a large crowd of transportation providers. We provide the dedication and customer care to all of the freight which comes through our doors. To see how we can handle your freight in our partnership, start today with Zip Xpress!