Let's Talk Logistics

Shippers who have truckload freight occasionally need LTL, intermodal or oversized freight services. These sporadic and out of the ordinary loads can be hard to cover if you work with a 3PL that specializes in only one or two mode offerings.

The latest trends and shifts affecting the transportation/freight market.

According to economists and supply chain experts, this year’s freight market will be nothing like last year. The further we get into 2019, the more the forecasters are changing their predictions for economic growth, expecting less growth than originally stated.

Providing next-level transparency and efficiency

In 2000, Choptank Transport arose from a need to ship produce and poultry in an ag-rich area known as the Delmarva Peninsula.  The company quickly found its niche in the food and refrigerated freight truckload market and later added a full array of specialty services that now include cold less-than-truckload (LTL), dry LTL, intermodal, port and drayage offerings. Choptank is on Transport Topics’ Top 50 3PLs list.

Do you get annoyed with your current transportation provider because when you call, they don't know where your shipment is? Are they consistently failing on delivery promises while slowly hiking up your prices?

Spring is the optimal time to start planting trees and planning your garden bed designs. For those nursery owners in the business of growing plants and shrubs, it is time to start shipping those seedlings and saplings to market. Here are a few words of wisdom for you....make sure your transportation service provider knows your business.

A seasoned logistics company, or 3PL, knows that freight is not just freight. There are as many variations in types of shipments as there are truck stops in the U.S. (there are approximately 10,000 according to Wikipedia)!

Palletizing LTL and Truckload Shipments

From the largest shippers to the smallest ones, LTL or truckload, when it comes to palletizing your shipments, everyone occasionally gets it wrong.

Not paying attention to important palletizing details when you're preparing a shipment for transport can cause any number of unnecessary problems. Worst case scenario, you can wind up with damaged product, costing your company time, money and your most prized possession, your company’s reputation. You can also experience longer loading and unloading times, as well as creating underutilized trailer space. Getting it right is important, and even though the process is becoming more automated every year, most shipments still are prepared manually.

The latest trends and shifts affecting the transportation/freight market

After coming down off the bull market of 2018 when unparalleled economic growth resulted in record-high rates and short capacity, January may have been a disappointment for some. Lower than last year's record success, the manufacturing sector is experiencing a steady 3% growth rate, year-over-year at present. That might sound disheartening, but keep in mind, this is the traditional “slow" time of the freight year and it is still growth. If you’re worried about our economy, take notice of other countries, like Europe, who are seeing a much more drastic decline in economic prosperity with Brexit looming and tariffs of their own to worry about. The truth is, the whole global economy is slowing down.

We all want to save money, right?  So how do we do that in the world of transportation and logistics?  A shipper probably feels like they are exercising his or her due diligence by getting rates from several 3PLs for their shipment. Then, by comparing prices and choosing the one that has given them the best service and best rate, they select a 3PL.