The transportation world continued to battle a shortage of able and available drivers throughout 2018 and well into 2019. This issue is plaguing supply chains nationwide, making for a plethora of capacity issues as well as rate increases and planning problems. While there are several things that companies can do to try to recruit new drivers, it is becoming a reality that many will have to find ways to work around the shortage, as you can’t predict the future and it remains entirely possible that even more drivers will leave the workforce as they retire. Fortunately, there are strategies that can help ease the burden and focus on efficiency in order to help with the capacity crunch.
Putting more time and effort into the planning process can help organizations run their supply chains more efficiently. This includes taking a proactive approach towards inventory planning and maximizing routes to cut down on the number of trips that need to be made to fulfill customer requests. At Zip Xpress we’ve talked a few times about our headload services that can provide reliability and flexibility while optimizing multiple shipments on a single truck. This service gives customers the option of shipping smaller shipments but keeping the on-time service of a full truckload. And thanks to our dedicated service schedule, we will make our deliveries on time every time. Period.
Ultimately, manufacturers will need to plan around the oncoming driver shortage. Consider options such as Zip’s headload service, as well as a commitment to planning supply chain operations from the top to avoid unnecessary late deliveries due to the lack of truck drivers. By staying on top of this planning process, we can avoid late shipments. The shortage is a real and tangible issue across the industry, but there are many highly focused professionals who can put strategies together in order to keep transportation running smoothly. To see what our professionals can do for you, start today with Zip Xpress!
