The driver shortage is one of the critical factors carriers face today. Many licensed CDL drivers are nearing retirement and there are not enough replacement drivers as of yet. By the age of 21 when individuals can train for their CDL, many of them have already ‘started’ their career and likely wouldn’t consider truck driving as a replacement. This has been one of the great ongoing struggles these past few years and it’s difficult to tell just how short of drivers the sector is experiencing. Yet shipping prices continue to rise as truckloads are being filled at a record pace. Customers want their shipments to continue, but there are only so many drivers available to deliver them. Reform will have to come to alleviate the driver situation, but for the time being, there is a short-term solution available to carriers who are willing to collaborate with other carriers in search of a win-win proposition.
This solution lies in shipment optimization. One of the startling trends we’ve seen in our 20 years in operation is the number of shipments where a customer orders a ‘full truckload’ but the shipment takes up only a small portion of the trailer. Now the reason this occurs is understandable. Customers want to ensure their products don’t get damaged or they want to secure their place with a carrier and get the product to the customer. However, we are reaching a point where shipments are becoming very expensive and the race to secure space within a trailer is tightening faster than ever. A willingness to have shipments optimized will help ease the congestion everyone is facing before customers begin to see their orders delayed.
It has been our experience that optimization like this is very easy to implement among carriers. Every logistics company in the sector understands the driver shortage and many are willing to work together in a collaborative effort of optimizing shipments. It’s rare that a carrier will turn down satisfying a customer, even if that customer is another logistics company. Everyone is working hard to ensure deliveries are made on time, but the more we can bring awareness to optimizing shipments, the easier it will be to get through the capacity crunch we’re facing and bring a win-win for everyone involved in the supply chain.
Here at Zip Xpress, we understand the importance of optimizing shipments. Our entire business model has been built around this philosophy, on reducing the empty space of our trailers. Our customers are delighted that we have found such methods and time and time again we’ve worked with carriers who feel the same way we do. These methods are our custom carrier solutions and we’re doing everything we can to ensure our customers’ shipments arrive on time and undamaged. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!
