This past week brought some great news for truck drivers. After a long period of 11 weeks of increasing prices, the U.S. average retail price of diesel decreased, dropping by .3 cent to $3.285, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration report on June 4.

When companies just start getting into the shipping world, everything is new and confusing. It’s great to have a logistics professional on board to help guide the company through the shipping challenges. Unfortunately, not every company has the luxury of having a freight guru on their team if shipping hasn’t been a big deal for them.

There is no doubt that May had many newsworthy developments. Here are the top trending transportation updates ranging from the U.S.’s steel tariffs to the trending truck driver shortage.

Carriers don’t want to lose money, and customers don’t want to pay more than they should. there are many ins and outs of freight rates you need to know before booking a load.

Along the supply chain, goods must be transported to and from suppliers, manufacturers, wholesale distributors, retailers and end users. Brokers, 3PL’s and freight haulers are involved in bringing a product to market, and because of this, visibility into freight location and status is essential.

relationship with 3plMore and more companies of all sizes are turning to 3PLs for help with their transportation management. Supply chains are becoming more complex, and securing capacity has become a challenge. 3PLs bring their expertise and solid resources to help shippers improve their logistics operations, while also driving cost savings, and generally make shippers’ day-to-day transportation challenges easier. It is important to set up a strong relationship with 3PL.

Many companies eventually come to the point when they realize it’s time to outsource their transportation management. Whether you are a large company or a small business, a good 3PL can help make your logistics operations more efficient and less stressful as well as increase customer satisfaction and help reduce transportation costs.

ELD grace period is about to end The electronic logging device (ELD) mandate is causing major changes to the industry and is making drivers want to leave the transportation industry instead of using the ELD. The regulation of the ELD rule began on April 1 after a three-month grace period allowing drivers to implement the device.

Today it seems like e-commerce giants are taking over the industry. It is possible for small and mid-sized companies to compete with these e-commerce companies with a little bit of creativity, a strong supply chain and great customer service. Companies like Amazon can often seem difficult to compete with, but following these helpful tips can help your business stand out among these companies and bring in customers.

We have previously discussed a few things shippers should understand when they start shipping truckloads. Unlike LTL, the full truckload world is characterized by a very large number of carriers. They come in all shapes and forms, from a one-man operation to a large carrier with thousands of company trucks. What does it mean for shippers and/or brokers?

Truck Driver Shortage Spurs Rising Prices A rise in prices is the result of this blunt reality: there aren’t enough truck drivers delivering goods to stores. The shortage of truck drivers is not only raising freight costs, but retail costs as well. This is nothing new, as the driver shortage has been going on for years due to baby boomers retiring and very few millennial’s wanting to be away from home weeks at a time on transport. To read more about the driver shortage and rising prices, click here.

Globalization is not just a commonly-used term, it’s our reality. The world is becoming “smaller” and much more interconnected than ever before. People are involved in the events unfolding not only in their own country but across the globe – we travel, we move and we interact. Many companies today are no longer limiting their operations to one country and are going global.

After this years hurricanes, the new ELD mandate and the ongoing driver shortage, the trucking industry is facing a capacity crunch. The capacity crunch is creating a drastic increase in freight rates. The trucking capacity crunch is making it harder and harder for both shippers and carriers to survive in the industry. Although the higher-than-average economic growth is a good thing, it is causing manufacturers and suppliers to do more business than before, making it difficult to secure carrier capacity. Shippers and carriers need to work together in this time of need to keep costs low while serving customers efficiently.