Love is in the air! Or, in the case of many suppliers and retailers, on a freight truck. That’s right, all of the thoughtful gifts that you receive this Valentine’s Day made their way to your home through a complex, well-planned supply chain. With seasonal demand, suppliers, carriers and retailers must work together to optimize logistics to make your Valentine’s Day special.

According to Capgemini’s 2014 study, 72% of shippers are increasing their outsourced logistic services this year and 78% of third-party logistics providers (3PLs) have declared an increase in outsourcing among their shippers. What are the main advantages of outsourcing and why does this trend continue to grow among all types and sizes of shippers? Let’s take a look at the central reasons for hiring a 3PL and the various levels of outsourcing that a shipper should consider.

Since we’ve discussed shipping class rates in the about density-based pricing post, it is worth mentioning weight breaks and classification, an important part of freight pricing. When it comes to finding the best rate for a company’s shipping needs, freight class and weight are two pricing factors that shippers should evaluate before making the final decision.

On January 3rd, Senator Bernie Sanders (I – Vt.) announced he’s creating a bill that allows $1 trillion in spending over several years for infrastructure funding. This is much needed relief for the transportation industry as the Highway Trust Fund has been running on short-term fixes since 2008.

In order to understand density priced shipping, start by understanding traditional freight rate classifications. These rates define how much a particular kind of load will cost, as defined by National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) and made available through the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). Products are classified by specific parameters:

On Sunday, February 2, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will face off to determine who will be crowned Super Bowl LIV champion. In 2019, 98.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Super Bowl and its famous line up of commercials. So, how does one of the biggest sporting events in the world meet the demands of fans, players, attendees and others?

Demand for dry vans fluctuates depending on the time of year and regional location, causing rate changes on the spot market. National rate increases for dry vans typically occur at three different times throughout the year and are largely driven by how the produce industry was positively or negatively affected by the weather. These increases typically occur from March to April, June to July, and September to October.

Have you realized that shipping costs have increased 20 to 30 percent? That’s because as of January 2015, carriers like FedEx and UPS Ground began using the dimensional weight pricing method, which affects over 70% of all shipments.

As one can assume, the strength of the economy and the current market conditions are closely related. In order to get a feel of the current state of the economy, one would take a look at several different macroeconomic factors. Some of these factors include interest rate announcements, Gross Domestic Product, Consumer Price Index, housing starts, jobless claims, and government fiscal and monetary policy. With an understanding of each indicator, you would be able to get an idea of the strength of the economy.

There are more than 700,000 active carriers in the US. Most of them are small; 90.2% operate 6 or fewer trucks and 97.2% operate less than 20 trucks. All these carriers can be classified as local, regional and national.

Tracking inbound transportation is often under-prioritized in a company’s supply chain management because it is difficult given the operational and economic challenges. No matter a company’s size, it should devise a strategy to measure inbound shipments.

A national fuel surcharge is an extra fee that trucking companies (or third parties) charge to cover the fluctuating cost of fuel. It is calculated as a percentage of the base rate and is usually added to a shipper’s freight bill to cover the cost of operations.