100 Blogs later… To celebrate our 100th blog posting, our subscribers picked their favorite from the Taylor resource library. View their top picks.
The annual Atlantic Hurricane forecast, published a couple of weeks ago, shows an abnormal active season to arise in the upcoming months. When a hurricane or tropical storm is on the horizon, it can be challenging to prepare your business for possible supply chain disruption
From automotive parts to poultry to wine to toys and nearly everything in between, Team Taylor handles any freight you can think of. However, over our 170 years in business, we’ve become experts in the food and beverage industry. What stemmed from Safe Quality Foods certifications and programs for our warehousing division has now circulated into our freight brokerage, drayage department, and special project teams. Taylor understands the unique challenges involved and the specific needs of our food and beverage customers, paving the way for Taylor’s innovative supply chain solutions.
Whether you’re a small farm shipping out produce or meats, or a growing frozen food company wanting to increase your distribution, the transportation of your food products is a matter of the highest priority. Food quality and extreme delivery deadlines are just some of the many challenges food & beverage retailers are facing. Quick and prepared shipping is what can help strengthen your entire business. Essentially, perishable products require precise supply chain planning that can’t withstand any disruptions. With logistics playing such a massive role in transporting temperature-sensitive shipments, Team Taylor can provide you with consistent and functional solutions to optimize your supply chain. With an extensive network of reputable carriers and a team of logistics experts, we can ensure you will get the best out of our services:
Transportation management systems allow you to track and manage your shipments easily. Most TMS software can integrate with your companies systems through EDI, allowing for status updates on your load status.
Optimization is critical in any supply chain strategy and can figure out any wasted time our money within operations. Team Taylor’s experts can analyze your companies current strategy to ensure everything is seamless.
Taylor’s transportation solutions, dedicated support team, and technology, all strive to decrease your transportation costs and enhance efficiency. On average, shippers report from 15% cost savings after using our services.
Given this year’s unique circumstances, many of us are celebrating Mother’s Day at home or even away from the women — moms, grandmas, aunts, you name it — that we love most. For that reason, some Mother’s Day traditions like spa days and brunches won’t be possible. However, the tradition of buying flowers is still booming. Because of the ease of doorstep delivery and social distancing protocols in place, it’s no surprise that flowers are amongst the most popular mother’s day gift of 2020. The NRF reports that 64% of consumers are expecting to mail a bouquet this year. For flowers to arrive fresh to your receiver’s doorstep, there are a variety of factors that must take place to ensure optimal freshness, including the cold supply chain.
The term cold chain refers to the transportation of temperature-sensitive products, such as flowers, along the supply chain using thermal and cooling packaging methods along with refrigerated trucks.
Most of the flowers purchased in the United States come from Europe, South America, and Africa, making the cold chain a massive player in flower delivery. The main entry points for planes transporting flowers are Miami International Airport and LAX. The stems are then kept in refrigerated rooms in the airport before making their way across the country in refrigerated planes or trucks. From regional airports, they move to refrigerated distribution centers and then on to florists. Keeping flowers at a precise temperature throughout this long journey can be a big challenge, and cold chain interruptions can cause flowers to lose as much as 40 percent of their vase life, even if they are returned to a cold environment after the interruption.
Dedicated supply chains will become more critical to control risks associated with availability, quality, and price. A single, strong facilitator is needed to make such a supply chain function smoothly.
Are you looking to solve temperature-controlled shipping challenges? Our freight brokerage team has expertise in all shipping commodities and can help maintain the quality of your sensitive freight. Talk with Taylor today.
Flatbed trucking is an integral piece of the supply chain frequently used for carrying oversized or oddly shaped loads but has a wide variety of uses making it very versatile and valuable. Flatbeds are designed not only for providing an unconfined space for freight but are also makes loading and unloading of goods much more uncomplicated. Read about all the practical reasons to use flatbed trucking.
When transporting a high volume of material on a single trip, the flatbed can accommodate various types of cargo equipment with different dimensions. This dimensional flexibility allows for cargo of any shape or size.
Flatbed trailers are open with no confined walls making it more accessible to load from all directions. Loading is exceptionally efficient, with a forklift from the ground rather than having to dock for loading. This trailer can carry bigger and wider loads than confined trailers.
Vans are the most popular mode of transportation of cargo; however, they have a limitation as they need access to a loading dock for loading and unloading. With flatbed trucking, you will not be restricted to a dock as it’s able to deliver cargo in virtually any open location. This flexibility is appealing to lumber shippers and contractors.
Flatbed rates are determined based on a variety of market factors. The area where the freight is transported to and from, diesel prices, the weight, and dimensions, as well as the number of available trucks, all have a role in determining the flatbed rate.
Within the scope of Taylor’s service portfolio, we offer Freight Brokerage services through our expert team of dispatchers and maintain relationships with a network of screened, dependable carriers allowing us to expand our customer service reach to the entire United States. We service 100% of freight lanes, providing our customers with a one-stop-shop for all supply chain services.
If you are knowledgeable about the freight you are shipping, understand the options available, and select the right people to work with, your shipping efforts will not only go smoother, but you will also save valuable time and a lot of money. Not sure where to begin? Reach out to us at Taylor Logistics and let us show you what we can do for you today!
Freight brokers act as the medium between carriers and shippers. They have the experience, the network, and the resources to fulfill orders and get shipments to their desired destination. Expertise is the key to providing real value and genuinely making an impact in the supply chain.
It’s crucial to partner with a freight broker who is an expert in efficiency, transportation planning, and reducing your most significant logistics expense: getting your product into the customer’s hands. Our team is diving into the reasons freight brokers are an essential piece of your supply chain and the strategies that lower overall transportation costs.
Whether you need less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload (TL), or expedited shipping, smart freight agents have the right technology in place to meet your needs. The best freight brokerage firms allow them to negotiate the best possible rates with the most reliable carriers and automate processes related to shipping and payment, ensuring you a speedy and safe delivery. Real-time dashboards give freight agents complete visibility into every aspect of the journey.
Brokers look at the size and features of a shipment and the urgency of which it needs to get to its destination. With many possible modes –LTL, TL, intermodal, expedited freight, and air shipments––brokers advise on the best method to get your shipment there for the lowest cost to meet your delivery timeframe.
Leave the logistics of coordinating to a freight broker, you have enough on your plate! While one might think it will be more economical to work directly with carriers, that’s not the case. The time spent evaluating quotes, costs, and transit times, selecting a trustworthy carrier, arranging pickup, monitoring the products journey and delivery – not to mention troubleshooting any issues – isn’t worth the cost. A freight broker has the entire process down like a well-oiled machine and will be able to help you cut costs and expedite service.
Moving freight is a complex and complicated business. Don’t cut corners by searching for reliable carriers yourself and hoping the process will manage itself. Leave it to freight brokerage pros at Taylor Logistics. Team Taylor knows the freight business, and they’ll put your mind at ease while saving you money along the way. Contact Taylor today.
LTL stands for “less than truckload,” which means that your shipment will take up less than an entire truckload. Makes sense, right? Typically, this means your cargo will weigh between 100 and 10,000 pounds. LTL is the most popular type of freight shipment, and it’s also the most cost-effective form of road transportation. Why? Because the cost of your shipment will be shared with other LTL freight shipments, and you only pay for the space in the truck that you need.
PTL stands for “partial truckload.” Even in this case, the name is pretty much-clarifying things that, in this kind of load, the load will be as less as half of the entire truck. A load of 8 or more pallets comes under this. Now, in this scenario, you need not book a full truck for this; otherwise, you will be paying full money for half the amount of delivery. In this scenario, you can share the truck with other customers that means you both will share the fare of the truck for your respective halves according to all the factors that affect the rates of freight, including weight and type of freight.
FTL/ TL means “full truckload or truckload”. Full truckload shipping is the ideal method if you have a large shipment that will fill an entire trailer or at least exceed the volume LTL options. Typically full truckload shipping costs more than LTL shipping. However, the benefits of FTL might outweigh that cost. With FTL shipping, the truck goes directly from Point A to Point B without any stops, making transportation times shorter.
This refers to time-sensitive shipments in which freight has to be delivered within a particular time frame. Expedited freight is most often transported by truck or air. Trucks shipping expedited freight rarely stop along the way to deliver or pick up shipments, making the expedited shipment the priority. Expedited shipments are both large and small, from parcels to pallets to a full truckload of freight.
Companies that work with short lead times and require their packages to be transported as quickly as possible often choose air freight. Air freight is a relatively safe mode of transport, and it decreases supplier lead times while improving the overall level of service.
Rail transportation is an excellent solution for domestic or intercontinental transport, especially for bulky goods. It is a safe and reliable mode of transport that offers fast delivery at a cost-effective price point, and it is also more environmentally-friendly than air and road alternatives. Plus, rail freight doesn’t add to traffic and roadway congestion like other modes of transportation.
Shippers handle numerous transactions; the use of EDI integration within a TMS can save millions of dollars due to early payment discounts. Aside from the financial benefits, there is a multitude of advantages from implementing EDI. Exchanging documents electronically improves transaction speed and visibility while decreasing the amount of money you would spend on a manual process. Here are several examples of EDI transactions within a TMS.
Before addressing EDI in transportation, it’s crucial to understand what exactly EDI alone is. Electronic Data Interchange or EDI is not only used within the logistics/ transportation industries. EDI is the computer to computer exchange of business documents in a standard electronic format between business partners. It was developed in the 1960s EDI was created to speed the process of shipping and transporting documents. EDI replaces postal mail, fax, and email. While email is also an electronic approach, the documents exchanged via email must still be handled by people rather than computers. Having people involved delays the processing of the documents and also has a higher risk of errors. Instead, EDI documents can pass straight through to the appropriate application on the receiver’s computer, and processing can begin instantly.
Carrier Load Tender
Used by shippers or 3PLs to tender an offer for a shipment to a full truckload motor carrier
Freight Details and Invoice
Electronic invoice complete with shipment details
Bill of Lading
Electronic bill of lading which states shipment date, reference numbers, shipper, consignee, and shipment contents
Delivery Trailer Manifest
Allows carriers to provide consignees with the contents of the trailer
Shipment Status Message
Provides shipments statuses including shipper information, consignee information, current shipment location, dates, proof of delivery, and shipment description
The Commodity Classification Standards Board (CCSB) has posted proposed amendments to the National Motor Freight Classification® (NMFC®). These amendments will be published, pending reconsideration, on December 5, 2019, and are expected to go in effect on January 4, 2020. A few of the notable changes are listed below.
Foodstuffs, other than Frozen
Various foodstuffs are removed from item 73227 and reclassified. Item 72790 (Dips) is canceled with reference to new item 74700 (Sauces, Condiments, Dips or Spreads). New items are established as follows: 72030 (Baby Food), 72041 (Baking Powder), 72285 (Butters or Spreads, nut or seed, including Peanut Butter),74510 (Purees, fruit or vegetable, including applesauce) and 74737 (Shells, taco, or tortillas).
Boilers, Furnaces, Stoves and Related Articles
The NMFC code 25400 is canceled with reference to new item 26720 with classes based on a density break at 8 pcf.
Traps, Bullets or Target
The NMFC code 17670 is canceled and reestablished as new item NMFC 187130.
It’s important for our business to invest renewable energy technologies and sustainability in all aspects of our logistics business. Importantly, when using road transport, we plan each journey to establish the most efficient route so that we can reduce the number of miles traveled and avoid empty trucks on the road. Taylor has implemented a Green Logistics program for several years; by doing so, our team reduces fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions by:
Until electric and other more sustainable vehicle options, route optimization is one of the best ways to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and distribution. Artificial intelligence can work with GPS devices to optimize local, national, and global shipping routes. Advanced analytics update routes in real-time, to take account of congestion and other issues.
Supply chains can be improved through significant changes, but it’s more common to see results through small, iterative improvements. Useful analytics and reporting combine with machine learning to continually improve processes throughout the supply chain. Every change that reduces waste speeds up delivery or enhances quality makes an incremental improvement to sustainability.
Climate change and other environmental factors already impact many supply chains. Issues such as wildfires in California, rising sea levels, water scarcity, and lower agricultural yields have a profound impact on the efficiency, quality, and speed of the supply chain. Supply chain technology helps to predict these risks and allows supply chain managers to mitigate their impact and put contingency plans in place.
The Cincinnati Business Courier ranked the largest logistics firms in the greater Cincinnati region. Taylor Logistics Inc. ranked as 4th amongst TQL, Verst, and Integrity Express Logistics.
Peak Season kicks off in October and lasts through the holiday shopping season. Carriers know that this time of year offers a heavy and steady flow of freight loads to move. During peak months, there is a significant surge in the loads available. At Taylor Logistics, we do everything we can to make the process as simple as possible for our customers. Our experts comprised a few best practices to use to make freight shipping even easier. Here are cost-effective strategies you can implement to help your freight stand out in today’s market.
Establishing a Carrier Program: One of the most important relationships is the one you create with your carrier base. Carriers have compelling value propositions in the markets they serve — carriers value consistency. If you’re happy with the overall relationship, provide incumbents with an opportunity to keep that freight.
Communicate Quickly and Effectively: The faster you communicate about upcoming loads, the more likely you are to secure a truck. Talking with carriers ahead of time about anticipated surges and decreases in your freight volume can also help them plan and prioritize your shipments.
Flexibility: If possible, become flexible in your pick-up and delivery times, so you can create a larger pool of trucking companies available to move your freight. For some shippers making operational changes that allow for deliveries and pick-ups on weekends increases flexibility. Most drivers do not operate on a traditional workweek schedule, so working with receivers and shippers that offer flexible hours allows for loads to be moved more efficiently and promptly.
Increase Efficiency: There are several ways to cut costs examine your transportation and supply chain for ways to increase your performance while saving money. Are there less-expensive routes you can use for shipments that are not time-sensitive? Would other modes of transport like intermodal or less-than-truckload be more economical than truckload freight?
Tap Your Third-Party Provider’s Range of Services: Warehousing, fulfillment, transportation, technology—the more you can obtain from a single provider, the more seamless, scalable, and cost-effective your supply chain will be. Organizing the logistics function helps to ensure that you provide consistent service and offer better predictability and reliable deliveries.
Taking a more strategic approach to truckload procurement helps align the business goals and outcomes of both carriers and shippers. It can result in significant savings and extraordinary service levels over time. To learn more about our freight services click here.
On the October episode of Taylor Talk, customer relations coordinator Rhonda Mettey discusses Taylor’s transportation logistics processes. How they’ve changed throughout the years, the bumps and hurdles along the way, and how we’ve become the Nation’s Most Progressive Family Owned Logistics Company. Click the links below to listen!
Connectivity is paramount in today’s supply chain. Nowhere is this more important than in the alliance that exists…
It’s no secret that the transportation industry is heavily dependent on supply and demand. Every year holds uncertainty from consumer trends to the ups and downs of the market; however, there is always a forecasted plan for the seasons of freight. Like fall, winter, sporing, and summer, the transportation industry also has four seasons. Below are the four seasons to the logistics industry.
It’s a new year; the holidays are past us, and freight volume is on the decline. Not to mention these months are the peak of winter, the frigid temperatures and snowy roadways are not shipping-friendly. Typically during these months logistics companies are recovering from holiday shipping. Freight volume will start to progress as the months approach the spring season.
With the arrival of spring, the produce season begins. Freight volumes will increase, and carriers have more loads to choose from allowing them to pick and choose different loads. With carriers being pickier, finding trucks become more challenging, and rates increase. In certain parts of the United States, the capacity and shipping rates change significantly for non-produce shippers, as carriers are massively switching to high-paying produce loads.
Produce season has come to an end; however, the hecticness doesn’t stop here. It’s now time to prepare for back to school season and to start planning for the upcoming holidays. During these months, sales are typically up, and companies are rapidly shipping products in and out of their facilities to ensure all inventory is ready for the holidays. Rates are still climbing, and freight volumes are towering.
Happy Holidays! It’s that time of year again; companies are rushing to complete last-minute purchase requests before the holiday closures. The new year is rapidly approaching, and no one wants to leave freight behind and drag it into the new year. The roads start to get busy with people taking time off for long weekends, holiday gatherings, and vacation time. It’s a time that needs to be carefully planned as last-minute items can pop up, and delays are likely.
Our team is continuously on top of marketing changes and forecasted trends. Knowing the four seasons of transportation freight is just the beginning of our expertise. Let us be your transportation advisor. To learn more about our brokerage services here.
Learn more about our warehousing services here.
Drayage is a term used to describe the moving of container freight over short distances, mainly in the same city between rials facilities, ports or other shipping hubs.
Drayage moves can include:
1. Moving cargo from port to port or rail to rail
2. Port to the rail yard
3. Port to warehouse/shipping hub
4. Facility to the port, rail yard, or another facility
In history, the term drayage originally stems from the term dray, a low cart without fixed sides that could be used for carrying heavy loads a short distance. Although dray is defined as a cart historically, dray may be any vehicle used to transport heavy loads a short distance, including a sled, wagon, or carriage.
In the early years, drayage services were considered a risky move for shippers and IMC’s. Today, a majority of that risk is gone, and rail intermodal is an essential part of most supply chains’ transportation portfolio. Drayage services have proven its value, experienced growth, and earned the respect of the Class I railroads as well as world-class shippers. It stands on the threshold of a new ear of growth as challenges mount for long-haul truckloads. While a lot of long-haul conversions have taken place, regional opportunities in the east are proving drayage services are not just a mode for cross-country freight moves.
Ultimately, any successful logistics operation starts with proper planning; let our team be your drayage advisor. Being in Cincinnati Taylor is located next to two major inland ports that service the entire midwest region. In addition to our local ports, our fleet also services Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Chicago. From picking up freight and moving it to the next hub, Taylor drayage services are an efficient solution for your intermodal strategy.
Here are a few of the many advantages a TMS can provide for our customers and our customer’s customers:
At Taylor, it is our mission to exceed customer expectations by diligently working harder, smarter and longer than any logistics company while ethically serving our employees, our carrier base, the environment, and the motoring public. As a service provider, our most crucial goal is to provide the highest level of service for our customers and our customer’s customers. With thousands of other logistics company in a very competitive industry, customer service is the nucleus for how we conduct our business.
The foundation for excellent customer service is relationships. One of the most valuable relationships as a third party logistics company is the relationship we build with our carrier base. Without a go-to contact base comprised of best in class carriers, it would be impossible to meet delivery schedules, keep up with customers volume, and stick to rate benchmarks. We also leverage our transportation management system (TMS) to optimize carrier loads and reduce costs across truckload and less than truckload.
Carrier relationships are not only important on the brokerage side, but it is also crucial at our distribution centers. Our warehouse managers use data to improve loading dock visibility, coordinate live and staged trailers, and manage docking time to enhance the efficiency of our carriers and shippers.
Another essential aspect of developing a successful carrier relationship is communication and feedback. Open discussion based on facts builds trust, integrity, and respect. Understanding and respecting the value that each party brings to the relationship makes the relationship grow even stronger. In a great partnership, carriers will have the opportunity to run their business more smoothly, and shippers will have the power of data to achieve higher levels of efficiency in their operations all while reducing costs.
Taylor Logistics the Nation’s most progressive family owned logistics company announced that they increased their freight broker surety bond through the Transportation Intermediaries Association from $100,000 to $250,000, further confirming its commitment to protecting the freight and transportation community against fraudulent behavior
Before working with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, it’s essential to understand the functionality of that relationship. What responsibilities can a 3PL take off your plate, and what will still be in your wheelhouse?
Here’s a breakdown of how Taylor Logistics freight brokerage works, along with critical points surrounding our value-added services and essential points for how we can help you.
What is a freight brokerage?
Our brokerage helps customers with ready to haul freight find qualified carriers to haul the load. Typically freight brokers do not provide the truck or the shipping but provide the essential service that will help the shipper find the carrier. However, In addition to our brokerage out parent company Taylor Distributing in Cincinnati, OH has a full fleet of trucks ready to assist our customers with any intermodal/drayage needs.
Shipping Expertise – This is what our freight brokers do best, working with our brokers allows you access to their knowledge of best practices and latest technology.
Communication – We can track and log each step of the journey of your product. Our team is in constant contact with drivers, and we have access to GPS/EDI technologies to maintain the status of an order.
Flexibility and Scaleability – We provide our customers more, or less capacity based on their business from industry trends to seasonality. We are also connected to service providers nationwide, and we can quickly respond to flux, linking you to resources without any added risk.
Save time, Resources, and Money – Partnering with Taylor, is like having a dedicated shipping department without the expense of your own department. Using our freight brokerage allows you to focus on your core business.
It’s a Partnership – Taylor works for you, we put our customer’s interests first, because when you succeed, and your business grows, so does ours.
Technology – We have invested in the latest technologies to improve our customer relationships, efficiency, and processes. Our technologies include:
1. Warehousing for Physical Goods.
Many merchants don’t necessarily have a physical shop to store their products, requiring the use of a warehouse to store them. Normally, 3PL companies will be able to provide warehousing services that include either a shared or dedicated warehouse for storage, along with all of the required technology to handle and transport products throughout the warehouse. Because of the many companies that might use the same warehouse for storage, you can save money with a split overhead cost.
2. Order Fulfillment Businesses
need to be able to fulfill orders effectively, or they can’t survive. Unfortunately, many e-commerce companies often suffer from invalid order fulfillment, but a 3PL service provider can make sure that customers receive the right goods on time and in good condition with every order.
3. Consolidation
Another service that most 3PL companies offer is consolidation, wherein e-commerce suppliers send small goods to the same location, consolidating these goods into a single shipment to lower prices.
4. Supply Chain Management Services
To make each order a success, companies need to effectively maintain their supply chain. A 3PL company can help manage all or part of your supply chain, taking care of your inbound freight delivery specifications.