The Logistical Lowdown

 

As a logistics professional for over 20 years, I've seen many changes take place on the transportation side of things.

Think back to the late 1990s; email was just starting to become mainstream in the business world, the internet was gaining popularity, and the smart phones we now rely on to get through our entire day was a pay phone; unless of course you were Zack Morris.

Business relationships were built on face-to-face interactions with open dialog about each party's pain points and strategies. The goal was working together to both become more efficient, and to be better suppliers to customers. 

Email, the internet, and of course our smart phones have easily made us all more productive. However, the face-to-face business interactions that now take place on our electronic devices make the idea of a partnership seem more like a one-way street.

When we research the various projects that we quote in our desire to grow our businesses and expand our profit margins, intense scrutiny of the Scope of Work or Statement of Work is of utmost importance.

We obviously want to know how many product turns there will be, or what the seasonality of the freight volume looks like. We do know there is a certain fudge-factor of the +/- 20% on these numbers, but they give us a ballpark idea of what the prospective piece of business looks like.

One thing we often overlook in our excitement to solve the customers' problem is their need for custom reporting. Defining your reporting requirements to your 3PL during the scope of work will allow them to accurately estimate the upfront costs and reasonable amount of time to create them. Additionally, defining reports that are Want vs. Need will save you money in IT charges for reporting that doesn't provide value to your operations. 

As the Vice President of Sales at Keller Trucking, and the person who approves the rates for all of our truckload freight, I find it interesting how the use of dropped trailers at customers' facilities has increased over the years; and that shippers expect carriers to view the use of dropped trailers as just a cost of doing business.

The truth is that carriers prefer not to drop trailers, but we have to due to restricted shipping and receiving hours or the customers' lack of resources to unload and load efficiently. 

In today's market, a typical 53' van trailer can average as much as $28,000. Keeping your total costs at a minimum by utilizing that trailer as much as possible during its 5-year life span is of great importance.

2018 marks the 40^th anniversary of the incorporation of Thomas E. Keller Trucking. Tom’s humble beginnings taught him the value of family, hard work, and building a legacy as told in his memoir, The Life and Legacy of Thomas E. Keller.

As consumer demand for organic, cleaner labels, more nutrient rich ingredients, and fewer artificial ingredients increases,  food manufacturers are looking for ways to meet market demand while maintaining and improving product quality and taste. One way to accomplish this is to remove the preservatives from the recipe which can drastically shorten the product shelf life.

That's where High Pressure Processing comes in, also known as HPP. Avure Technologies defines HHP as: "High Pressure Processing uses ultra high pressured water to keep packaged foods and beverages free from unsafe bacteria. It is an all natural technique that preserves the vitamins, taste and texture of the foods. HPP also extends the shelf life of foods which reduces waste - or the amount of food thrown away." 

Welcome to 2020 Singleton Boulevard in Dallas Texas. This 425,000 square foot warehouse location is partially food grade and protected from freeze. What makes this location special? It has both indoor and outdoor storage, is rail serviced, and is located with highway access to US-75, US-77, I-30, and I-45. 

Check out our infographic below for more highlights on the 2020 Singleton Boulevard Dallas Texas warehouse location. 

As a procurement or logistics buyer, it can be a daunting task to look for your first or even a new 3PL partner. To get you started on the right foot, we've put together a short list of 5 Characteristics you should look for when seeking a 3PL partner. 

In previous posts, we’ve talked about why you should use a contract packager, and how to choose a contract packager. Now it’s time to talk about the different packaging services a contract packager can provide.

Contract packaging involves packaging products into two main categories – Primary and Secondary packaging.

• Primary packaging consists of the first layer of containment that comes in direct contact with the product.
• Secondary packaging is any packaging material that secures or otherwise protects the product in its primary packaging.

 

2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the incorporation of Thomas E. Keller Trucking. Tom's humble beginnings taught him the value of family, hard work, and building a legacy as told in his memoir, The Life and Legacy of Thomas E. Keller. 

Knox County, Indiana – just outside of a small town called Vincennes – is where the Keller family planted our roots. My parents owned a farm that spanned about 26 acres, complete with cows, livestock, and fields where we harvested cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, green bell peppers, and tomatoes. My father and I spent most of our days laboring on the farm. Dad had never grown melons before but knew of several farmers in the area doing it with success. He talked to those farmers and learned how to grow melons.

When it comes to moving your product from point A to point B, there are many ways to get the job done. You can manage your own transportation with a private fleet, have your customers manage their own freight, manage your transportation with for-hire carriers, use a freight broker, or any combination of these. 

In this post, I'm going to go over a few reasons why freight brokerage needs to be part of your transportation strategy.