BY BEN AMES, SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
ARC TRANSPORTATION TRENDS STUDY
Strategy
WHEN SHIPPERS CAN’T FIND TRUCKS TO MOVE
their goods, the result is often lost sales—a problem
that not only hits shippers’ revenues but also impacts
retailers, consumers, and other customers if goods don’t
arrive when they’re needed.
In 2018, that scenario played out for many North
American shippers as trucking capacity tightened to levels not seen in years, particularly in the truckload (TL)
demand for trucking services, an aging driver popula-
tion (and shortage of younger drivers to replace them),
and new federal mandates for electronic logging devices
(ELDs) that enforce restrictions on the number of hours
a driver is allowed to operate a truck.
The truckload-capacity crisis began to ease in early
2019, but the question remains—how can shippers reli-ably secure trucks to haul their loads even as economic
and industry variables shift beneath their feet? To answer
ARC Advisory Group, a Dedham, Mass., technology
Being a “shipper of choice” can boost your chances of getting the service you need
when trucking capacity is tight. But as our survey found, clear communication and
respect for your carriers is good practice no matter what’s happening in the market.
It pays to be a
good partner
