Buehler Moving Companies | Moving Company | Commercial Movers: logistics

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Benefits of LTL Service - Small Moves and Small Shipments

BENEFITS OF LTL SERVICE
Kelly Jorgensen, Vice President
Buehler Logistics Division
Buehler Companies – The way the world is moving
January 25, 2012

Benefits of LTL Service

When you first opened up for business, you could easily get away with using the post office, or one of the parcel carrier services for your shipping needs. Now that your business has grown, it is time for your means of freight shipping to do the same. This means that you need to start taking a look at the benefits of using a logistics service.

When you have grown your business to ship large orders from your warehouse or production facility, but aren't yet (or have no plans to start…) running your own truck division to freight your product to your customers distribution facilities around the country, you will be faced with many options from many sources.

Buehler logistics has a variety of suggestions to help your company control its freight costs. From handling your warehousing, order fulfillment and shipping, as well as utilizing carrier partners that offer expedited, truckload or less than truck load services.

Whenever you are dealing with any type of freight shipping, there are going to be two terms that you hear a great deal. FTL and LTL. FTL stands for full truck load. This term is used when you have enough of one shipment to fill an entire trailer, or close enough to it. It doesn't always mean that you have enough “pieces” or “boxes” to fill up a truck; it can also be used to describe the weight of the shipment. Most shipments weighing over 20,000 pounds are usually described as being a full truck load (FTL) shipment. This also means that you have enough product or weight to completely hire it from the trucking company with no other product from other companies on it. LTL or Less than Truckload is the shipping option that most small to medium sized manufacturers use. This term is used when you “rent” or “occupy” only a small portion of an entire truckload, with the remainder of the trailer divvied up among other companies who are shipping to a destination located close to where your shipment is going. LTL shipments are usually made up of 20,000 pounds and under or 10 pallets or less.

There are many advantages to shipping LTL. The biggest advantage is the savings it can bring to your company and your customers. Because you only have a portion of the trailer, and because the trucking company will make more money on the entire truck, the trucking company can afford to reduce the overall costs for each company shipping on the truck. The only advantage of utilizing Full Truckload service versus Less than Truckload service is if you have a very specialized order, requiring guaranteed delivery times, white glove handling or zero hour expediting. This way you have control over the entire truck, because you have purchased the entire truck.

Buehler Logistics Division has specialists dedicated to finding the most effective way to ship your goods. All options and services will be presented to you and we listen to your needs to determine the best way to ship your products. Call Buehler Logistics Division today at 303 388-4000 to speak to one our logistics specialists.

Buehler Companies (Denver Office)
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3899 Jackson Street
Denver, CO 80205
303-388-4000
Denver Office Moving Website

Buehler Transfer and Storage (Fort Worth Office)
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633 Mony Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
817-624-8466
Fort Worth Texas Moving Office

Manitou Express – Mountain View Moving (Colorado Springs Office)
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2545 Carmel Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
Colorado Springs Moving Company

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Transportation, Moving, 3PL’s and the Changing Supply Chain

3PL’s and the Changing Supply Chain

Buehler Logistics Division

In today’s world, as we look toward the changing role of the supply chain as a whole, we must look toward one common identifier, Sustainability. As technology moves forward and world markets change, globalization, risk mitigation, volatile oil prices and sustainability pressures change the landscape of logistics.
As the supply chain has gotten more complex and transportation more expensive as a whole, not to mention the ever raising prices of fuel and maintenance, shippers are paying more attention to their transportation options as a differentiating factor. Manufacturers and Suppliers have to keep products moving, at a lower cost. Customers are no longer stockpiling inventory, making it an “on-demand” marketplace.
Shippers and manufacturers are increasingly deciding that transportation isn't their core-competence and that they’re going to outsource that function, typically to one or more third-party logistics providers
Many shippers are turning to third-party logistics providers (3PLs) for managed services. While this may seem to impose the extra costs of a middleman, many shippers find numerous advantages to outsourcing this function.
First, 3PLs often have enough buying power to leverage lower rates from carriers, and can pass along a portion of those savings to shippers. Another advantage to a 3PL managed approach is the ability to enhance carrier efficiency by combining round-trip freight. Shippers who deal directly with carriers routinely have to pay round-trip rates, because once the carrier gets the goods from Point A to Point B, it has to make a deadhead return trip with empty vehicles. Carriers must factor this unproductive time into their pricing.
3PLs can often match carriers with return shipments, sparing shippers round-trip rates. In addition, carriers can charge less for each leg of the trip, because they can proportionately distribute their increased costs across multiple shippers in one shipment.

References:
Heavy Duty Trucking August 2011
Inbound Logistics September 2011