Expedited transportation is something to know about. When to request it. How much weight are your shipping. What is the protect time. These are all considerations when something goes wrong in either the manufacturing timeline, finished goods refinement or shipping scheduling. It doesn't matter where in the supply chain the problem occurred. It matters how you make up the time to avoid the ultimate disaster...a plant or partial plant shut down. At this point you are talking big money. I know if we shut down any portion of an automotive plant in the 80's it was $10,000 per hour for every hour the truck was late. Extrapolate that to today's standards and you can appreciate the severity of tardiness in our business.
What to Do If Your Routing Decision May Upset A Customer
The first decision to make when you find yourself in a situation where you may need expedited service is determine the absolute protect time for the delivery and the potential consequences of not meeting that deadline. Can you afford to take chances? Is the protect time accurate. So often the information is inaccurate. In many instances shippers exaggerate protect times to cover themselves. Receivers build in lead times to safeguard against shut down potentials. It is critical that you know the facts. Since it is very likely that the shipper will be absorbing the significant costs of providing the expedited service as the problem likely began at the source. So, if you can take a conservative approach there are carriers who offer LTL expedited service however it is not time definite but more day definite.
Options If You’re Routing Decision Loses A Customer
If you’re in a bit more trouble and you need time definite, there are carriers who specialize in exclusive use, team service, time definite transportation. You just need to know who to call. And since, in most cases, these shipping nightmares show up late in the day, typically on a Friday, you'll need to have some friends in the business. That's where a 3PL can be a valuable resource. You can Google "expedited carriers" in a panic or you can call the professionals at Land Link Traffic Services and get a good night’s sleep.
Options If Your Actions May Shut Down an Assembly Line
Next (NFO) or air charter are you likely choices at this point. You can't afford it. If you in this deep call us immediately. 732-899-4242
Land-Link, a well respected professional organization, has been providing its clients with effective transportation and logistics solutions since 1978.
