10 Tips to Avoid Another Cold Weather Capacity Crunch Here we go again. The 2015 edition of the Farmers Almanac predicts another brutal winter coming to an area near you—approximately three-fourths of the country will be hit with abnormally frigid temps and snow showers. Dont get caught off guard again this year; Coyote Logistics is offering 10 tips to help shippers make it through this winters looming capacity crunch. 1. Dont bet on the lull. The first quarter of the year traditionally sees the lowest quarterly volume of the year. Many companies bank on that when they are securing capacity, sourcing warehouse space, etc. Early 2014 took a lot of shippers by surprise as unshipped inventory carried over from 2013. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Mark major shipping dates on your calendar. The fourth quarter is when workers take off the most time. To ensure your product arrives on time, coordinate your shipping schedule ahead of time to avoid major holidays. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Be proactive about protect from freeze (PFF) products now. Refrigerated truck capacity is at an all-time low—now is the time to think about your liquids. Work with your transportation provider to put a PFF plan in place so youre ready when winter hits. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. And protect yourself from PFF in the future. PFF is a separate mode and should be treated as such. Account for this in your next RFP as it will protect you from routing guide compliance issues when you need the capacity the most from your providers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Always have a backup transportation plan. Dont get stuck in the rut of This is how we have always done it. Plan for alternate capacity now with your transportation providers as it will minimize costs and service failures in the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. And a backup inventory plan. Think about your options for sourcing inventory from alternate vendors and manufacturers. That way, if one area of the country is getting hammered by inclement weather, you can move forward with business as usual. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Communicate within your own organization. Educate your company (especially salespeople) about how weather affects capacity to avoid service failures and unmet expectations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. And look for a provider that communicates with you. Things happen when the weather is bad, but a good transportation provider will provide visibility and react quickly with a solution. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Dont let the weather freeze your fleet. Inclement weather means more trucks wont start and more drivers wont want to get out of bed. Many transportation providers have programs in place to source drivers and power at a moments notice to keep your fleets trailers constantly in motion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Leverage your broker network. Have at least one major transportation provider on your list to give you a bigger capacity pool when bad weather strikes.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 02:29:00 +0000
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