Joe Bobko’s Post

Don’t be “penny wise, pound foolish” when it comes to carrier selection. It will come back to you to bite you in the 🍑 Picking the right carrier(s) is difficult. Everyone promises you the best rates, transit times and quality levels. The easy (and often logical) decision to make in such case, is to go with the cheapest option. But what if you would actually know the: 🔄 current average transit times 📊 most recent performance levels 📲 estimated customer support costs And what if you could compare those parameters to the performance of other carriers you might (or should) consider? Then carrier selection is no longer a matter of gut feeling but a data driven decision. So, if you are in charge of logistics and consider to add or switch carriers, but have no clue how to decide on this... Let's have a chat. #shippingintelligence

Only 7 weeks and 2 Days until the New Year 2025! If you have not negotiated your 2025 Carrier Shipping Rates yet, it’s not too late but you need to get started now. 2025 parcel shipping rates will have significant increases, especially in select weight breaks (less than 1lb) and will definitely impact your bottom line if no action is taken. Don’t just sit back and accept your carriers proposed annual GRI. Every shipper should do their due diligence and have multiple shipping options to evaluate from and implement a 2025 shipping strategy that can reduce your shipping costs while improving delivery and customer performances.

Considering the number of parts working in tandem to deliver a parcel, delivery delays, often referred to as delivery exceptions or shipping exceptions by carriers, are bound to happen. Like any problem that pops up, the best we can do is work to fix the issue ASAP, and then consider what steps we can take to reduce the chance of the issue happening again. That's exactly what we discuss in our latest article on delivery exception - give it a read if you have a minute... https://lnkd.in/gh63fDWA

Sometimes it's just the carrier's fault. I'm a big fan of Extreme Ownership. Did I explain the instructions clearly, was it on the rate con, did I check the MC, etc. But sometimes the problem is solely on the carrier. Casein point: One of our customers requires photos of the load at both ends - a simple yet crucial step clearly outlined in the rate con and emphasized in red on the email. I also call and explain it to the driver and the dispatcher. Despite clear instructions and verbal reminders, a carrier recently failed to provide these photos, jeopardizing our service and potentially impacting our service. In logistics, small details matter enormously. What may seem trivial to one party can have significant financial implications for others. #Freight #Logistics #Trucking #SupplyChain #Broker #Customer

Losing packages is a major concern for shippers, as it can lead to unhappy customers and financial losses. In this blog, we look at FedEx tracking capabilities to see how they protect their customer’s shipments from losses and damage. https://hubs.la/Q02mmBDS0

You might be ready for peak season, but are your carriers too? Last year we noticed the following breakdown of the top 10 issues and exceptions during this period: ❌ Delivery delays → 35.94% ❌ Changed delivery dates → 31.45% ❌ On hold → 7.11% ❌ Wrong or unknown address → 6.16% ❌ Returned to sender → 5.17% ❌ Sorting delay → 5.17% ❌ Customer support handling → 1.64% ❌ Damaged → 1.38% ❌ Refused by receiver → 1.28% ❌ Customs issue → 0.52% So, how do these numbers influence your delivery performance? Customers will contact you for updates and to inquire about what will happen next, keeping your customer service team busy. 💵 Busy support lines will impact your bottom line, increasing the total cost of shipping: A: Average ticket time to close is 5 minutes B: Contact ratio for delivery-related questions varies between 2%-8% of your shipments C: All-in customer service employee costs of €40/hour Support costs = number of shipments x (A / 60) x B x C 💸 Want to reduce these costs? 1. Ensure you have the right carrier for your type of goods; 2. Monitor the type of exceptions, and proactively communicate with your customer when they occur; 3. Discuss with your carrier to see if there are operational fixes you can implement. Good luck with the preparations!

I visited a customer last week and was very impressed with how they were managing their LTL. A couple of things stood out. 1) They work with a very small and select set of carriers. This allows them to concentrate their business to provide economies of scale to their providers, and have stuck with their carrier mix for many years. This leads to... 2) They have great conversations with their carriers on steps to take to mutually drive out costs and reap the benefits. This covers things like Electronic Bills of Lading and providing super-accurate weights and dimensions at the handling unit level on every shipment. This leads to... 3) They use 1/2 pallets for their small orders. Yes, take a standard 40x48 pallet, cut it in half, and you have two 40x24 pallets that take up the same space as a single. It allows this shipper to build denser pallets on their smaller orders. And the carrier gets to move two shipments in the space of one standard pallet. This means they get more shipments on a trailer, and better space utilization. Nice to see great dialogue and great ideas like this.

Just when you think everything is running smoothly, a freight billing error shows up. It also brings along: --Time-consuming re-verification processes  --Surcharges  --Carrier disputes  --Payment delays Who else feels the pain of these relentless billing errors? Comment down!   #logistics #supplychain

Delivery rates from the legacy national parcel carriers only go in one direction -- 🆙 But their increases are often hard to follow, or not apparent at first glance. A great recent example is from USPS. Starting September 16th USPS increased rates for 17,000 ZIP Codes So much for a single annual increase in January :) With shipping costs on the rise, it's crucial to optimize your logistics strategy and diversify your carrier mix. But we know this is tough to do in practice and often involves risk. 💡Tusk Logistics is here to help. DM me if you're alternative carrier curious but don't know where/how to start Or if you're brave, post your questions below in the comments and I'll reply live!

At King, accuracy matters. Did you know that 30% of all LTL carrier invoices contain errors? That’s why we carefully audit every shipment invoice we receive, ensuring that only verified charges make it to your bill. When you work with us, you’ll never pay for what you don’t owe. #InvoiceAccuracy #LogisticsAudit #3PL #AuditServices