Ensuring Your LTL Freight Capacity During the Surge of Ecommerce

Over the last decade or so, we have seen a massive increase in the number of businesses relying on ecommerce. As more and more businesses offer online shopping and delivery services, it has become more critically important for these businesses to find shipping partners who are able to meet their needs and deliver their freight safely and reliably. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic and given the uncertain state of business in the future, it’s become more important than ever to have a great logistics partner to help with ecommerce and securing LTL freight capacity in Houston, TX.

For smaller companies whose shipping needs might not be as large as those of major corporations, LTL (less than truckload) shipping is generally the most financially efficient means of delivering your goods.

The rise of ecommerce has had a significant effect on LTL freight shipping. Many retailers have started opening regional distribution centers, which serve as hubs for retailers to store inventory and ship out orders when they’re purchased online. This allows for faster fulfillment and delivery, and an increase in last-mile shipments, which involve orders going directly from distribution centers to customers’ homes, generally in LTL shipments.

Securing your LTL capacity

The big issue you must consider, then, especially in a time of increased reliance on LTL shipping services, is what you can do to secure your LTL capacity. This is going to be critical for as long as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic last, but it’s also something for you to consider around holiday seasons and other peak shipping times.

It’s important to start planning your strategy as soon as possible. You can begin by analyzing your past ecommerce data, as this will give you a sense of the capacity you generally need to secure at any given time of year. When planning for the holidays, for example, you should analyze data from the holiday seasons of recent past years. Once you have a general idea of what sort of capacity you will need, you’ll be better able to develop a plan to reserve that capacity for you in the near future.

If you know you’ll be shipping to a particular distribution center, you should get a list of preferred carriers from that distribution center. This will help you know when to schedule your freight appointments, as you’ll get some insight into how quickly their shippers’ trucks will fill up over the holiday season.

Any shipping partner you work with will be able to help you develop a strategic ecommerce shipping plan so you can deliver on your customers’ needs and give them the best ordering experience possible when they work with you. We recommend you look into multiple shipping companies and compare and contrast the services and benefits they offer before making a decision.

For more information about the ways your business can benefit from ecommerce and securing LTL freight capacity in Houston, TX, we encourage you to contact the team at Pro Delivery LLC today. We’d be glad to answer any questions you have for us.

Categorised in: LTL Trucking Company

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