Logistics Plus recently participated in an interview with Inbound Logistics magazine to provide shippers with LTL shipping advice. The article, written by Sandra Beckwith, provides shippers with tips on how best to save on less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipping. You can read an online version of the article on the Inbound Logistics website using the link below.
A PDF excerpt of the article can also be downloaded and viewed by clicking the image below.
Shippers looking to work with Logistics Plus to save money on LTL shipping by implementing any of these 18 tips can click the button below to get started.
Logistics Plus Delivers four, 2-million pound gas tanks from South Korea to USA
Online video provides amazing footage of the logistics required for the move.
ERIE, Pa. (September 20, 2016) – Logistics Plus Inc., a leading worldwide provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to report that it has successfully delivered four 30x24x17 meter, 1038 metric ton (2 million pounds), empty ammonia (NH3) gas tanks from Onsan, South Korea to Portland, Oregon in the United States. The entire project took over a year of planning, engineering, and execution, and it is the largest shipment ever handled by Logistics Plus in its 20-year history.
At the origin port in South Korea, 48-axle lines of self-propelled modular trailers were used to move the enormous tanks from their storage location onto two barges in order to transport them to the main loading port. From there, they were carefully loaded sequentially onto a heavy-load ocean vessel. The vessel – one of only two in the world capable of handling the massive shipment – took 14 days to sail to the Vigor shipyard in Portland. Using the vessels two massive 1500mt capacity heavylift cranes, all four tanks were discharged and loaded onto specialized modular trailers and carefully moved into final storage.
“We manage many large cargo projects all around the world, but this is the largest one we’ve ever coordinated in our 20-year history,” said Frederik Geirnaert, project manager for Logistics Plus, and the leader for this project. “The Logistics Plus project cargo team has been at the center of this move in many ways. We handled the selection of the most skilled subcontractors, organized a tender for each part of the move, provided oversight and drafting of the method statement, liaised with the marine warranty surveyor, provided on-site supervision of every move, and we also found on-the-spot solutions to the few small issues that inevitably come up along the way. In the end, our passion for excellence came through once again.”
The project highlight video, which includes amazing live and time-lapse footage, can be viewed online at https://youtu.be/M1HwMlUKeOk (or by clicking the image below).
About Logistics Plus Inc. Logistics Plus Inc. provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Founded in Erie, PA by local entrepreneur, Jim Berlin, 20 years ago, Logistics Plus is a fast-growing and award-winning transportation and logistics company. With a strong passion for excellence, its 400+ employees put the “Plus” in logistics by doing the big things properly, and the countless little things, that together ensure complete customer satisfaction and success.
The Logistics Plus® network includes offices located in Erie, PA; Alma, AR; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Riverside, CA; San Francisco, CA; Visalia, CA; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, MO; Charlotte, NC; Lexington, NC; Buffalo, NY; Cleveland, OH; Charleston, SC; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX; Laredo, TX; Madison, WI; Bahrain; Belgium; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Egypt; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Kazakhstan; Libya; Mexico; Poland; Saudi Arabia; Turkey; and UAE; with additional agents around the world. For more information, visit www.logisticsplus.com or follow @LogisticsPlus on Twitter.
What is volume LTL shipping? In general industry terms, a volume shipment (sometimes referred to as a partial truckload) typically weighs more than 5,000 pounds, is six (6) pallets or more or it takes up 12 to 32 linear feet of trailer space. As with most consumer or business purchases, buying the things you need in larger quantities is a simple way to save money. So, just as you’d expect to get a better deal on that case of bottled water at your local warehouse store, the same is true for freight. Ship a larger shipment and spend less than shipping multiple, smaller shipments. Unlike standard LTL shipments, where the rates and discounts are already pre-established, volume LTL shipments are generally “spot quoted” and can often help a carrier fill density in a “backhaul” lane where they need the additional business. This will generally result in lower freight charges than what might have been otherwise charged using standard LTL rates.
What information will you need to provide to get a volume LTL shipping rate? Like any standard LTL shipment, you’ll need the origin and destination zip codes, total weight, and freight classification (or a detailed description of your commodity). You’ll also need to provide the pallet count, shipment dimensions, and the date you’re planning on shipping. Quick and competitive access to carriers’ volume LTL rates are one of the many reasons to use an experienced freight management company (like Logistics Plus). They can save you money on your volume LTL shipping because they have ready access to many carriers that will provide the best volume rates, and they often know what type of freight carriers are looking to secure. Keep in mind, because volume quotes are spot-quoted, they are not automatic. They can often take an hour or so to obtain, so plan ahead.
Don’t be shy in requesting volume LTL and partial truckload shipments when you have the opportunity – they can help you save on your overall shipping costs! If you’ve got a shipment over 5,000 pounds or more than six pallet positions, click the button below and let the Logistics Plus North American freight experts go to work finding the best rates for you!
This week is National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW) – a time when America honors all professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in tackling one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs.
Logistics Plus was founded by a truck driver; and so our 400+ employees are especially proud to extend our collective thanks to all truck drivers across America (and around the world, for that matter). These 3.5 million professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely and on time, they also keep our highways safe.
In honor of NTDAW, here are some interesting facts about truck drivers and the trucking industry published by the American Trucking Association (ATA):
Professional truck drivers drove over 279 billion miles in 2014, more than double 25 years ago. Those miles accounted for 14.2% of all motor vehicle miles and 29.8% of all truck miles.
The trucking industry paid $39.9 billion in federal and state highway taxes in 2014, and represented 12.1 percent of vehicles on the road. The trucking industry paid $18.4 billion in federal highway-user taxes and $21.6 billion in state highway-user taxes in 2014.
The trucking industry consumed 54.3 billion gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline in 2015. Based on consumption and price, ATA reported that motor carriers spent $142.9 billion in 2015.
The federal fuel tax for diesel in 2015 is 24.4 cents per gallon; the average state tax for diesel fuel was 27.4 cents per gallon.
There are 3.63 million class 8 trucks on the road in the United States and 11.7 million commercial trailers were registered in 2015.
There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States. Total industry employment is 7.3 million or one out of every 16 people working in the United States.
There are 586,014 for-hire carriers and 747,791 private carriers in the United States; 97.3 percent of them have fewer than 20 trucks and 90.8 are operating six trucks or less.
In 2015, the trucking industry hauled 10.49 billion tons of freight, or 70.1 percent of total U.S. freight tonnage. Rail was the next busiest mode, moving 13.8 percent of the nation’s freight tonnage.
In 2015, the trucking industry was an astounding $726.48 billion industry, representing 81.5 percent of the nation’s freight bill.
More than 80 percent of U.S. communities depend solely on trucking for delivery of their goods and commodities.
A new truck produces one-tenth the fine particulate emissions and smog-forming NOx emissions as a similar truck manufactured just seven years ago.
Fine particulate emissions from on-road diesel trucks have been cut by more than half over the past decade.
Many recent articles and white papers have been discussing the emerging trend of nearshoring in Mexico. Thanks to rising costs in China, delays and disruptions to transpacific shipping routes, and logjams at United States western seaports, many manufacturers are looking closer to home for their sourcing needs. For many of these companies, Mexico – the third largest U.S. trade partner – has become a cost-effective alternative.
According to a recent manufacturing study published by a reputable global research firm, some 46 percent of respondents have already engaged in a plan to nearshore within the next five years. Of those companies, 63 percent say Mexico is the leading candidate, citing lower transportation costs and improved speed-to-market. As a result of increasing demand, truck and rail traffic between the U.S. and Mexico set record highs for volume and freight value, in 2014 according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Being closer to the U.S. market by nearshoring in Mexico provides companies with a number of benefits, including:
Proximity. A shipper can move freight from Mexico to the U.S. by ocean in 48 hours, and by truck within a few days or less. By contrast, shipping a container from Asia to the U.S. could take up to six weeks to deliver. Another consideration is that operating in similar time zones creates opportunities to strengthen collaboration between U.S. companies and their Mexico counterparts.
Trucks and Rails. More than 1.37 million trucks crossed the U.S./Mexico border in the first quarter of 2015, up almost 3 percent from the prior year. Also, shippers now have more reliable and seamless intermodal service options between the U.S. and Mexico, which can offer a 15- to 20-percent cost advantage over trucks alone.
Labor. Unlike a decade ago when Mexican labor costs were reportedly 60 percent higher than those in China, today they’re on par or lower. Mexican companies have also transitioned from simple assemblers of products to exceedingly sophisticated manufacturers.
With an abundant labor pool, lower wages, low energy costs, and simplified truck and rail transport, including intermodal operations, Mexico has emerged as a nearshore alternative to overseas manufacturing. Companies unfamiliar how best to optimize their U.S./Mexico supply chains through the use of effective cross-border transportation and warehousing can contact the experts at Logistics Plus for help. We have been managing logistics between the U.S. and Mexico for nearly 20 years, and we recently celebrated our 10th anniversary for operations in Mexico.
The benefits of working with the Logistics Plus cross-border logistics team include:
Bilingual staff members on both sides of the border
Proven experience and success on both sides of the border
Competitive rates and contracts for cross-border transportation
Full shipment visibility across the entire supply chain
Customs clearance, global trade compliance, and NAFTA expertise
Warehousing availability with Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) activation
The Logistics Plus Marine Projects Logistics team provides complete solutions for the entire Maritime and Shipyard Industry.
A couple of our recent logistics projects include:
Transporting a 6.5 meter high RRM vertical ruel tank from Norway to Istanbul
Moving 30 meters long, 24 meters wide 17 meters high, and each 1,014 metric tons, 4 x NH3 vessel gas tanks from South Korea to the USA
The Logistics Plus Marine Projects Logistics team will plan, manage and undertake special logistics projects of any scale from start to finish. However challenging the geography, however complex the lift, our Marine Projects Logistics team works closely with our engineering and contractor customers to ensure that every project is planned, delivered and completed on time and to exact specifications.
The many services we provide include:
Tug, Pilot, Mooring, Crew, Dredger Motor Barge Transportation
Yacht, Catamaran, Ferry Transportation
Barge / Floating Crane Operations
Cargo inspections including loading and discharging
Transport of Spare Parts
Customs Brokerage
Vessel agency and husbandry
Feel free to click the image above to download a PDF copy of our Marine Projects Logistics brochure. To inquire about our services for your next cargo project, please email us at projectcargo@logisticsplus.com or click the button below.
Are you going to the 2016 Breakbulk Americas Conference? Be sure to stop by and visit us at booth 451!
