Do you need to “sharpen your saw blade?”

A parable for logistics managers.

Some of our greatest teachers, including Jesus, taught in parables. Whether you are a church goer or not, it’s very likely you grew up hearing parables.

Here’s an oldie but goody that has a lot of application to our lives today.

A burly woodcutter labored to saw down a tree one warm summer day. Sweat streamed down his face as back and forth he pushed and pulled the saw against the thick trunk under the hot sun.

A young man walked up and began watching quizzically. Finally he asked, “What are you doing?”

The woodcutter, impatient with the stupid-seeming question (after all, it was obvious what he was doing) said, “I’m cutting down this tree.”

The young man was rather unperturbed by the harsh response and replied, “You look exhausted. Why don’t you take a break and sharpen your saw?”

“Listen young man, I have been sawing on this old tree for hours. I don’t have time to take a break,” said the woodcutter with more than a little annoyance.

The young man wasn’t deterred. He said, “But if you sharpen the saw, you will cut the tree down much faster and more efficiently.”

The woodcutter huffing and sweating looked up from his task, “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw. Can’t you see I’m too busy!”

***

Are you too busy to sharpen your saw blade?

The woodcutter sounds like a lot of logistics managers we know. The truth is they are so busy with day to day operations they don’t believe they have time to “sharpen the saw blade” or talk to a logistics provider about their shipping practices.

You might be doing everything 100% right, but what if you aren’t? What if all the while you’ve been cutting down that tree, things have changed? What if you’ve been pushing that saw back and forth so much that the blade is really dull?

Here at AM Transport, we know we can’t help everyone, but here’s a promise. If we can’t help you, we won’t waste your time. What we do know is that we provide extraordinary value to a select group of manufacturers and distributors, and what would it look like if you were in that group?

• You’ll have a single point of contact for all of your business. At the same time, you’ll be backed up by a group of experienced logisticians cross-trained in all aspects of the transportation business.  

• You’ll have the opportunity to lock in dynamic pricing during these uncertain times. 

• You’ll enjoy the convenience and benefits of working with a relationship-based provider. We get to know our customers and carriers, and work to create solutions that benefit everyone. It’s a win/win philosophy, and it works.

• You’ll have more time to work on growing your business, to mentor your own team, to take a day off once in a while. When AM Transport is in your corner, we take care of shipments from pickup to delivery, and we do everything in between–from paperwork and insurance to tracking and visibility.

• You’ll have access to the best small carriers in the logistics industry. We’ve been in the business for 30 years, and we have long-term relationships with small carriers, businesses with high safety standards and on-time pickup and delivery percentages.

• You’ll never sit on hold. We answer our own phones 24/7/365 days a year. No phone trees. No voice-mails. Just a real person on the other end.

• You’ll enjoy a variety of options from the members of our team who are trusted advisors to both shippers and carriers. We like a challenge. We love to help.

Don’t keep trying to saw that tree down with a dull blade. Give the experts at AM Transport a call today.