Building Resilience into Your Supply Chain
Resilience is a hot conversational topic lately. And if you’re in manufacturing, you’ve been hearing about the resilience (or lack of) supply chains. But what does that really mean? If you look up the definition of resilience, you’ll find that resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. So when we talk about supply chain resiliency, we’re talking about a supply chain’s ability to weather misfortune and disruption without collapsing due to the pressure.
Since 2018, the freight market has been in a state of near-constant flux with the adoption of the ELD-rule (electronic logging devices) and changes to HOS (hours-of-service) rules. Since that time, we’ve seen many extended periods of disruption with truckload capacity strained for a variety of reasons including an ongoing driver retention problem, major weather events, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Never before has talk of supply chain shortages been something regular folks are talking about around the dinner table, at baseball games, and at cocktail parties.
Most experts believe disruption is the name of the game–that complexity and uncertainty are the new normal in the logistics arena. There’s never been a better time to think about building resiliency (flexibility, predictability, and capacity) into your logistics processes. The best way to do this is to work with an experienced freight broker.
How can a freight broker help you build a more resilient supply chain?
A freight broker offers truckload capacity you can’t find on your own, and that is especially important during times of market disruption (and as we’ve explained above, market disruption is the new normal).
Here at AM Transport, we’ve been working with a core group of truckload carriers for 33 years. Did you know that 90% of semi-trucks on the road are associated with trucking companies with five trucks or less. These companies are the unparalleled heroes of the midwestern trucking industry, and they work with AM Transport Services.
What makes these companies so sought-after? They have long business histories. They’re trustworthy and have excellent equipment. They treat their drivers with the respect and dignity they deserve, so they don’t suffer driver retention problems which means their drivers are experienced and dedicated. Their safety records are impeccable and they are 100% trackable.
When you work with AM Transport, you only work with these superior midwestern carriers because we’ve built long-term relationships. Why do they want to work with us and the manufacturers and distributors we serve? Because we appreciate them. We pay quickly and on-time. We always pay detention because it’s the right thing to do. We handle the paperwork and the technology, and we answer our phones 24/7/365 days a year.
The long-term relationships we create with carriers allows us to lock in better than average rates, especially during times of disruption, and this is what manufacturers need to play the long game.
Don’t base your logistics operation on rates alone.
Too often, manufacturers and distributors base purchasing decisions solely on rates, and that is shortsighted. The level of service you gain working with a reputable and experienced freight broker saves you both time and money. Here’s an example: at AM Transport Services, we don’t give back loads, we honor the rates we give you, and we make sure your freight is picked up and delivered on-time, every time.
This is how you build resilience into your supply chain. It’s easier than you think when you work with the team at AM Transport Services.