This has been a winter when many deliveries have not gone as planned. From pharmaceutical transportation services to truckload freight carriers, there have been many interruptions caused by the weather. One of the storms in the Month of February, for instance, literally spanned from the typically dessert like areas of Las Vegas through the midwest all of the way to the east coast.
Truckload shipping companies rely on a number of factors in their efforts to be both successful and timely. And while there are many customers who are willing to pay the necessary fees for expedited freight services, the fact of the matter is that there are many times when the weather can cause a number of problems. Already limited by government and transportation regulations with a goal of safety, winter weather interruptions can cause even more interruptions in the delivery and transportation of many types of products.
Specialty Freight Services Use Various Kinds of Truckload Shipping Methods to Meet Their Delivery Deadlines
Whether you are concerned about trade show shipments arriving on time for a big presentation you have next week on the east coast or you are planning to use expedited shipping services to deliver a product to longtime customers, it is important that you schedule your deliveries as soon as possible. Consider some of these facts and figures about the truckload shipping industry and the impact that these services have on the nation’s economy:
- The Less Than Load (LTL) market is estimated at approximately $35 billion as more and more companies offer the next day delivery of the smallest and largest items.
- The value of freight moved is expected to increase from $882 per ton in 2007 to $1,377 per ton in 2040, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
- 12 million trucks, rail cars, locomotives, and shipping vessels move goods across the world’s transportation network.
- Approximately 5.9 million commercial motor vehicle drivers operate in the U.S., according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- Machinery, electronics, and motorized vehicles are the three most valuable commodities moved by the U.S. freight transportation system.
- Representing 8% of annual gross domestic product, spending in the U.S. logistics and transportation industry totaled $1.48 trillion in 2015.
Even in the worst of the winter months, it is important that deliveries reach their destinations. For this reason, there is an entire industry that provides these services.
