Big trucks have been a way of life for as long as most of us can remember. Whether it was pumping your arm as a kid to get a driver to blow his horn, or watching in awe as massive 18-wheelers pulled into a truck stop, trucking used to be exciting–until it became an everyday norm. But with advancements in TMS technology and managed transportation services, the ability to ensure you are getting the right rate and the right coverage is better than ever.
We’re going to put the magic back into truckload.
Truckload has distinct advantages over LTL
We’re so used to seeing delivery people jumping in and out of trucks to deliver one parcel (or pallet) at a time -- especially since COVID changed consumer buying habits. We've forgotten the value of booking an entire truck.
There are many advantages to moving shipments via truckload for both large and small companies.
Don’t worry, it’ll fit
Oversized loads can take up as much space as they need. Rather than playing Tetris with other companies’ pallets, your shipment gets all the space it needs, even if it is – GASP – over the standard 48" x 40" x 96" or max weight.
It’s all yours
With LTL, even if you place a clearly marked “Do Not Stack” label on your shipment, there is no guarantee that a rushed dock operator won’t load another pallet on top of your paper goods. With a dedicated truck, you have the entire space to yourself to load what you need, as you need, without fear of damage from other companies’ freight.
When shipping delicate or high-value goods, or those with a specific classification (such as foodstuffs or hazmat), what’s around your shipment is no longer a concern.
The whole truck is dedicated to you alone.
You win the race
Moving your freight from point A to point B - without other pick-ups, without terminal transfers, and blissfully free from multiple drop-offs - is always going to be faster. No slow and steady wins the race here. Moving your shipment directly to where it needs to go without passing Go (and forgoing the $200, sorry) will shave hours to days off your transit time. What could take four days to travel 800 miles with LTL could take as little as two days with truckload.
There’s an agile response aspect to this too. Having a dedicated truck as an option means that you can make up lost time over LTL when you're running late and in a crunch.
With these expedited transit times, you can plan your operations with greater predictability and efficiency. And so can your customers.
Take it easy (sung to the Eagles tune)
You may think you don't have enough freight to fill a whole truck. Often, this is a matter of timing, not volume. Instead of shipping one or two LTL shipments a day, if you consolidated that into one load with a faster transit time, you could be making things much easier (and cheaper!) in the end.
You may think you don’t have space in your warehouse or on your dock to store up days’ worth of shipments, but there’s a solution to that, too. A drop trailer - an entire container left on your premises for you to load at your leisure - can allow goods to move straight from production to the truck.
How much less hassle would there be if each lead brick that came off the production line got loaded immediately? At the end of an eight-hour shift, the truck’s packed and ready to go.
Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
Booking your own shipments can be fine, but oversight by a freight management company is an entirely different world.
Scenarios like, “I’m not sure when it will get to you, Mr. Customer. Frank said it would be on Friday, but now he's not answering his phone, and I have no visibility of where he is,” will be a distant memory.
The situation with big carriers may not be much better. If a terminal is short-staffed, your goods can face an unexpected delay sitting in limbo until they can be loaded and shipped out on another truck, often a day later. Oh, and guess what? That capacity constraint probably drove up your rate.
IL2000 has hawklike visibility and can offer behind-the-curtain tools to ensure your shipment zips along to where it’s supposed to be, on time and at a competitive price.
Cost efficiency. With our competitive rates, you'll never pay more than necessary for your truckload shipments.
A company not 100% dedicated to transportation will find it hard to know what the rate should be and why. On top of that, this kind of company won't have the freight volume necessary to negotiate and lock in a lower, longer-term rate.
We have all of that covered. We know the market intimately because we tango daily. We have the volume to secure better rates.
Access to a large base of capacity. Say goodbye to capacity constraints. Our vast network of reliable carriers ensures your freight always finds the right ride.
When you need a shipment picked up within the hour, it is not the time to start calling around to see who runs through your area and has a free truck and driver sitting around. We've spent years cultivating these relationships spanning every region of the country, so booking with urgency comes easily, with no stress on you.
Real-Time Shipment Tracking. Stay in control every step of the way. Our cutting-edge technology provides you with real-time tracking, so you always know where your shipment is.
But rest assured, we always know where your shipment is, leaving you to instead focus your time on other critical areas of your operations. We continually track and trace, preempting any issues before they land as problems on your desk.
We also have a nifty "Track Shipment" feature on our website, so your customers can see when your shipment will arrive at their premises without having to log in. It even has an interactive map, so you can see exactly where your truck is.
Invoice Auditing. We take the hassle out of invoicing. Our meticulous auditing process ensures accuracy, and that saves you time and money.
Remember last year when you had to retract the Christmas bonuses because the extra carrier charges ate up all your profits? No? No matter; that would never happen with us anyway, as we are constantly battling to reduce and remove extraneous carrier charges that might have popped up when you, I don’t know, blinked. Yes, they can appear that fast. They add up that quickly, too, impacting value, and if deadheading is involved, they may grow even faster.
Invoicing visibility is something our clients have found particularly useful. There are no extra lines with a $3,000 charge cropping up later. You'll have that visibility up front.
Comprehensive Reporting. Our detailed reporting tools give you valuable insights into your logistics operations, empowering you to make informed decisions.
Would you try to fix your high-powered German automobile without a manual or at least a YouTube video? Actually, you'd probably take it to an expert – that's us, but the way – but if you wanted to understand how things were running and why, a report explaining it all exposes areas for improvement and also highlights efficiencies you are making along the way.
Take monthly spend, for example. You can see how the current month relates to a previous one. Comparing that to the behind-the-scenes market rates helps you understand the fluctuations. You don't need to take our word for it; you'll have the report in hand.
One contact point. We assign a single point of contact who gets to know you and learns about your business so they can make informed decisions on the fly. They also promise to reply (in under 15 minutes) to all your queries.
Once you get to know them, you’ll see that your freight is in good hands. They’ll deal with any issues proactively and reach out to you to keep you in the know.
Calling your freight guy is now one less task on your morning checklist.
And our people don’t just make calls. They have worked for the carriers they're dealing with, loaded on manufacturers' docks, and booked shipments on the client side. They’ve done it all, seen it all, and have a black book of secrets for fixing freight problems before they happen. That’s IL2000 mojo right there.
Yes, this is for you
Bulk, oversized, overlength, delicate, expedited, ad hoc, time-sensitive, high value…do any of those describe your shipments? Then truckload is a good option for you.
Rather than try to research the market, find a carrier, fight for a fair rate, and lose sleep over getting your shipments delivered on time, contact a consulting engagement executive at IL2000 first. In all honesty, it's not magic we weave but decades of compounded experience working for you and your freight.