West Coast and California Logistics Blog

Around this time last year, every article about the West Coast supply chain painted a dire picture. There was an armada of ships waiting to enter the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach; there was no warehouse space to be had; and trucking capacity was scarce. Because of these and other factors, logisticians began to look seriously at non-West Coast options for their freight and distribution.

A year later, however, the news is changing. And for the better.

The eyes of concerned logisticians remain focused on the ongoing West Coast port contract negotiations between the longshoremen’s union and the region’s shipping ports. The longshoremen have been without a contract since July 2022 and the expectation was that an agreement would be reached by the time the contract expired.

Volumes of US imports are rising again, approaching the “normal” levels seen before the pandemic. According to an article in Freight Waves, US imports are up 9% in April compared to March, and up 5% from April 2019 – the April prior to the pandemic.

Southern California is home to many things: Hollywood, beautiful weather, and storied sports franchises. More importantly to you, however, it’s a launch pad for reaching your Western US customers and home to the 3PL providers that help you do it. In this article, we’ll review some of the main services that 3PL companies in Southern California can provide for your business, as well as some things to look for when selecting a provider.

Over the years, port drayage has become increasingly complicated. In the “good old days”, the trucker arrived at terminal gates, quickly found the right container mounted on a steamship line supplied chassis, checked out, and was on the way with few delays. Fast forward to today, where the number of moving parts to haul a container has increased exponentially. The number of critical stakeholders has also increased. What has followed is a sharp increase in the number of fees. In this article, we review drayage fees and four key ways that you can reduce them.

Whether you’re a shipper booking freight or a new logistician starting out in the industry, you’ll find that there are many terms you need to understand in order to speak the same language as your transportation provider. The following is a list of logistics terms and definitions that are common within the transportation industry.

For a more comprehensive list of supply chain definitions, check out Weber Logistics’ online glossary of logistics terms.

Does your company hire truck drivers in California? If so, are the drivers your employees or independent contractors? If you said, ‘independent contractors,’ you’ll want to double check that. California’s AB5 law affects truck driver classification in the state so that drivers you think you’re hiring as independent contractors may actually be seen as employees in the eyes of the law.

Weber Logistics has promoted Gary Kendle from Sr. Director of Transportation to VP of Transportation. Gary succeeds Jerry Critchfield, who is retiring after decades of leadership in Weber Logistics’ Transportation division.

Volatile supply chains demand agile supply chain solutions, whereby your logistics operations adapt to market changes as they happen. 3PLs can be key enablers of more agile, resilient distribution operations. In this article, we’ve identified 5 traits that help set truly agile 3PLs apart from the competition.

Weber Logistics has been named a MCM Top 3PL for 2023, joining other leading third-party logistics providers selected by Multichannel Merchant in its 8^th annual directory.

President Biden has signed legislation today that imposes a labor agreement on rail workers.  According to Supply Chain Dive, this legislation helps the country avoid a national strike that could have cost the economy $2 billion per day. 

Increasing SKU count, fluctuating inventory, shifting omnichannel distribution, demanding retail compliance…these are just a few of the major supply chain challenges you’re facing as a housewares company. Fortunately, these are also challenges that logistics companies that specialize in the housewares space can help you meet head on.

But not all 3PLs are equally capable.

There’s no shortage of 3PL transportation companies vying for your business. To get the most out of any 3PL relationship however, you need to identify your needs. In this article, we’ll start you off on the right foot with 5 key traits to define in a prospective 3PL provider on the West Coast.

Weber Logistics’ EVP, Strategy & Marketing Fred Gilbert is featured in an article from Transport Topics which examines the current state of warehousing in relation to space and labor scarcity. Gilbert observes that “product is not leaving the warehouse as quickly as expected, leading to very full warehouses.”

Whether you’re changing providers, going from DIY to third party, looking for B2C fulfillment, B2B fulfillment, or both, there is a warehousing 3PL out there for you. The trick is not simply to start 3PL shopping but rather to first identify what you need from a 3PL partner and then find the right one for your business. In this article, we discuss 5 common warehousing-related challenges often raised by brands and how these should drive your partner selection process and, in turn, supercharge your distribution operations.

Weber Logistics has secured a 418,000-square-foot, omni-channel distribution center (DC) in Perris, CA. This new, multi-client facility is the company’s 8th DC in Southern California’s Inland Empire region, and its 17th facility in California.

Getting product to market fast, and at the lowest cost. While these goals sometimes conflict, there are times when logisticians can achieve both simultaneously. Cross docking is one of those opportunities and in this article we’ll take a closer look at this distribution-speeding process.

Several communities within Southern California's Inland Empire have issued moratoriums on warehouse construction as they seek to better understand the impact of these facilities on the environment. These moratoriums come at a time when warehouse capacity is already non-existent and new construction is sorely needed.

Mimi Ma, recently appointed as VP Integration and Compliance, has steered Weber Logistics and its customers through the murky waters of logistics compliance, facility and customer onboarding, and systems integration for many years. In this article, we interview Mimi to discuss what supply chain professionals should know about these items for to ensure more successful 3PL relationships.

Container ship logjams at US ports are (unfortunately) back in a big way. This time, however, the congestion is spread out across the US – especially the East and Gulf Coasts – instead of being concentrated on the West Coast.

In a stark example of the practical fallout from California's new AB5 labor law, Landstar is telling its owner-operators in California that they would need to relocate out of State to continue as independent contractors with the carrier, according to a recent article in Transport Dive. California agencies have yet to clarify when enforcement could begin.

Commercial Observer just reported that the LA area is effectively out of warehouse space. Any space returning to the market has a waiting list of tenants before it's even listed as available. Asking rents in the area just rose for an 8th consecutive quarter. 

Weber Logistics has promoted three key company leaders to vice president roles, strengthening the company's ability to help customers drive supply chain excellence in an increasingly complex marketplace. All will report to Weber EVP & CFO, Maggie Movius.

The supply chain environment has seen incredible change over the past few years, from panic buying to supply shortages to historic inflation surges. These changes have all had a profound impact on how suppliers, distributors, and retailers manage inventory. These days, however, inventory is back in a big way – whether intentionally or not. In this article, we’ll look at the state of inventory management and how a 3PL can help your operations.

Your customers are more data-driven than ever, and your success or failure in the eyes of those customers is partly determined through logistics metrics that measure your performance. It is therefore important that you have a firm handle on your customers’ key performance indicators (KPIs) as well as your ability – or that of your 3PL – to meet or exceed those KPIs.

Warehousing costs are sky high at the moment and aren’t likely to decline anytime soon. Companies will need to address this added cost burden, but how? In this article, we’ll examine the current state of warehousing costs in the US and explain how you can best navigate the current environment.

Weber Logistics’ CFO Maggie Movius has been busy. She’s navigated a worldwide pandemic, a partnership between Weber and Stellex Capital Management, and a doubling of Weber’s warehousing footprint in California – all within the past two years. In this article, we interview Maggie to discuss these topics, as well as the company’s ability to continue its growth in the face of marketplace challenges.

A recent FreightWaves article makes the case that every American should be concerned about the rising cost of diesel fuel. While every passenger car driver is well aware of the price increases of gasoline, many don’t know that diesel has increased by $1.57 a gallon since February 1^st.

For logisticians operating in the Golden State, there is no shortage of regulations to comply with. Many of the most stringent and expensive trucking regulations are determined by CARB – the California Air Resources Board. In this article, we’ll examine current CARB requirements as well as new regulations that will soon come into effect.

According to Connect CRE, industrial vacancies in Southern California reached a new low in Q1. At the same time, industrial rents are 25% higher than a year ago.

Weber Logistics has acquired California warehousing provider, Pacific Coast Warehouse Company (PCWC). The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

PCWC will be rebranded as Weber Logistics. All current PCWC employees will become Weber employees by May 1, 2022.

“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” This famous tagline for Jaws 2 may well apply to importers into West Coast US ports these days. These shippers are still contending with port congestion and delays, while also getting ready to navigate a new challenge of possible slowdowns due to contract negotiations at West Coast ports.

Weber Logistics has announced two new senior leadership appointments today as it continues to build a best-in-class supply chain organization to exceed customer expectations in an increasingly complex marketplace.

The quest for California warehouse space is more challenging than ever. Whether you’re partnering with a 3PL or looking to secure space on your own, you’re going to need deep pockets, perseverance, a competitive spirit, and a little luck. To get more insight into the situation, we spoke with Weber Logistics’ Chief Executive Officer, Bob Lilja.

According to an article in FreightWaves, the U.S. Maritime Administration has announced nearly $450 million in FY22 competitive grant funding “for projects to help ports speed cargo flows and ultimately lower costs for consumers.”

No matter what type of trucking services you’re looking for, you already know that capacity is hard to come by. Capacity from LTL companies is no exception. In this article, we’ll look at the current state of LTL trucking and share 5 tips for finding LTL capacity.

Supply chain disruptions are continuing to cause headaches, but they don’t all need to be your headaches. By partnering with a third-party logistics (3PL) company, you can remove key supply chain responsibilities from your plate and entrust them to an expert. In this article, we’ll look at why outsourcing supply chain services makes particular sense in 2022.

A new article in the Sourcing Journal reveals that industrial rents in the Inland Empire climbed 59.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021, while the vacancy rate declined to 0.6%.

Being a logistician these days – especially one who deals with imports into the US – can feel like playing a game of Whac-A-Mole. When one issue is addressed, another one pops up. The latest issue on the horizon is the contract negotiation between the longshoremen’s union and the West Coast shipping ports. How much of a disruption will these negotiations be to the West Coast supply chain? In this article, we ask three key questions that will determine just that.

Now that logistics disruptions have become the new normal, at least temporarily, U.S. companies have been reevaluating their supply chains, seeking optimization in both the short and long term. In this article, we’ll look at supply chain optimization efforts that companies are currently undertaking and explain how third-party logistics (3PL) providers can help.

Another challenging year in the books and we’re ready for what 2022 has to offer. But before we move into the new year, we’ll take one last look back. Here are the 3 articles from 2021 that resonated most with our readers.   

According to FreightWaves, companies that are renewing – or about to renew – multiyear warehouse leases are in for severe sticker shock.

Weber Logistics has secured a 684,675-square-foot, omni-channel distribution center (DC) in Moreno Valley, CA. This brand-new multi-client facility, Weber’s largest, is the company’s seventh DC in Southern California’s Inland Empire region, and its fourteenth DC in California. Construction will be completed in December 2021 and the facility will be being fully operational in February 2022. A time-lapse video of the facility’s construction can be viewed here.

If your company is looking for a distribution center anywhere in the US right now, you’re going to need a lot more money than you did before, and maybe some luck. And, if you’re looking specifically for a California Inland Empire distribution center, money and luck alone probably aren’t going to cut it, unless you’ve got a lot of time. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Inland Empire distribution landscape and tell you how 3PL providers can be invaluable allies to your search for a DC.

According to FreightWaves, recent comments from drayage drivers at California’s major ports reveal that they are “drowning” in supply chain challenges such as long wait times, appointment system issues, and other inefficiencies.

As if drayage providers didn’t have enough to content with, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have each announced that they will begin charging Clean Truck Fund Rate fees beginning April 1, 2022.

As we approach the holiday season, the supply chain disruptions that have plagued most of the world for the better part of two years have gone from industry news to front-page news. And everybody has the same question: how are we going to get the supply chain back on track? From what we know and see as a third-party logistics provider, the solutions won’t happen overnight, but they may be far-reaching enough to prevent a crisis like this from happening again in the future.

In an effort to help relieve congestion at the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach, shipping companies will be fined if their containers aren’t moved off-port quickly enough.

The Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) has issued a statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement that the Port of Los Angeles will operate 24/7 in hopes of clearing congestion at the Port.

A 3PL provider that performs integrated services is kind of like a puppeteer that controls three or more puppets at the same time. When those “puppets” include drayage, warehousing and final delivery services, you can leverage the 3PL to dramatically improve your port-to-retail-shelf cycle time. In this article, we’ll tell you why food companies would benefit from such an integrated 3PL for food services.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, some of the largest retailers in the U.S. are trying to sidestep import supply chain delays and congestion by chartering their own ships overseas.

According to an article in DC Velocity, drayage spot rates in September were 6% higher than August, and 32% higher than September 2020.  These rates are only expected to increase, as further hikes of 10% to 15% are predicted for October.

When shipping freight into California, or anywhere in the U.S. for that matter, you may feel that you’re leaping over one hurdle after another to deliver your goods to market. The current California port congestion crisis is one of the biggest hurdles right now. In this article, we’ll examine why the current freight system congestion is so severe, and why it’s lasted so long.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, trucking companies are concerned that the new federal vaccination and testing mandate which seeks to curb the spread of COVID-19 may keep drivers away from available trucking positions.

As we head into peak season, supply chain congestion at/near the ports of Southern California is only getting worse – especially when it comes to container ship congestion.

If your company is looking for a food-grade third-party logistics (3PL) provider, there’s a lot of vetting required to make sure it can protect the integrity of your products. From the size and cleanliness of the warehouse to the safety and procedural knowledge of employees, there are many telltale signs that distinguish the best food-grade 3PLs from the rest of the pack. One of the most important of these signs is AIB certification, which shows that a provider truly walks the walk when it comes to food product safety.

According to an article in Yahoo! Finance, logistics provider C.H. Robinson has announced that it will begin levying drayage surcharges to its customers. These surcharges are a response to continued congestion-related issues at ports across the U.S.

Weber's new eBook, A Guide to Outsourcing Omni-Channel Fulfillment to a 3PL, identifies 7 key characteristics you should look for in a 3PL provider that can handle both your B2B and B2C fulfillment ops.  The following is an excerpt of the full (free) eBook, which you can access  below. 

A new article in Freight Waves shows that the number of unemployed workers that formerly worked within the warehousing industry is much higher than national unemployment levels.

The current driver shortage affects every mode of trucking, port drayage included. What you may not realize, however, is that this shortage of drayage drivers is not new – it didn’t begin with COVID-19 or even in the years leading up to the pandemic. In this article, we’ll examine the reasons for the truck driver shortage among drayage drivers and tell you why your transportation provider’s culture is key to sourcing the capacity you need.

As 2021 has had its share of supply chain challenges – particularly related to container imports – we all are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel and a semblance of normalcy.

While everyone is familiar with the current driver shortage, many overlook the fact that drayage operations are affected by this shortage just as much as long-haul, LTL or other modes of trucking.

In the pre-pandemic world of 2019, eCommerce accounted for 15.8% of all sales in the U.S. That figure ballooned with the COVID-19 pandemic to 21.3% – an increase of 44% – in 2020. This extreme growth in such a short period of time has led to growing pains that are still being felt within the eCommerce industry. In this article, we’ll examine some of the key effects of the pandemic on eCommerce fulfillment operations and explore ways that your company can mitigate these effects by partnering with a 3PL provider.

If you’re looking to catch up on all things container shipping in 2021, a recent article in Freight Waves has got you covered. The article looks, month-by-month, at all of the “stranger than fiction” events in the shipping world in the first six months of this year.

According to an article in Multichannel Merchant, UPS is issuing new surcharges which will hit shippers hard during this year’s peak season. These new surcharges will be applied between October 31 and January 15, with pricing based on percentage of package volume over and above February 2020 volumes.

Weber Logistics has secured a 406,710-square-foot omni-channel distribution center (DC) in San Bernardino, CA. This newly constructed multi-client facility – Weber’s largest – is the company’s sixth DC in Southern California’s Inland Empire region and thirteenth DC within California.

Food companies looking to optimize their supply chains can do well to entrust operations to a third-party logistics provider (3PL) that specializes in food logistics services. They can distribute your products through the supply chain safely, while optimizing your business’s efficiency in the process. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the many food logistics services a 3PL can provide.

According to an article in Freight Waves, FedEx Freight is suspending outbound shipments for approximately 1,400 customers in heavily-congested regions across the U.S. This reduction in service is part of an effort to better manage the high levels of freight that are inundating its LTL terminals across the country. Companies were notified Friday and the changes took effect on Monday.

A recent article in Freight Waves examines the unfolding crisis at the Port of Yantian, a major Chinese seaport. Due to a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases in the region, manpower at the Port is down by 70% because due mainly to quarantine restrictions and testing requirements.

While the supply chain benefits of working with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider are commonly understood, some companies still feel uncertainty when negotiating the warehousing contract at the outset. In this article, we’ll examine some of the key contract considerations and provide helpful tips for getting warehousing relationships off on the right foot.

If you weren’t already convinced of the value of overweight container logistics, 2020 and now 2021 should have made it clear. It’s one of shippers’ most reliable tactics in mitigating the headaches and extremely high rates associated with the current ocean shipping landscape. In this article, we’ll examine these overweight container shipping benefits, with a specific focus on U.S. West Coast shipments.

As if supply chain professionals don’t have enough on their plate these days, we can now add the procurement of pallets to their list of concerns. A backbone of retail and grocery supply chains, pallets are now both hard to come by and much more expensive than they were prior to the pandemic.

Shipping delays that became common in the second half of 2020 continue to wreak havoc on supply chains in 2021. In March of this year, only 40% of container ships arrived on time at ports across the globe – compared to an average of 70% the last two years.

If your company is looking to expand sales channels to embrace omni-channel fulfillment, there are things you should understand before you get started. These include specific system and process requirements to properly expand from business-to-business (B2B) to business-to-consumer (B2C), and vice versa. In this article, we will look at the key requirements for each fulfilment channel to help you ensure you are set up with the unique capabilities that each requires.

While the logistics industry hopes for good news on the driver shortage front, recent labor statistics are not delivering. April numbers are down from March, and March’s numbers were lower than initially thought.

If you have priced LTL transportation for your products in recent months, chances are that you’ve seen prices rise. A lot.

While they may not realize it, consumer returns come at a substantial cost to consumers. For every $1 billion in sales, the average retailer is incurring $106 million in merchandise returns. That is over 10%. These costs are ultimately passed on to consumers as prices are inflated to cover the cost of returns.

If you’re considering working with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider for warehousing, it’s easy to get excited about the many services the 3PL can provide for your products. Before you sign on the dotted line, however, it’s important to understand and agree upon what happens in the event of an accident and/or damage to those products. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at 3PL warehouse insurance, including “who’s responsible for what” between you and your 3PL partner.

An article from the JOC shows that U.S. imports from Asia continued to climb in March. In fact, March was the second-busiest month on record, with imports jumping 22% from February and a whopping 90.5% compared to last March.

Record-breaking shipping volumes into the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue into Q2 and show no sign of letting up. This has contributed to container shortages and extremely high container shipping rates. In this article, we’ll explore a tactic to help mitigate some of the headaches associated with the current importing landscape: shipping overweight containers.

In our new segment, “Happening Now,” we share timely industry articles to keep our readers up to speed on important logistics news.

As we examined in our recent blog post on port congestion, ports across the U.S. – most notably the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – are experiencing severe backups due to increased import activity after the initial pandemic-related slowdown of 2020. The effects of these backups continue to be felt throughout the supply chains of importers. In this article, we focus on one piece of this port congestion puzzle: the West Coast chassis pools, specifically those at the Ports of LA and Long Beach.

Contrary to the high unemployment reported in other industries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, competition for logistics workforce talent is more heated than ever. In this article, we’ll examine the current logistics labor landscape and provide tips on how to attract and retain the talent you need to keep your operation moving forward.

In our new segment, “Happening Now,” we share timely industry articles to keep our readers up to speed on important logistics news.

A new article from Storage Solutions examines the costs related to honeycombing in the warehouse.  Simply put, "honeycombing" is the act of creating dead or vacant space in the warehouse that results in operational inefficiencies and higher costs.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly changed eCommerce business and eCommerce fulfillment. Shopping from home created unprecedented demand for parcel services, which the leading carriers responded to with higher parcel rates and, ultimately, diminished capacity. In this article, we’ll review the current parcel landscape and help you identify additional ways to lower your overall eCommerce costs.

In our new segment, “Happening Now,” we share timely industry articles to keep our readers up to speed on important logistics news.

Congestion issues at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are still creating a mess for trans-Pacific importers. Check out this Freight Waves article, which includes a flyover video of ships anchored within San Pedro Bay.

If you’re importing containers into the U.S., you may be limiting the weight of your containers in order to meet U.S. road weight limits. This is often a mistake as you’re likely shipping more containers than you need to and spending more for the entire import transportation process. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of the shipping overweight containers into the California Overweight Corridor and tell you what types of products make the most sense to ship overweight.

If you’re looking for a 3PL provider, you may begin to feel a bit like Goldilocks. You’ll encounter providers that feel “too big” and many that feel “too small” to handle your business effectively. For many companies, the “just right” 3PL is the mid-size provider that has the resources you require, plus the focused, personalized attention you expect. In this article, we’ll explore the advantages of working with a mid-size provider and help you determine if such a 3PL is “just right” for your business.

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt all along the supply chain. For ocean shipping and import operations, this impact continues to be severe, with ramifications expected to be felt well into 2021. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at one of those ramifications – port congestion at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – and get you up to speed on what’s happening at the Ports and what, if anything, you can do about it.

Ready to say goodbye to 2020? We can’t say we’re sad to see this year go either. But before we move into the new year, we’ll take one last look back. Here are the 5 most-read articles in our West Coast and California Logistics Blog this year.

If you’re a fan of chocolate (and who isn’t), chances are you’re very familiar with Lindt & Sprüngli. The renowned chocolatier has been in business since 1845, serving chocolate lovers all over the globe. A few years ago, they turned to Weber Logistics to provide a variety of refrigerated transport services in a very specific part of the globe – the U.S. West Coast. We recently wrote a case study on the relationship, which we preview in this article.

Weber Logistics has announced that Stellex Capital Management (Stellex), a middle-market private investment firm with significant transportation and logistics experience, has partnered with Weber’s management team in a recapitalization focused on accelerated expansion. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

No matter what your company sells, you’re in the logistics business. From receiving and storage of your products to getting them out to customers, there are many logistics operations that your business handles or oversees daily.

But, unless logistics is your business’s core focus, these key supply chain operations may be better left to the experts – while you focus on the elements (e.g., manufacturing and sales) within your realm of expertise.

Retail compliance requirements are more numerous than ever these days, creating challenges for retail vendors as they try to meet routing guide demands and avoid chargebacks. These chargebacks – vendor penalties for not following the retailer’s shipping guidelines – add a layer of stress for retail vendors and a solid revenue stream for the retailers themselves. In this article, we’ll examine the most common retail chargebacks that we see and tell you what you can do about them.

When importing containers from Asia and other overseas markets, many companies limit their container weights to meet U.S. road weight limits. This is often a mistake as shipping overweight containers can offer you very significant ocean cost savings. In this article, we will examine the benefits of overweight container shipping – and how a 3PL located near your chosen port can help you realize them.

The outsourcing of logistics services can be the move that supercharges a company’s operations, replacing headaches related to scale, staffing, and inefficiency, with a more efficient, flexible solution. Arriving at the decision to outsource, however, is not always easy. You need to determine if your operation is ready for such a leap, and then hurdle the barriers – whether real or perceived – your company may have about outsourcing. In this article, we’ll examine characteristics of companies ready to outsource and address the barriers that many prospective outsourcers have.

If you have retail customers, you are likely familiar with EDI. From shipping notices and order updates to purchase orders and invoices, EDI remains a workhorse of modern supply chain transactions – including those in eCommerce. In this article, we take a closer look at EDI in logistics, including its ramifications on vendor compliance.

Chemical warehousing, including the storage of hazardous materials, is a highly regulated undertaking with a substantial investment in both the physical storage environment and rigorous adherence to associated protocols, practices and paperwork required to ensure safety and compliance. If you are responsible for the storage and distribution of commercial chemicals, this article serves as a primer on key safety and compliance basics.

With its huge and growing population, California often serves as a key location for a company’s overall distribution operations. It’s usually Southern California – with its bright lights and huge ports – that people consider to be the region’s logistics hub. But with each passing year, more and more companies are learning about the benefits of basing operations a bit further north.

Let’s take a closer look at one of these major logistics markets – Stockton – and why a having a warehouse in Stockton could reduce your costs and improve overall distribution operations.

Do you need to accelerate your ecommerce strategy due to the recent 2020 pandemic? You are not alone. There has been a dramatic increase in online orders and the bar for service excellence is set high.

The B2C shipping channel is very different from B2B. Smaller orders, faster turnaround, more labor-intensive overpacking and parcel processing require system capabilities and expertise to maintain your margins. The right third-party logistics (3PL) partner can guide you through these changes, while offering the eCommerce warehouse infrastructure and experience you need to grow your direct-to-consumer business.

When you’re importing products into the U.S., there’s a lot that needs to happen before your items hit store shelves or a customer’s doorstep. And it often starts with port logistics services such as those provided by a third-party logistics (3PL) company. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at those services and the options you have for getting your goods quickly from port to consumer.

When companies seek to optimize their eCommerce operations, they’re generally looking to do two things: improve distribution speed and reduce costs. These factors of speed and cost are affected by many factors, including the location where fulfillment services are performed. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the advantages of West Coast eCommerce fulfillment and show you how – when it comes to speed and cost – the West may very well be the best for your operation.

When you partner with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider for chemical and hazmat warehousing, there’s a lot to consider during the vetting process. Among other steps, you’ll want to take a tour of the facility, interview management and associates, and ask for referrals. However, there is one other crucial component you don’t want to overlook: the auditing process.

Finding the right chemical storage facility for your products is an involved process. You’re not only looking for a third-party logistics (3PL) provider that can comply with all regulatory requirements, you’re looking for a partner that truly knows your product and can fit seamlessly into your existing supply chain. In this article, we’ll try to simplify the sourcing process and identify the top 4 factors you’ll need to consider when finding the right chemical 3PL partner.

When a disaster strikes such as the current COVID-19 outbreak, it’s a time when your business will truly need the support of its supply chain partners. Many 3PLs are showing that they will go to great lengths to ensure the continuity of customers’ operations. In this article, we’ll look at some of the ways your 3PL can keep your products flowing during this crisis – and what you can do to help.

Weber Logistics has added a 353,361-square-foot distribution center (DC) in Jurupa Valley, CA to its warehousing and distribution network. This multi-client facility, Weber’s largest, is the company’s fifth DC in Southern California’s Inland Empire region and twelfth DC within California.  

Weber Logistics has recently established new pool distribution hub operations in Kent and Vancouver, WA to deliver candy, snack and other food products to retail distribution centers throughout the Pacific Northwest. This new operation fills the hole left by United Warehousing’s exit from the market in the region.

In our last blog post, we examined some of the characteristics you should look for in a refrigerated truck carrier – specifically one that specializes in candy and snack products. In this article, we’ll drill down a step further and discuss what you need to look for in refrigerated LTL carriers, particularly those that operate on the West Coast. While most of these characteristics are the same across the country, there are a few West-Coast-specific items to keep an eye on.

Candy companies and other food and beverage companies need to move products to retailers ever faster, while remaining compliant with stringent food industry regulations. You can keep pace with these demands by installing effective logistics providers throughout your supply chain. In this article, we’ll examine one set of those providers – refrigerated truck carriers – and help you identify the right one for your business.

Candy products come in all shapes, sizes and colors, but share many of the same needs from a logistics standpoint. They all need to be carefully handled throughout the supply chain so that they reach customers exactly as intended. In this article, we’ll examine the cold chain logistics services a third-party logistics provider (3PL) can provide to protect the integrity of your products every step of the way.

Freight logistics professionals can learn something from Match.com - the dating service that links you with complimentary partners.

In freight, the perfect match can cut your freight costs 8% to 10%. This happens when like shippers who lack the volume to ship in full truckloads utilize pool distribution services to combine their freight into lower-cost truckload moves.

The trick is finding other shippers whose freight requirements match your own.

Before we look ahead to the new year, we’d like to look back at the year that was. Specifically, we’re going to share our top 3 blog posts of 2019, as determined by reader popularity. As we are a West Coast 3PL that writes a lot about West Coast logistics, it comes as no surprise that our most popular articles of the year all have a decidedly West Coast bent.

When your business is growing, shared warehousing with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) enables you to scale your warehousing investment to match your order volumes. Need more or less space? You can add or remove it based on your needs.

But, what happens with a mature business that is flying high and wants a more customized distribution solution? Companies in this situation often turn to a contract warehouse model to support their supply chains. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at contract warehousing and when it may be a good fit for your operation.

Conventional wisdom tells you not to put all your eggs in one basket. In the logistics industry, however, this isn’t always good advice. By leaning on one third-party logistics services provider (3PL) for each leg of the distribution cycle, you may find greater efficiency and improved operational success than you would sourcing à la carte.

In this article, we’ll examine the benefits of an integrated logistics services approach.

It wasn’t that long ago that simply having a sophisticated warehouse management system (WMS) was a major selling point for third-party logistics (3PL) providers. Over time, however, this technology has become commonplace, with just about all 3PLs having their own WMS bells and whistles to advertise.

But, while having a full-featured WMS may no longer be a differentiator for 3PLs, the way a 3PL uses the system certainly can be.

For consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies, efficiency is the name of the game. Your online customers expect faster delivery, while your retailer KPIs continue to multiply and grow in importance. Understandably, many CPG companies struggle to keep up with these increasing demands. In this article, we’ll examine where many companies are falling short, and show you how third-party logistics providers (3PLs) can be invaluable allies in overcoming CPG supply chain inefficiencies.

Warehouse labor is hard to come by. With national unemployment the lowest it’s been in 50 years, there are simply more jobs than there are people to fill those jobs. There is no easy remedy for attracting and retaining warehouse talent in this economy, but there are ways to adapt. Following are some important ways that your warehousing operation can navigate this ‘full employment’ economy.

When there’s not enough supply of a product to meet demand in the marketplace, consumers of that product are negatively impacted until the product is available again. But, what happens when the ‘supply’ refers to the very people responsible for moving products through the country’s supply chain?

As the economy continues to thrive, there simply aren’t enough warehouse workers to fill the number of warehousing jobs available. In this article, we’ll examine the current challenges associated with warehouse recruitment and give you insight into the way some third-party logistics (3PL) providers are handling the situation.

If you’ve been following operations at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in recent years, the trend looks something like this: the Ports continually break new volume records, truck turn times remain high, and officials vow to speed things up.  The calls for speed reached a fever pitch in Q1 of this year as freight piled up at the Ports in the wake of U.S.-China tariff announcements.  Fortunately for shippers, enhancements are in place to speed container drayage in Los Angeles and Long Beach now and in the future.

For companies of a certain size, there’s an age-old debate over how to best handle transportation services.  Is it best to go-it-alone and handle your own transportation through a private fleet?  Or, it is better to partner with a third-party logistics (3PL) provider that offers dedicated transportation services?  We’ll take a fresh look at these two options in this article while adding a new wrinkle: the option of partnering with dedicated providers that can also offer on-demand transportation.

With the state supreme court’s Dynamex decision, followed by its Senate Bill 1402 (SB 1402), California’s position on the hiring of independent owner-operators by drayage carriers is now firmly established.  In short, the state asserts that many of these contractors are not independent after all – and those that claim to be acting as employees of the hiring companies have solid legal ground to sue for wages and benefits. 

Many beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) have seen the writing on the wall and are protecting themselves from possible legal and financial penalties by turning away from drayage carriers who engage contractors.  Others are not yet reacting, while still others may not even be aware of recent legal precedents.  In this article, we’ll get you up to speed on these developments and help you determine whether your prospective carrier’s drivers in California are actually considered to be on that carrier’s payroll or are sub-contractors.

Weber Logistics has been named a 2019 Top 3PL Provider by the editors of Inbound Logistics Magazine. 

Drayage is technically just another transportation service.  A driver picks up a load and then delivers it.

With port drayage, however, this simple process becomes much more complex.  Navigating seaport terminals is a tricky business on a good day and can become extremely difficult as rules change from terminal-to-terminal, or even hour-to-hour.  To navigate the ports effectively – and avoid wasting time and money – shippers need to ensure the drayage carriers they work with have a roster of experienced drayage drivers. 

If you’re selling online, chances are you’re selling on Amazon.  And, if you’re selling on Amazon, you want to be Prime-certified to reach Amazon’s 100+ million Prime customers.  These ‘frequent flyers’ spend an average of 1,400 per year[i] on the site. 

To become Prime-certified, many sellers go straight to the source and let Amazon handle fulfillment through their Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program.  But there is another Prime-friendly option available to you: Seller Fulfilled Prime (SFP).  In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this Amazon seller fulfillment program and the ways in which it differs from FBA.

When it comes to Southern California logistics, there’s never a dull moment.  The region is home to the busiest ports in the country, while the state continues to dramatically alter the way logistics gets done through an array of unique regulations.  In this article, we’ll get you up to speed on some of the recent SoCal supply chain developments during the first half of 2019.

If you’re a manufacturer, supplier or any other type of company seeking to do business with big box retailers, a key word to consider is “compliance.”  Every retailer has its own distribution infrastructure – complete with its own processes and procedures that allow products to flow through to stores in the most efficient manner possible.  They expect vendors to adhere to these processes and procedures. In this article, we’ll examine the most important aspects of retail compliance so that you can enjoy successful, long-lasting relationships with your retail partners.

You’re ready to outsource your warehousing operations to a 3PL that has the expertise, technology, and capabilities to handle your unique business day in and day out.  One of the first questions a 3PL will ask is if you are interested in dedicated or shared warehouse services.  Or, if you have been in a shared 3PL service contract for a while and your business has grown significantly, would it benefit you to move to a dedicated solution?  In this article, we’ll briefly explain what each of these services entails and then examine ‘the four Cs’ to consider when choosing between the two choices.

If your company produces or markets food and beverage products, the safety and integrity of those products mean everything to your business.  It’s ill-advised then to entrust key components of your supply chain to just any 3PL.  With product safety and integrity in mind, we examined 5 things to look for in a food warehousing provider in our previous blog post.  In this article, we’re going to move things out of the warehouse, onto the loading dock and into the trailer as we examine 5 things you should be looking for in a food-grade carrier. 

When you entrust your food and confectionery products to a food warehousing provider, you’re relying on that company to be much more than a provider of space.  You’re really relying on them to be a partner that will work to protect the integrity of your products through every step of the supply chain.  And, while every 3PL warehousing company will promise to be just that, you must find one that truly “walks the walk.”  In this article, we identify 5 things that you should look for in a warehousing provider before entrusting them with your food or confectionery products.

Carriers are having a rough go of it as of late.  The truck driver shortage has left them scrambling to find new drivers to fill seats vacated by those retiring, leaving the industry, or switching jobs.  There just aren’t enough new drivers to fill the void. 

In most parts of the country, carriers can augment their company driver force with independent truck drivers (“owner-operators”) to fill in service gaps.  When it comes to logistics in California, however, this has become difficult due to regulations and landmark court decisions that alter the way drivers are classified in the state.  In this article, we’ll examine some of these and explain why the ramifications ultimately affect shippers just as much as carriers. 

California may be the Golden State, but its green initiatives are the most far-reaching in the U.S.  The state has a host of agencies and regulations whose aim is to substantially reduce greenhouse gases and other emissions.  At the heart of these efforts is the California Truck and Bus Regulation, which seeks to reduce emissions from heavy trucks and buses. 

Food manufacturers who sell through traditional food distribution companies must absorb a significant price mark-up on route to the retailer, raising their prices on the shelf.  Some food companies could benefit from using a third party logistics provider (3PL) that specializes in storage and distribution of food products direct to grocery chains. 

With two new additions and one well-deserved promotion, Weber Logistics is pleased to announce the newest members of its leadership team.   These new team members bring over 50 combined years of experience to Weber customers. 

If you’re looking to establish a logistics hub on the West Coast, California makes practical sense. Its ports and transportation infrastructure, as well as its economic and population advantages, make the state one of the world’s foremost logistics centers.

But doing business here requires an understanding of the state’s unique regulatory environment. In this article, we will examine some of these regulatory hurdles and provide you with information to navigate them effectively.

Shipping containers across the ocean to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is a big job with a big impact on your company’s supply chain.  It can also come with a big price tag, especially when you’re dealing with overweight containers.  This price tag can be greatly reduced, however, by partnering with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) that specializes in overweight container logistics. 

A strong economy means good times for business, right?  Generally speaking, the answer is yes, but there are some nasty side effects of economic strength.  In the logistics industry, one of these side effects is the difficulty in attracting and retaining talent in a high-employment market.

The three states that border the Pacific Ocean are home to 48 million people, with the states just slightly inland adding millions more to the population of the “Western U.S.”  With such a sizable chunk of the U.S. population residing in these Western states, West region distribution is a vital part of the supply chains of companies whose products originate in the Central and Eastern U.S. 

In recent years, however, multiple factors – the truck driver shortage chief among them – have made long-haul truck runs to the West Coast increasingly unreliable and inefficient.  The response of many companies has been to focus less on shipping West and, instead, store products in a West Coast distribution center operated by a third-party logistics provider (3PL).

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: we’re in the midst of a truck driver shortage.  

While we may feel that we’ve reached the saturation point in hearing – and reading – about this shortage, the related headlines aren’t going away any time soon.  That’s because the shortage isn’t going away any time soon.  In fact, we can only expect to hear more about it as the impact to the trucking industry and the nation’s economy continues to worsen. 

With logistics in California, one of the major areas where this impact is being felt is container drayage.  The shortage of drayage drivers has recently returned to the headlines as there aren’t enough drivers to handle rising volumes in advance of tariffs and an interest rate hike.  In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this shortage and what you, as an importer, can do to keep your drayage freight moving to and from the ports. 

We’re coming to the end of 2018 and preparing for 2019 – and you know what that means: year-end “best of” lists.  And, while our list may not be as entertaining as the “top 10 movies of 2018” rankings you’ll see in your social media feeds, we hope that you find it valuable.  Here, we present the three Weber Logistics blog posts that were most popular among our readers in 2018.

Storing different temperature-sensitive products together is a little like running a pet store.  While they may have very different care requirements, a lizard, a puppy, and a goldfish can all co-exist safely under the same pet shop roof provided their individual needs are met. 

The same holds true in the warehouse, as products with totally different – and often opposite – requirements can be stored together safely as long as appropriate measures are taken. 

If you need to get across town fast and your choices are a taxi cab or public transit, you’d likely prefer the cab.

Times being what they are, however, the price of that cab ride might drive you to the bus stop. But what if you could share an air-conditioned cab ride with others going to the exact same place, and pay about the same as the cost of the bus ride?

Welcome to pool distribution. Direct car service for a mass transit price.

Growing from 100 orders per month to 15,000 per month.  For most companies, that’s a dream come true.  But if you have the wrong solution in place for eCommerce order fulfillment, that’s a dream that may never materialize.  Here at Weber, this type of quick growth spurt can, and has, happened with eCommerce order fulfillment clients.  The only way to handle it is to have an operation that can seamlessly scale to meet the uptick in demand. 

Does your logistics operation source drayage services in California?  If so, read on as new legal developments in the state can put you on the hook for damages if the drayage provider you hire is misclassifying employees as independent owner/operators.

This latest shot across the bow in California’s labor battles comes in the form of California Senate Bill 1402 (SB 1402).  The Bill was signed by Governor Brown on September 22, 2018 and will take effect on January 1, 2019.  In this article, we’ll summarize the new Bill and explain what it means for shippers and other companies that hire port drayage companies in the state of California.

California.  A very big state with a very big population.  In fact, it’s the largest consumer market in the U.S. and thus a very sensible place to have a distribution center.  Making California even more sensible, from a distribution perspective, is the fact that most of the Pan-Pacific freight arrives via its ports.  For many companies, these combined facts make logistics strategy simple: place a DC in California close to the arriving port and the West Coast distribution riddle is solved.

Looking a bit closer, however, we can see that West Coast distribution isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.  In this article, we’ll take a closer look at choosing the right California warehouse space for your company and the impact it has on your port-to-market speed.

When considering all the costs involved in getting your containerized goods from port to market, it’s easy to think of all the “big” things that drive up your spend.  These big-ticket items include your ocean carrier, drayage, and warehousing costs. 

As your container makes its way through your supply chain, however, there’s a smaller – but cumulatively significant – cost that is likely eating away at your margins: the chassis rental fee.  In this article, we’ll examine key ways to reduce this fee and improve the profitability of your operation.

Many companies will choose to have their ocean carrier perform “port-to-door” drayage services.  While this approach may be convenient, it can also be detrimental to your port-to-market distribution speed as it’s easy to become a small fish in a big ocean carrier pond. When you turn to an asset-based carrier such as a 3PL provider for drayage, its assets are as good as yours.

Your company has made a cost-driven decision to manufacturer in Asia and import from Asia back into the U.S.  The by-product of that decision is a much lengthier supply chain and cash cycle.  Your job, in logistics, is to mitigate the negative impacts of your import supply chain by designing an efficient U.S. distribution strategy.  And one of the first things you will need to decide is your destination port. For this decision, you’ll need to look at the impact of port location on time-to-market, customer satisfaction, freight costs and inventory costs. 

Weber Logistics has opened a new port drayage facility in Long Beach, CA, less than 1 mile from the port.  Situated within the Overweight Corridor, this new facility will handle Los Angeles and Long Beach port drayage services, as well as transloading, and weight reduction for overweight loads to make them compliant with California highway regulations. 

There’s a new supply chain mantra in the post-Amazon era, and that mantra is SPEED.

Whether you are delivering to retailers or consumers, or both, customers want products faster in a more predictable time window.

If you import from Asia, your company has made a strategic decision to lengthen its supply chain to lower actual product costs. While you can’t control this decision, you can control how goods are transported and what happens once a container hits U.S. shores. It’s here that you can make a real difference to your company’s financial health by reducing supply chain cycle time and shrinking the cash cycle.

Weber Logistics has opened a 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Eastvale, CA (Inland Empire Region) for distribution of food and consumer packaged goods for multiple clients.

As container volumes at West Coast ports continue to increase year after year, it’s becoming more difficult to move those containers inland.  The problem?  Container drayage companies simply don’t have enough drivers to meet demand.  And, when you are fortunate enough to secure dray capacity, you can expect to pay 10 to 15% more than you were just a few years ago. 

Just as Scotch is to transparent tape and Kleenex is to tissue paper, Amazon is synonymous with eCommerce.  If you’re selling products online, chances are a sizeable portion of your efforts take place on Amazon’s site with its 197 million users per month. 

But, just because Amazon’s marketplace is where you want your products to be, doesn’t mean that Amazon’s fulfillment service (Fulfillment By Amazon – FBA) is the best method for you to store your products and ship them after sale on Amazon or anywhere else.  There are many third-party logistics (3PL) providers that, although smaller than FBA, are just as adept at handling your eCommerce fulfillment services.

California’s Central Valley consists of all or part of 19 counties in the center of the state – extending from Bakersfield in the South up near Redding in the north.  It’s home to the state capitol of Sacramento, and is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world.  In addition to “the Big Tomato” (one of Sacramento’s many nicknames) and the over 230 crops grown in the Valley (tomatoes included), the Central Valley is home to a burgeoning logistics industry. 

In fact, when it comes to balancing location and cost, Central Valley logistics offers a combination of the two that is unparalleled on the West Coast. 

True or false: when a retailer issues a chargeback penalty to you, the fine is permanent and indisputable. 

In our experience as a 3PL provider, we find that chargebacks can be based on incorrect or incomplete information and are often worthy candidates for dispute. 

In this article, we’ll provide tips to help you fight these chargebacks and reverse unwarranted penalties. 

Just as Hollywood blockbuster films get more notoriety than independent films, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach tend to get all the attention when it comes to the movement of inbound container freight to the West Coast.  After all, these ports are the busiest in the U.S. and have set new volume records yet again in 2017.

As with a well-crafted indie film, however, the Port of Oakland should not be overlooked.  It set records of its own in 2017, is increasingly relied upon as a port of entry for U.S. importers, and is a cornerstone of logistics in California.

It was a great day for your business – Costco agreed to carry your product, both in stores and online. Awesome!  

Your team worked hard for this deal and, after the celebration, you went home for some much-needed rest before starting to tackle this great new opportunity the next day with your current third party logistics partner (3PL).

That night, a vivid dream transports you to your desk the following morning. You call your 3PL provider to begin discussing a rapid ramp-up process for planned volume increases. But instead of excitement about the new opportunity, your 3PL instead expresses concern and tempers your expectations about what can be done and how fast.

Whether it’s your first time outsourcing or you’re changing providers, partnering with a new third-party logistics (3PL) provider is an exciting time for your logistics operation.  It is a time for your weaknesses to be turned into strengths and for vital elements of your supply chain to be optimized.  As part of this, your 3PL will be focused on enhancing your performance in the eyes of your retailer partners, and meeting – and exceeding – your retail compliance requirements.  And it all begins during the onboarding process. 

Transloading is by no means a new method of product distribution, but the rationale for implementing it has changed over the years.   In the past, transload operations were primarily a cost-savings play as the contents of multiple 20-foot and 40-foot ocean containers can fit into relatively fewer 53-foot domestic trailers.  This results in fewer trips and therefore lower costs.   With the “Amazon-ization” of the supply chain, however, transloading – and its ally, deconsolidation – continues to thrive as a go-to strategy for a different reason: speeding order-to-delivery time. 

Created in the aftermath of 9/11, the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) was formed to strengthen and protect foreign trade and U.S. border security.  It is a private-public partnership between the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and companies such as importers, exporters and many other supply chain professionals.  By pursuing C-TPAT certification, member companies can enjoy a variety of supply chain benefits that can boost operational safety and efficiency.  For some companies, however, these benefits may not outweigh the effort needed to meet requirements. 

Handing all or part of your food distribution operation over to a third-party logistics (3PL) provider may seem like a leap of faith.  After all, you’re relying on the 3PL’s ability to maintain food quality throughout the distribution cycle and to keep your company compliant with FDA and other requirements.  But with the proper due diligence, you can be confident in a provider’s ability to drive superior performance in all areas, from compliance and safety to operational execution and cost control. 

Here are a few key questions you should ask as part of your qualification process for food distribution partners. 

When outsourcing warehouse distribution, it’s essential to find the right 3PL partner. One that understands how to run a food-grade warehouse and remain in compliance with all regulatory requirements. 

There is no shortage of third-party logistics providers (3PLs) that claim chemical logistics expertise and have space for your hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals.  But, separating the seasoned pros from the less qualified operations can be difficult.  In this post, we identify 5 tips to help you find the right 3PL provider for safe and reliable chemical warehousing solutions.

When it comes to eating too much candy, some people find it a hard habit to break.  And, when it comes to candy transportation, many confectionery shippers have a few bad habits of their own.  The following details three common examples.

In modern baseball, the analysis of player performance has less to do with time-honored traits (e.g., power, speed, agility) and increasingly more to do with metrics.  With these metrics, teams define the “best” players as those that perform well in key statistical areas like “on-base percentage” and “slugging percentage” – not necessarily who can hit the ball the farthest.  

The same is true in the modern supply chain, where – like baseball analysts – retailers keep score and measure statistics. And that close scrutiny ultimately increases the pressure on you, the retail supplier.

Air freight shipping.  In the eCommerce world, it’s a major component of everyday business.  For freight shippers outside of eCommerce, however, it’s far less common than truck, rail, and ocean transport.

“Can you transport products with different temperatures together and do it safely?” 

If performed incorrectly, hazardous material storage can be an extremely dangerous undertaking.  A single slip up or oversight doesn’t just impact line items on a balance sheet, it puts lives at risk.  With the right provider, however, hazmat storage can be just as safe as the storage of any non-hazmat item. 

There is currently no solid national solution for long-haul, temperature-controlled LTL shipments between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.  Consequently, candy manufacturers and other shippers with this temperature requirement use a multi-stop truckload solution to move goods to retailers in different regions. This strategy poses increasing problems as TL capacity tightens and as retailers levy tougher penalties for shipments that don’t hit requested arrival dates (RADs). For shippers feeling this pinch, a pool distribution strategy may be a lower-risk, lower-cost alternative.

For many companies, Mexico has long been an ideal manufacturing location due to lower costs and close proximity to American consumers.  What has often been less than ideal, however, is the distribution of those finished goods after they leave the plant.  Mexico logistics is often fraught with hurdles such as border uncertainties, inadequate warehouse capacity, and security concerns.  To overcome these hurdles, many companies are enjoying the best of both worlds: manufacturing in Mexico and shipping finished goods to a U.S. logistics facility for distribution. 

When your container reaches its destination port, a lot needs to happen before your goods get to market. At this point, it is possible to begin incurring accessorial charges, which can pile up quickly. In this blog post, we’ll cover detention charges in shipping – one of the most common charges you’ll want to avoid after your container hits the port. 

The logistics question of where to locate your company’s distribution centers and how many you should have is pretty complex. Some consultants charge tens of thousands of dollars to gather the details and develop a software-aided recommendation.

But if you import goods via the Port of LA or Long Beach and you’ve made the choice to distribute from Southern California, analyzing the best SoCal warehouse location is a bit easier to do.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the busiest ports in the U.S., handling over $450 billion worth of goods each year.  This kind of volume leads to congestion that can really slow down your supply chain, and your cash cycle.  If you are importing into LA or Long Beach, here are 5 tips that can save you time, money, and quite a few headaches.   

For online sellers, Amazon.com is a major double edged sword.

On the plus side, the marketplace gives sellers direct access to 250 million buyers. According to Forbes, 4 of every 10 dollars spent online goes to Amazon. Sellers can’t afford not to list their goods there, and Amazon knows it – which brings us to the other side of that very sharp sword.

Several types of chemicals occupying the same storage facility.  Sounds dangerous, right?  It doesn’t need to be. 

Walmart’s relationship with its suppliers has made headlines recently as the retail giant implements its new On Time In Full (OTIF) policy that will dole out fines for late, early, and incorrect deliveries. 

Do you ever feel like breaking out of the everyday routine and trying a new dinner spot? Well before hopping in the car and driving aimlessly, try turning to the internet to find suggestions and reviews of a few places. Now what are the key things most people look for in a restaurant? Perhaps… parking availability, the ambiance of the venue, hi-tech ordering gadgets, cleanliness of the restrooms, or price on the menu? Those are all good characteristics to review, however, don’t forget the most important of all… SERVICE!

A lack of service can ruin an entire dinner experience and detour you from ever returning regardless of how tasty the food was. Just as you evaluate and value the service at a restaurant, you should evaluate and value the service of a potential third party logistics warehouse. By service we are referring to “associate engagement” within the 3PL. For many companies in the market for a new 3PL partner, there will be an intense focus on the economics, contract provisions, possibly IT capabilities, however, we know that when associates are engaged in our business and more importantly, in our client’s business, we win and our clients win. If you can refuse to go back to the restaurant, why should your product keep going back to a warehouse with poor service?

For large-volume importers, drayage costs and port fees can eat up a good chunk of the transportation budget. So it pays to dig in and understand where the money is being spent and whether smarter, cheaper alternatives exist.

3PL partnerships work best when both parties are engaged and understand each other.  Like any relationship, it takes some work to get to the ideal level of partnership.  The 2017 Annual Study on the State of Logistics Outsourcing published by Dr. C. John Langley stated:  91% of 3PL users and 97% of 3PL providers reported that their relationships are successful and that their work is yielding positive results. 

Following are three keys to establishing an effective successful relationship and avoid a costly breakup and transition.

Holding your 3PL accountable to deliver on the service promise can be difficult.  However, a key component of that is monitoring key performance indicators (KPI’s).

Throughout my career in logistics, teamwork has been an essential – and rewarding -- part of my operational SOP. Everyone’s role is vital in a successful operation;that synergy ultimatelydrives productivity, quality, and timeliness. 

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season are critical periods for many companies. For both brick-and-mortar retailers and online merchants, the holidays may be the year's peak sales period, representing in excess of 50% of their annual business. With so much on the line, it is critical to be prepared.

As a company grows, so does its need for new talent, and in today’s workforce there are several generations to choose from. One can select from the well-seasoned Baby Boomer to the green bushytailed Millennials, each with their own strengths. Figuring out the correct balance for a company can be a challenge and takes some understanding of where the company stands in its development. All customers, regardless of their respective generations, are looking for the same things from a 3PL: timely communication, meeting delivery times, and avoiding additional cost. 

Keep in mind the following when dealing with different generations.  

• Be aware of preferred work styles: Boomers tend to prefer detailed instruction and guidance while Gen X and Millennials work better on teams.
• Adopting effective communication: This is key for effective and timely communication. Understanding the preferred method of communicating that a customer wants can alleviate communication barriers. For Veterans and Boomers a fixed hour work week can mean they are not reachable after a certain time as they typically prefer a phone call or personal conversation. Millennials, on the other hand, have communicated via technology all their lives, and are continuously connected and readily available as such -- a text message later in the evening many not be intruding.  
• -Identifying the most successful feedback techniques: Understanding how the generations view feedback can help avoid pestering clients with hourly updates, or on the flip side, worrying them with minimal updates. Developing a relationship with customers can lead to a clearer and tailored feedback channel. A “No news is good news,” approach may suit a Boomer client, but the same approach would not be suitable for a connected Millennials utilizing live feed software.
• Recognize the different reactions to conflict: Avoiding conflict should be a primary goal in every customer relationship. However, when problems occur, understanding what approach a customer will take can expedite solutions. Whether the customer expresses their concerns via a corporate hierarchy as a sign of respect as is frequent with Boomers, or take an immediate and direct approach as is seen in Gen Y, they are both looking for relief. With this understanding one can present solutions to the right parties or teams both timely and directly, making best use of everyone’s time.

Your products are the life blood of your business. Their secure movement through the supply chain, from manufacturing point to final delivery to your customer, is critical to your success.

We all face the drive to “get it done” and usually it means “get it done right now!”  But sometimes in the rush to mark the next item off our “to do” lists, we stop listening. We stop engaging our partners – and we stop listening to constructive dissent which is often the last best defense we have against really getting it wrong!

There are many transportation services to choose from when deciding which one is the right fit for your business.  A company with robust assets – a fleet of actual trucks providing service – paired with a strong network of carrier partners (brokerage) is able to provide a comprehensive, cost-effective transportation solution that may well be the best fit for your needs.

You realize that partnering with a 3PL service provider can save you money and expand your capabilities.  Yes! Good idea!  Partnering with a 3PL is a smart option to take your business to the next level with a variable cost structure, flexible capacity along with technology and expertise to improve your supply chain.  What are some keys to get the solution you need?