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Why Carriers are Stepping Away from Independent Truck Drivers in CA – and Why Shippers Should Care

Apr 11, 2019 / by Jerry Critchfield posted in Southern California Ports, West Coast Distribution, Port Logistics, Third Party Logistics, 3PL, Transportation Strategies, 3PL Outsourcing, Labor issues, Regional Logistics, Logistics Compliance, logistics in California

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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. 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.

Jan 24, 2019 / by Robert Deiro posted in West Coast Distribution, Public Warehousing, Third Party Logistics, 3PL, west coast warehouses, 3PL Outsourcing, Regional Logistics, Distribution Center, Distribution, Warehouse

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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).

Dec 21, 2018 / by Weber Logistics posted in 3PL, Vendor Compliance, eCommerce Fulfillment, Metrics-KPIs

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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.

Nov 29, 2018 / by Weber Logistics posted in Southern California Ports, West Coast Distribution, Third Party Logistics, 3PL, west coast warehouses, 3PL Outsourcing, eCommerce Fulfillment, Pick and Pack, Multi Channel Fulfillment

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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.

Oct 18, 2018 / by Jerry Critchfield posted in Southern California Ports, West Coast Distribution, Port Logistics, Third Party Logistics, 3PL, 3PL Outsourcing, Drayage, Peak Season Shipping, 3pl contracts

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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.

May 17, 2018 / by Arlene Slivka posted in 3PL, 3PL Outsourcing, 3pl contracts

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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.

Jul 26, 2017 / by Steve Buckman posted in Third Party Logistics, 3PL, 3PL Outsourcing

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The retailers and manufacturers who use third party logistics (3PL) services agree: logistics outsourcing is an effective strategy to drive down operating costs, while improving service. But one area that can be a sticking point is 3PL contracts. We’ve got some tips to make this process go smoother.

Jan 13, 2017 / by Arlene Slivka posted in 3PL, Management, Solution

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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.

Jan 6, 2017 / by Mimi Ma posted in 3PL, Metrics-KPIs, Onboarding

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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).

Oct 6, 2016 / by Arlene Slivka posted in 3PL, Pricing, Solution

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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?

West Coast and California Logistics Blog

Why Carriers are Stepping Away from Independent Truck Drivers in CA – and Why Shippers Should Care

Let a 3PL’s West Coast Distribution Center Help You During the Driver Shortage

The Top Weber Logistics Blog Posts of 2018

The Importance of Scalability in ECommerce Order Fulfillment

How to Reduce Your Chassis Rental Fee

Finding the Right 3PL Provider: Is Your Growth Journey a Logistics Dream or Nightmare?

Negotiating 3PL Contracts

Managing Client Relationships

A Spotlight on KPI Metrics: On-Time Shipping

How to Get a Good 3PL Solution

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