California Logistics Blog | West Coast | Weber Logistics

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

0 Comments

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.

Feb 21, 2019 / by Jerry Critchfield posted in Southern California Ports, West Coast Distribution, Port Logistics, Third Party Logistics, west coast warehouses, Transload, Inland Empire Warehouse, overweight

0 Comments

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.

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

0 Comments

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.

Sep 13, 2018 / by Weber Logistics posted in Southern California Ports, Port Logistics, west coast warehouses, Distribution

1 Comment

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.

Aug 30, 2018 / by Weber Logistics posted in Southern California Ports, West Coast Distribution, Port Logistics, weber logistics news, Drayage

0 Comments

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, as well as transloading, and weight reduction for overweight loads to make them compliant with California highway regulations.

Aug 23, 2018 / by Weber Logistics posted in Southern California Ports, West Coast Distribution, Port Logistics, Third Party Logistics, west coast warehouses, 3PL Outsourcing, Drayage, Northern California 3PL, Warehouse, supply chain cycle time

0 Comments

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.

Jul 26, 2018 / by Jerry Critchfield posted in Port Logistics, Drayage

0 Comments

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.

May 24, 2018 / by Bob Lilja posted in Port Logistics, Northern California 3PL

0 Comments

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 and is increasingly relied upon as a port of entry for U.S. importers.

Apr 12, 2018 / by Jerry Critchfield posted in West Coast Distribution, Port Logistics, Distribution

0 Comments

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.

Mar 29, 2018 / by Bob Lilja posted in Port Logistics, C-TPAT

0 Comments

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.

West Coast and California Logistics Blog

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

Overweight Container Logistics at the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach

How to Reduce Your Chassis Rental Fee

Importing from Asia: Selecting the Right Shipping Port

Weber Opens New Long Beach Drayage Facility

FROM PORT TO MARKET: How to Speed Distribution of Asian Imports to West Coast Ports

Container Drayage Companies: Securing Reliable Capacity Despite the Driver Shortage

Advantages of the Port of Oakland for Import Freight

Product Distribution: Shrink Order-to-Delivery Cycle Time with Transloading and Deconsolidation

C-TPAT Certification: Is it right for you?

Subscribe to Instant Updates

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic