Tips For Planning Winter LTL Shipping In Winters
Ned Stark prophesied, “Winter is Coming.” The famous Game of Thrones character may have been alluding to a dramatic shift in the fictional kingdom of Westeros, but for businesses that move goods across the United States, winter presents a real challenge. Shippers need to be innovative when dealing with the challenges of winter LTL shipments since modern clients have less tolerance for weather-related delays.
A few crucial suggestions for organizing your shipments during the cold winter are listed below.
What Impact Does Winter Weather Have On LTL Shipments?
We are all aware that inclement weather, especially precipitation, is the primary reason for shipment delays throughout the winter months. Bad weather may cause major delays in the delivery of freight throughout the United States, whether it be LTL or a package sent by FedEx, UPS, or USPS. Bad weather may affect logistics in a few distinct ways.
Equipment Damage
Most people would think that bad weather is the main reason for shipping delays, but damage to equipment is a typical problem as well. The tight traffic isn’t the only contributing factor, however. Equipment used to transport goods might be damaged by bad weather.
Congestion
Inclement weather is a major hindrance to the timely delivery of goods. When snow accumulates, it may freeze into solid ice, effectively shutting down roads. One of the things that is difficult to forecast or manage is the level of safety, which is always the top priority in any sector.
Since it is impossible to control the weather, it is up to the shipper to implement several critical measures that will lessen the delays and damage that are inevitable throughout the winter. Here are six things that freight transporters may do to prepare for and respond to bad weather.
Know Your Capacity
The first thing to keep in mind when shipping during the winter is that there is no need to hurry. Knowing how much freight you can send is an excellent approach to guarantee this.
Interact With Your Clients
Customers may be less likely to get unhappy if they are informed of possible weather-related shipping delays. The most crucial point to keep in mind is the need to be proactive in your communication. Don’t leave them in the dark about the possibility of delays due to weather.
Develop A Strategy For Incoming Shipping Delays
A bad storm doesn’t care who you are. You could not get the things you need in time if the roads are in bad shape or there’s a major storm. Since this is the case, many businesses keep larger stockpiles of goods during the colder months. When you make sure you never run out of raw materials or supplies, you’ll never have to tell consumers that their shipments were delayed because of the weather, even if it’s 60 degrees and sunny.
Be Wary Of Delivery Assurances
Use caution when considering delivery promises; many businesses provide such assurances. On the other hand, bad weather may seriously damage relationships with clients. To avoid this, it’s important to exercise caution while making freight shipping commitments.
Install Emergency Power Systems
Transporting goods forth or inward is not always the major problem. In the event of a power outage due to bad weather, factories may be forced to halt output. Having a backup power system, such as generators or another source, may help businesses keep production on track and minimize losses when primary power is interrupted.
Establish "Make-Up Days"
This procedure is useful for businesses that have tight manufacturing deadlines. In the event that inclement weather (especially snow) forces you to close for a day or two, it may be worthwhile to allow workers to make up lost time if you want to keep everything running on time. This is also relevant to your logistical plan. In the event of a delay, communicate with your LTL carriers to see if they can pick up on days when they are not normally scheduled to.
We are all aware that bad weather may occur at any moment, but it usually strikes when it is least expected. However, if you take the six precautions we’ve outlined above, you can deal with most weather-related delays without interrupting your business or damaging customer service. If you have any query, contact Vineyard Brokerage at (317) 939- 3769 and we will be happy to help.
