What You Must Know About The Trucking Industry In January 2023
Another year has passed in the field of transportation, and we can now breathe easy. This is certainly not something to be brushed off. It’s safe to say that many supply chains have had a rough go of it during the last 12 months.
A whole year has passed, and with it came many experiences, lessons, carefree times, days that seemed to linger forever, and weeks that seemed to fly by. It wasn’t without its difficulties, but we think we came out better on the other side.
We can’t dwell on previous tribulations and successes, however.
Let’s ignore the past and focus on what lies ahead. Even if the slate has been wiped clean, the transportation sector continues to churn along with all of its unique complexities intact.
Dry Van Trucking Market In January
The dry van transportation industry is bustling 24/7, every day of the year. These trailers, which are universally acknowledged as the backbone of the trucking industry, provide services to businesses whose operations require the transportation of cargo across different sectors.
Dry van trailers have witnessed a rise in demand and applications in recent years, particularly following the introduction of the coronavirus in 2020.
However, dry van trucking businesses and their drivers have always seen January as a weaker month.
After December 25, the shopping season ends quickly, and package deliveries, which made up a big part of the dry van market, slow down a lot. This means that the need for dry van trailer space goes down in general.
In addition, after taking a well-deserved rest for the holidays, dry-van truckers tend to go back on the road in a big way during the first weeks of January.
So, if your organization uses dry van trailers to transport goods, you could have an easier time reserving space in January, particularly at short notice. This will also help you stick to your dry van shipping budget for the month of January.
Open-Deck Transportation In January
The open-deck transportation industry remains stable between December and January. The open-deck environment often stabilizes by the end of January, so this month can be counted on if for nothing else.
Large construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing projects that kept flatbeds, step-decks, and lowboy trailers (to name a few) going strong throughout the year are often completed in November.
As a result, open-deck truck drivers across the country will either see their workload decrease or switch to driving dry vans in December.However, open-deck freight traffic improves in January.
However, the second month of winter adds considerable complexity to open-deck mobility.
It is not unusual for flatbed shipments to be delayed in the northern states due to the difficulty of driving in inclement weather. Getting these shipments to their destinations faster can be expensive, especially in hilly areas, and it’s not always necessary.
In addition, the cost of tarping open-deck cargo that must be protected from weather conditions like snow and wind tends to increase in the month of January. Even in the best of situations, it would be hard for drivers to throw and tie down large tarps.
Truckers in the north of the United States have it tougher than those in the south, which may lead to higher tarping costs.
Think about providing a covered space for truck drivers to dump their tarps, or better yet, assisting them to do so, to prevent needless price increases. In January, it’s important to make it as easy as possible for drivers to service your freight in chilly areas.
Reefer Transportation In January
On January 1, the world of refrigerated freight will see the conclusion of a particularly hectic period. The increased demand for food that begins in November and continues through the holidays causes a nationwide backlog of reefer trailers.
It takes a lot of work from reefer trucks all around the country to get all the perishable goods ready for sale, from Thanksgiving turkeys and fresh fruit to Christmas trees and frozen meats from the Pacific Northwest. In general, January is a sluggish month for this.
In the new year, many refrigerated trucking firms and their drivers will go back to their origins and serve the same routes they always had.
The need for “prevent freeze” services in the North will grow as winter makes its way deeper into homes. In January, precooling your goods and giving yourself plenty of time to transfer them is essential if you’re a shipper of reefer items.
By doing this, you will help your shipping service find a solution that works and lower the cost of running the reefer’s cooling system.
Changes To Over-Dimensional Shipping In January
When winter weather makes the roads dangerous to drive on because of slippery conditions, low visibility, or snowfall, the first thing that is banned is freight that is too big. Even under ideal conditions, heavy haul and large cargo relocation is a complex task.
Because of this and the fact that many building projects slow down in the winter, January is a somewhat slow month for transporting abnormally large commodities.
Even though frost regulations don’t kick in until the end of February, transporting these goods this month might cause delays in your supply chain.
Moving bulky items this month requires some advanced preparation. Establish realistic deadlines by talking to the people who will be receiving your shipments and the people who will be providing the services you require.
Vineyard Brokerage: Millions Of Miles With Smiles!
Although the year has changed, we are still in the business of serving you 24/7, and we promise you that we will continue to deliver the same level of quality service for many years. So, contact us at (317) 939-3769 for all your shipping and trucking needs, and we assure you that you will be completely satisfied with our performance.
