Watch this short video for a very quick introduction to the Logistics Plus® eShipPlus™ online freight shipping tools.
There are numerous benefits for shippers to use a transportation management system (TMS) for freight shipping. The use of a TMS, such as eShipPlus, for LTL and truckload transportation helps ensure that your loads are matched to the best carrier, equipment, and lanes so that you can get the best possible rates without sacrificing service. Partnering with a transportation management provider, such as Logistics Plus, to obtain the benefits of a TMS also gives you access to that partner’s entire team of logistics experts. As illustrated below, using a TMS will provide you with significant efficiencies and access to an array of other value-added services, including back office support to handle pick-up scheduling, tracking, appointment confirmations, proof of deliveries, claims processing, bills of lading, audited and consolidated of freight bills, and detailed reporting.
If you already have an account, click here to log in now. If you’re interesting in obtaining complimentary access to our eShipPlus online freight shipping tools, click the button below to get started. Our technology solutions come with no contracts to sign, no commitments, and no hidden fees.
As the company that manages the Logistics Program for the Manufacturer & Business Association (MBA), Logistics Plus recently provided the second in a series of short webinars to introduce MBA members to various transportation and logistics topics and trends. The live webinars are complimentary for MBA members, but both MBA and non-MBA members can view the online, recorded versions after they have been completed. The most recent webinar, facilitated by Adam Mook, took place on May 12th and was an “Introduction to Incoterms® 2010.” A description and replay are included below.
Incoterms® rules are standard trade definitions most commonly used in international sales contracts. Devised and published by the International Chamber of Commerce, they are the heart of world trade. Correct use of Incoterms® rules goes a long way in providing the legal certainty upon which mutual confidence between business partners must be based. This workshop will provide an overview of the recent revisions to the Incoterms® 2010 rules, which went into effect worldwide on January 1, 2011. In this session you’ll learn:
An introduction and overview of the 11 Incoterms® 2010 rules.
Overview of risk and cost responsibilities, from the perspective of both buyer and seller.
Incorporating the seller’s cost responsibilities into the quotation to the buyer.
The next Logistics Plus live webinar, “Import and Export Basics,” will take place on July 21. Visit MBA online at mbausa.org to learn more.
Trucks, planes, boats, or trains … Logistics Plus® has the experience and expertise to help you move your goods by any transportation mode. In fact, we manage all aspects of logistics from start until finish – and everything in between! To make things simple for you, just click one of the services below to get started and then let us do the rest. We’re here to help you!
The Amazon effect, ecommerce growth, multichannel/omnichannel retailing: These are all trends pushing retailers and distributors to rethink their global supply chains. If you’re among this group, one of the considerations you may be weighing is whether or not to outsource some or all of your fulfillment operations to a third-party logistics (3PL) company. Here are a few benefits that third-party fulfillment could provide to your operations:
Reduced Cost Per Order. A 3PL can often provide a lower cost per order when compared to internally managed operations, particularly for small-to-midsized companies.
Time and Resource Allocation. A 3PL allows companies to concentrate management time on marketing, merchandising, and ecommerce. If transportation, logistics and fulfillment are not core competencies for your company, having a 3PL manage these activities allows you to focus your limited internal time and resources where they can provide the greatest value.
Scalability for Peak Seasons. During holidays or peak seasons, a 3PL can allow companies to successfully process customer orders without hiring additional staff or requiring greater internal capacity.
Lower Capital Investment. A 3PL can help reduce the capital outlays for things like new warehouse and fulfillment facilities, order and warehouse management systems, and telephone and communication technologies.
Faster Fulfillment Times. A 3PL can provide regional distribution across the country so that you can deliver orders more quickly to your customers.
Lower Transportation Costs. An experienced 3PL will be able to help you reduce your transportation costs by using their expertise to negotiate better rates and find truck capacity in your critical shipping lanes.
International Imports and Exports. Many multichannel companies use 3PL partners to more effectively source products from overseas, or to distribute orders to customers in foreign countries.
Direct-to-Customer Shipping. Store-based retailers sometimes contract with 3PL partners to ship direct orders from their ecommerce marketplaces, rather than bring small-order pick/pack/ship into their DCs. Online retailers can also use 3PL partners to manage dual inventories for both Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) and direct-to-customer orders.
Do you have questions or need help with your fulfillment challenges? Logistics Plus specializes in a variety third-party warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment solutions. We invite you to click the button below and contact our fulfillment experts to get started.
International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day in some places, is an international celebration of laborers and the working classes. The May 1st date (which falls on a Sunday this year) is celebrated as May Day in most countries around the world. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the holiday isn’t fixed at May 1st, but instead is observed on the first Monday of May. Curiously (given the origin of the May 1st date), the United States celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday of September (May 1st is Loyalty Day, a legal but not widely recognized holiday in the United States). Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands also celebrate Labour Day on different dates; though that has to do with how the holiday originated in those countries.
There are many online sources where you can learn more about this international holiday. The website OfficeHolidays.com has a good overview with links to the various countries that observe this holiday. Depending upon the country, local observance may impact your shipping schedules if operations are closed. As an example, the Logistics Plus China offices will be closed May 1 and May 2. If you have any questions, please contact your local Logistics Plus office or representative for more details.
Are you curious about drayage and transloading services for your imported goods? Do you need drayage service for your imports? What is transloading and how can it help you save money on transportation? Logistics Plus drayage and port services help address these questions and any many more.
What is drayage? The word drayage is specifically used for trucking short distances. Without being a part of the transportation and logistics industry, the word drayage might be a foreign word. The term is most often used in the container shipping industry. For those of us in international shipping, the term means the trucking of containerized cargo. This may be trucking from one port to another port, it may be trucking from a port to the rail yard for further transport, it could be trucking to the final destination, or it could be trucking from a port to a transloading facility.
What is transloading? Transloading refers to the transfer of container cargo from one load unit to another. When a container is transloaded, it usually occurs at a facility that is close to a port terminal. A container will be taken into a facility and transferred to a domestic container or truckload. During the transload process, the product is often palletized at the facility since many of the 20-foot or 40-foot ocean containers are floor loaded. Inventory and transportation cost savings are achieved by switching to a truck from a container because containers must always be returned to the ports no matter how far your shipment must deliver. That means without transloading, you could be paying for the additional truck miles it takes to return your empty container to the origin port.
Speed to market is a key ingredient to an efficient supply chain. Transloading services deliver this benefit by consolidating products and shipping directly to the final customer, without incurring the costs and delays associated with storing product at a warehouse. Some product customization, such as labeling and kitting, can also occur, if needed, at the transloading facility.
Drayage, transloading and other port services all play a critical role in international moves, and selecting the right logistics partner for this domestic trucking portion of the puzzle goes well beyond the lowest rate. Once you move past monetary considerations, examine the total service offering to ensure your drayage and port services provider is the perfect fit. Here are a few good tips to consider.
Seek out a safe, experienced partner. Ensure you are working with an experienced logistics partner that works with, and monitors, the most reliable and safe truckers.
Ensure your partner has capacity to cover your loads. If you assign hundreds of loads, you should know your logistics partner has a network of drayage providers at all of the major ports of entry.
Make sure you have a responsive partner. You will need a logistics partner who will answer your call, whether you are submitting a rate request, confirming receipt of a work order, or checking shipment status.
Expect accurate billing. Invoices should be accurate, with no surprises. On-the-fly drayage changes are inevitable, but a good logistics partner will communicate them as quickly as possible.
Require knowledge of the local market. Find an experienced partner who understands facility procedures and roadways at all of the major ports so you can get cargo moving quickly.
Choose a partner that can provide you with cost-saving solutions. Find a domestic freight specialist that works with you to develop a complete port-to-door delivery solution that will optimize speed and reduce your overall transportation expense.
To learn more about Logistics Plus drayage and port services, or to request more information or a quote, please click the button below. You can also email us at drayage@logisticsplus.com for more information.
As the company that manages the Logistics Program for the 
