Blog - Great Western Transporation

LTL Trucking Companies and Small Businesses: The Perfect Relationship

You may think that large corporations make up the largest segment of businesses, however, you’d be wrong. The vast majority, upwards of 99 percent, of businesses in the U.S. are considered “small businesses”. These companies work with very small budgets, but they need many of the same services as larger companies do. Such is the case with logistics. They have products to deliver, though they may not need full-load capacity. That’s where LTL trucking companies come in. They enable small businesses to provide exceptional customer service, reliable delivery schedules and opportunities for growth and expansion.

Customer Service

The best way to retain a customer for the long-term is to provide outstanding customer service, before, during and after the sale. If a wholesaler, or retailer, requires a small quantity of a product it behooves a smaller manufacturer to accommodate them. Staunch requirements for full loads will turn away customers who haven’t yet tested the market for the product, or who simply do not have the room for larger deliveries. Partnering with an LTL trucking company ensures that every customer is able to order just what they need, when they need it. This kind of customer will be rewarded with long-term loyalty. Refrigerated Freight and LTL Trucking

Reliable Scheduling

Small businesses that work with a reputable LTL trucking company often have flexible scheduling options for pick-ups and deliveries. They are also able to schedule regular deliveries of partial loads along preset routes. That means they can confidently tell their customers that their shipment will arrive every Thursday, for example. This kind of reliability ensures that their customers are never left waiting for a load to arrive. For the customer in this scenario, it means never having to run out of a product that is in demand. This arrangement is beneficial to everyone, including the logistics provider.

Expansion Opportunities

Being a small, local business owner is wonderful. These individuals know they are contributing to the local economy, possibly employing some of their neighbors and fellow residents. Expanding to new markets under these circumstances can be difficult, especially when money is tight. LTL trucking offers these intrepid entrepreneurs the opportunity to try out markets without investing huge amounts of capital. If one area doesn’t work out, it’s easy to discontinue the route and try another that may be more lucrative.

Small businesses are, no doubt, valuable and important to the success of both the local and national economies. Without these brave souls, many of the products and services that we have all come to rely upon would simply not be available. LTL trucking companies play a very important role in their daily operations. Together, they form an undeniably beautiful relationship that benefits everyone.

December 15, 2016 | | Category: LTL

Three Financial Benefits of Power Only Trucking Services

Shipping companies oftentimes own and maintain a fleet of trucks and trailers that they use to transport cargo. However, they may not own enough tractors to pair up with all of the trailers they own. When the demand for tractors outweighs the number on hand, many rely upon power only trucking services provided by a trusted logistics company. There are three significant financial benefits to this type of arrangement. It eliminates the need to purchase new equipment, maintenance and repairs and driver compensation.

Equipment Investments

There’s no doubt about it, semi tractors are extremely expensive, even if they’re used. In fact, a used tractor can cost $40,000 or more, and new models carry a hefty price tag of $100,000, or more. For companies that operate on tight margins, that kind of investment can be a difficult pill to swallow. That said, they still need the equipment available to satisfy their shipping needs. The solution many choose is to outsource to a power only trucking service provider. Since the costs are generally only a fraction of the amount it would take to buy, it gives them more financial flexibility.

Refrigerated Freight and LTL Trucking

Maintenance & Repairs

In order to provide the best service possible to their customers, and protect their investment, fleet owners have to perform regular maintenance on their vehicles. Often, this means maintaining a garage facility and staffing it with mechanics and technicians. One of the benefits of outsourcing some, or all of their power only needs, fleet owners can decrease, or eliminate these maintenance costs. What’s more, unexpected repairs become the responsibility of the logistics provider, further reducing the amount of expenses the company incurs. At the same time, they realize the benefits of a well-maintained fleet, such as decreased down-time and improved customer service.

Driver Compensation

Whenever a company adds new trucks to their fleet, they also have to add more drivers to operate them. There are a plethora of expenses involved with that process. First of all, they have to recruit qualified drivers and train them in company procedures, which requires a human resources staff and trainers. Driver salaries, and benefits such as health insurance and workman’s compensation round out the expenses. Outsourced drivers, on the other hand, are recruited, trained and paid by the company they work for. The benefit for shippers is that they get highly qualified and trained drivers without putting out any extra cash.

No matter what type of company you operate, your objective is to increase your profit margin. Very often, this means reducing expenses. However, you certainly don’t want your cost saving techniques to have a negative impact on your ability to provide excellent customer service. When you need additional tractors, consider partnering with a power only solution provider and you’ll reap financial rewards without harming your company’s reputation, or negatively affecting your customers.

December 8, 2016 | | Category: Power Only Trucking

Three Reasons To Consider LTL Dry Freight Trucking Services This Holiday Season

Over the course of the next few weeks, like most shippers, you’ll see an increase in demand for your products. The holiday season brings with it a promise for increased revenue, but it also presents a logistics challenge that must be overcome to fully realize this potential. Increased demand means you’ll have to produce, and transport more product, if even for a short time. LTL dry freight trucking services, offered by a reputable, experienced third-party logistics provider is a smart way to overcome this issue for three very important reasons.

Discounted Shipping

Shipping smaller quantities of product to multiple locations is a good business move. It allows your company to reach more customers, and improves the visibility of your product and company. With LTL shipping, your products are transported with other products heading in the same direction. The cost is determined by the volume each shipper actually uses. Thus, it allows shippers of all sizes to control their expenses, which in turn keeps prices lower for end-users and consumers. It benefits the trucking company as well since they are more likely to be assured of full loads of cargo, albeit from several sources. This helps keep their operating costs low, which again equates to lower costs to others down the line.

LTL Pallet Jack

Prompt Delivery

There is a narrow window of opportunity for any company hoping to cash in on the holiday shopping frenzy. Your company simply cannot afford to wait, you must get your product to the wholesalers and retailers that service your target market. When they express a demand, you will have to move swiftly to meet the need and be poised to repeat the process in the future. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on countless sales, disappoint loyal customers and lose your credibility. To counter this, you need a logistics partner that understands how important it is to keep deadlines, who in fact guarantee they’ll make the deliveries on time, every time. In effect, they will become a part of your operations, a reliable partner, with your company’s best interest at heart.

Regular Routing

Odds are, you have a core group of customers that place orders with your company on a regular basis. They make up the bulk of your revenue stream, and they’re loyalty is unsurpassed. These customers deserve the best service that you can possibly give, not once, but every time. Your new accounts won’t stay if you don’t treat them in the same thoughtful manner. Retailers and other companies generally order products and supplies on a last-minute basis. When you partner with a logistics provider that offers regular routes, your customers will know exactly when to expect their deliveries, and that they will arrive in perfect condition. That peace of mind will encourage them to continue to rely upon you to provide them with the products they need.

Don’t let the holidays cause chaos and uncertainty within your company. Rather than stressing about how you’re going to ship all those orders, consider outsourcing to a reputable dry freight shipping company. You’ll see an instant improvement in your distribution process, impress your customers and create a lasting impression of professionalism and attention to detail.

December 1, 2016 | | Category: LTL

Happy Thanksgiving

The Great Western Transportation team would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

November 23, 2016 | | Category: General

Special Considerations When Transporting Heavy Machinery In The Winter Months

Transporting heavy machinery is a difficult task in the best of conditions, but, winter brings a whole other set of complications to the table. Extreme cold temperatures, ice, snow and salt all wreak havoc on the process, making it more difficult to load, unload and transport equipment safely. Roadways are often slippery, or drifted over with snow, meaning drivers must be extra diligent and safety conscious. What’s more, these cold weather conditions also increase the potential for injury from a slip and fall accident.

Battling the Elements

When the temperature drops, metals become brittle, oil thickens and equipment has a tougher time running properly. This applies to securement devices as well. It’s imperative that every chain, strap and connection be free of ice and snow in order to perform properly. Removal of excess snow and ice from the equipment, trailer, and undercarriage is essential to minimize weight and maximize maneuverability. Salt and other ice melting materials, if left for long periods, will deteriorate the metal components of safety equipment and the trailer itself. Therefore, it’s vital that it is thoroughly removed at regular intervals during the season.

Winter Driving Safety

Heavy equipment is just that, heavy. The weight, combined with slippery roadways is cause for concern for every truck driver. To combat the potential for accidents, drivers must be extremely focused and prepare in advance to slow down for traffic, stop, and take turns and curves. Driving too fast for conditions is a recipe for disaster. It’s also of paramount importance that excess snow is removed from the trailer and cargo to avoid causing a hazard for other motorists. When a truck is moving at highway speeds with snow blowing off, drivers behind the truck are visually impaired, making it more treacherous for everyone.

Slip and Fall Hazards

In the majority of cases, heavy equipment is transported on the back of a flatbed trailer because of its size and weight. While this is the most convenient and effective means, it’s not without risks, especially in the winter months. Drivers and others involved with the process of loading and unloading equipment must be extremely careful when moving around the trailer. A slip and fall accident will result in injuries that have long-lasting effects. It’s vital that loading is undertaken with several individuals available to assist, and that proper safety equipment is used. Perhaps the most important safety tip, however, is to take it slow and easy and consider each move before it’s made.

Just because the weather is getting colder, doesn’t mean that construction projects aren’t being completed. The reality is, the job has to be done, no matter what obstacles are presented. It all begins with safely moving the heavy equipment to the job site. That means paying close attention to the weather conditions, taking precautions while driving to mitigate slippery conditions and working in a safe manner while loading and unloading.

November 21, 2016 | | Category: Flatbed, Heavy Haul

What You Need To Do Before Your Heavy Haul Trucking Company Arrives

When you have a large piece of equipment, or other heavy cargo, that needs to be shipped to a job site, you will likely call a heavy haul trucking company to do the job. They have the right type of trailer, a powerful semi tractor and a qualified driver ready to take care of your load. Before they arrive, however, there are some things that you need to do to ensure that the process is smooth and trouble-free for everyone involved.

Loading Procedures

Heavy haul trucking companies generally have several types of trailers to choose from. These include lowboys, goosenecks, drop deck trailers, and standard flatbeds. While the company will work hard to provide the correct trailer, the issue of loading is still your concern. Some trailers are equipped with ramps, others are not. You must ask about this, and plan accordingly. If a trailer is lacking ramps, you’ll need to load with a crane, or other equipment. If it does have ramps, you’ll need a heavy equipment operator on hand to load it. Don’t wait until the company arrives to figure this out. Plan ahead and you’ll save time, money and frustration.

Insurance Coverage

Your heavy haul trucking company is required to obtain, and keep current, a minimum of $100,000 of cargo insurance. However, to cover any potential claims, many companies carry as much as $1,000,000 in coverage. This helps to protect you, as the shipper, against loss or damage to your cargo. As you are well aware, however, the cost of replacement for a vital piece of heavy equipment can easily exceed this amount. Therefore, it’s important that you verify the exact amount of coverage the company has. In some cases, you may need to cover the additional amount of coverage, other times, the carrier will. Never ship with any company until this issue has been resolved or you could face a devastating loss.

Routes and Pilot Vehicles

Heavy, and over-sized load transporters face a major obstacle when it comes to route planning. While other loads can be carried on most any roadway, these loads often cannot. It is wise to plan the route well in advance, as well as the time of day it will happen to avoid traffic congestion, construction and other issues. Another thing to address is the need for a pilot vehicle, or vehicles, to escort the truck to its destination. Generally speaking, a load that is very wide, or very heavy will require this additional step. While some carriers will arrange for this service, other times, the shipper is held responsible.

Moving heavy equipment and other heavy haul loads is no easy feat. However, with a little planning and attention to detail, your cargo will arrive at its destination in a safe, time-efficient manner without any problems. Be sure you understand your role in the loading process, check your carriers cargo insurance coverage, and plan the route and pilot vehicles well in advance.

November 11, 2016 | | Category: Heavy Haul

Three Ways Partnering With an LTL Trucking Company Will Help You Grow Your Business

People have a variety of reasons they cite for why they have gone into business. For most, the goal is to provide a good living for themselves, their families and others. Whether you’re producing small widgets, food, construction materials, or equipment, your goal is to grow your business so you can continue to meet your goals. Transporting your goods is a vital part of that equation. While full load shipments may be your norm, there are times when you don’t require that much space. That’s where an LTL trucking company comes into play. In fact, partnering with an LTL provider can help you grow your business in three distinct ways.

New Markets

The prospect of expanding into new areas is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. What if you send too much product to a destination and it doesn’t sell? You’ll end up spending precious capital that is difficult to recoup. In this instance, it’s better to send smaller amounts to test the market and determine its viability. Likewise, sending a partial load, and paying for a full load, is a waste of money that could otherwise be directed towards growth and innovation. The solution is an LTL carrier that offers space to multiple shippers in the same trailer. The costs are lower since it is split between all shippers utilizing the trailer, thus making it more profitable for you.

Special Orders

You know how important it is to accommodate your customers on big orders. You’re prepared to send out a full load of product in a timely manner. But what happens when the customer only needs a quarter of a load, or a third, or half a load? If you cannot accommodate that type of request because it’s cost-prohibitive, they’ll find another company that can. When you partner with an LTL trucking company, you’ll be able to provide your customers with the exact amount of product they need, when they need it, at a cost that makes sense to you and to them.

Seasonal Demand

Many businesses experience an increase of demand during a specific time of year, such as the holidays. Keeping up with that demand is not an option, it’s a must. When your fleet is working at maximum capacity to maintain a steady flow of shipments and a new, less-than-load order comes in, you could always tell them that you cannot make delivery unless it’s a full load, but that will lose the customer. These seasonal demands can be met quickly, and easily, with the help of an LTL trucking company.

Of course, you’d much rather send out a large shipment than a smaller load, your customers won’t always need such large quantities. If you’re not in the position to ship out partial loads to your customers, it’s a wise idea to foster a relationship with a trusted LTL trucking company. Not only will you benefit your own business, but you will also help them prosper, and they will certainly remember you for it.

November 1, 2016 | | Category: LTL

How Hiring Flatbed Trucking Services Ensures Winter Shipping Profits

Have you noticed that your profits dip in the winter due to transportation issues related to extreme storms? When you are considering making an improvement with your shipping and receiving during the cold, icy months of the year, outsourcing flatbed trucking fleet services might be your best solution. This is especially true if you are often netting your biggest profits during the winter holiday season. To learn more about the unique advantages of hiring a truck fleet, keep reading.

When you can no longer rely on commercial delivery services

Have you lost profits or missed deadlines because the commercial shipping service you use will not come to pick up your boxes? Shipping services are often crippled during snowy weather, and the first sacrifices they make are big pickups at your business. Instead of waiting for the order to get picked up so it can be deposited at the airport, an outsourced trucking fleet can take care of this aspect of your daily procedures.

How outsourced trucking fleets work

When you order services for a truck fleet, we pay attention to the reasons you need professional trucks and drivers at your fingertips. One of the first questions we will ask you is what types of items you plan to transport. This will let us know if you need refrigerated trucks or another specialized type of trailer hooked up to a traditional big rig truck. The next step is to figure out how far the trucks need to go. Once we have our parameters, the final step is the frequency of services you will need. When we have all of our information, we can give you a quote for our services. flatbed trucking

Types of customers that need fleets of trucks in winter

Although there are many businesses that access our services, there are other reasons a large fleet of trucks is needed temporarily in the winter. For example, winter is also the season of giving, and there are multiple community agencies that need big rig trucks to distribute holiday gift baskets. There are also special events such as theater productions that need materials transported for each performance. Regardless, most of our customers are businesses of the commercial and industrial nature. This means that when everyone else goes on vacation, we are called in to handle the diversity of big rig transportation needs at warehouses, factories, and retail stores.

Types of jobs we are known for

In many cases, there are needs for a basic big rig truck that does not have any stability or temperature control. Alternatively, our company has the capacity for specialized transport that involves bulk liquids, refrigeration, foliage consolidation (live plant) transfer, and hazardous chemicals. In other words, if you need a large fleet, Greater Western Transportation has the big rig solutions you have been looking for. Instead of spending money to hire your own drivers, buy trucks and deal with the related maintenance, consider the advantage of professional services. To get started with outsourced trucking services, give us a call and get a free quote today.

October 25, 2016 | | Category: Flatbed