Carriers are being asked to do more with less as the capacity has been shrinking. Carriers were already struggling to attract and keep drivers. There have been days when all of our shipments that were estimated to be delivered that day were all delayed. We have had shipments sit on the destination terminals property trapped in a trailer to be unloaded for several days.

The West Coast and the Gulf Coast have been impacted the most from these delays. Natural disasters have caused major delays in the North American supply chain system. Shipments that were sent out are now either stuck in the system or rejected.

What can you do? First, do not rely on the estimated transit times. The frequency of delays have jumped tenfold from what we have seen in the past. If you have a time-sensitive shipment, please reach out to us, as we’ll advise the best we can.

In the past we have strongly urged clients to go with guaranteed rates on time sensitive shipments that have the need to be at its destination by a specific date because of construction work or sail date aboard a container ship. However, the industry has sharply restricted guaranteed rates and can vary availability depending on the region. Some carriers guaranteed rates still come up on our quotes, but we advise you to contact us so we can ensure it’s available.

Our last suggestion is to ship your freight as a full truckload. Although more expensive, using this method is useful to avoid the wait, as well as to avoid a potential headache.