Consumers want their food when they want it, and food is perishable within a finite period. Between these two pressures, food manufacturing is a highly time-sensitive business.
Food manufacturers face many challenges in delivering fresh products within limited timelines, including food spoilage, safety regulations, and client chargebacks. For all these reasons, it’s essential that food manufacturers have access to timely delivery to bring their perishable goods to market. Food manufacturers can turn to expedited trucking to meet tight deadlines.
Challenges and Repercussions of Delays in Food Manufacturing
Trucking delays can hit food manufacturers hard. They have a lot to lose if food shipments are delayed. First, quality can degrade with bruising, rotting, or flavor loss. They may be unable to sell those tainted items or need to provide credit notes for the lower quality. Second, delays can cause serious health concerns. Especially when combined with higher temperatures or humidity, spoilage bacteria can reproduce quickly, sometimes so fast that those bacteria are doubling the total population of spoilage bacteria in as little as 20 minutes. They can cause both physical damage that can make food unsellable, and they can also make people sick with issues like an upset stomach or even food poisoning. Finally, both of these issues — degradation and spoilage — are connected to the third concern: safety regulations. Safety risks to both degradation and spoilage can make people seriously ill and put companies at risk of lawsuits, product recalls, and additional costs.
An Overview of Expedited Shipping
With these challenges — food degradation, food spoilage, and meeting safety regulations — food manufacturers turn to expedited shipping to meet their needs for fast, effective shipping that meets their needs.
Expedited shipping typically takes packages from the warehouse where they’re stored directly to the destination, without any stops in between. Most standard less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping is on a truck with many other packages heading to different destinations. Each truck will stop many times to drop off other packages before delivering the specific goods you’re shipping.
The truck drivers steering those expedited trucks are also taking the most direct route possible from warehouse to destination to deliver those packages with urgency. Depending on the carrier, expedited shipping can include same-day, overnight, and one- or two-day shipping.
The main benefit of expedited shipping is that products arrive at their destination much faster. For perishable food items, expedited shipping can differentiate between a great delivery and a spoiled one. While the initial shipping cost is higher, expedited shipping will save manufacturers money in the long run by reducing waste, chargebacks for delays, and credit notes for spoiled products.
Leveraging the Right Transportation Provider for Food Manufacturers
Not all expedited shipping is created equal. A big part of what makes expedited shipping worth it is the transportation providers who offer superb customer service, issue resolution, and top-notch communication.
Here are the best ways to find a transportation provider that will ease headaches, improve performance, and benefit your business.
Strong Communication
Almost any carrier can do a good job when things go well. What really counts for providers is how they handle things when a shipment doesn’t go smoothly. Choose a carrier you can count on by picking one that communicates clearly when things don’t go as planned.
Furthermore, find a carrier with a stringent vetting protocol for drivers and shippers. Drivers are essential to trucking goods, but they’re not always reliable. Ensure your logistics partner thoroughly vets new drivers and carriers to ensure they’re consistent and can be depended upon to pick up goods on time.
Balanced Transportation Modalities
Carriers with a variety of transportation types can save you money and time. Sometimes, it’s cheaper to send goods by train and then by truck than by truck for the entire journey. Pick a carrier who can evaluate all the options and help find the cheapest route for you. Additionally, a carrier that can use different modes of transport is more flexible and able to pivot if something happens, such as a railway strike or a closed motor bridge.
Tailored Solutions
A great carrier will be nimble, creative, and able to provide tailor-made solutions that fit your needs. Whether you need delivery on a weekend or reefer trucks, your carrier should be able to offer options that fit your needs.
Experience and Knowledge
Another difference between a good and great logistics provider is experience in expedited trucking and food manufacturing shipping. Continental Logistics has been in the food manufacturing trucking industry for decades. They’re excellent communicators with a wealth of knowledge about the unique requirements of the food manufacturing industry.
Continental Logistics Is The Best Choice for Food Manufacturing Companies Using Expedited Shipping
Expedited shipping helps food manufacturers deliver high-quality goods on time while avoiding food degradation or spoilage. While regular shipping may bring spoilage issues, late deliveries, or safety concerns, expedited shipping takes food products from the pickup directly to the destination with same-day, overnight, and one- or two-day shipping.
Food manufacturers turn to Continental Logistics for their 50+ years of experience shipping food products and meeting expedited shipping needs. They have a team of experts and strong client communication. Continental provides tailor-made solutions with multiple shipping modalities and the most cost-efficient options. Don’t waste time or money; contact Continental Logistics today.
