A turn in the U.S. truckload freight cycle is now imminent. Timing is everything as shippers tender freight to nail down carrier contracts at favorable rates before demand picks up, the contracting window narrows and spot rates soar.  

After two years of depressed demand from inflation and high interest rates, stress levels are high.  Capacity is tighter, with fewer trucking and logistics firms in business and warehouses working down inventory. Small and midsize shippers navigate a tight labor market on tight budgets with already depleted headcounts; larger players face multi-lane, multi-carrier complexity amid increased customer and regulatory compliance demands. 

All of these factors build a strong use case for outsourcing transportation and logistics to neutral third parties with the resources and specific expertise needed to allow shippers to focus on their core competencies.

A growing number of companies are considering a managed transportation option to weather the current market turn and position themselves for longer-term growth. Managed transportation offers full-service planning and consulting, data management and analytics, and capacity management in a networked environment of connected shippers, carriers and warehouses.  

Learn from specialists with 3PL Loadsmart how managed transportation networks deliver reliable capacity and better asset utilization at lower cost for clients.