The trucking industry is essential to supply chain survival because they move products across the country. Without truck drivers performing their daily tasks, the product and materials needed for your business to keep production flowing would not be possible. Employees in the trucking industry are responsible for keeping a large percentage of warehouses filled with product to ship out to customers.
Building Partnerships
The trucking industry benefits your supply chain by helping to maintain balance. Since truck drivers spend most of their time on the road, it is inevitable that they that they connect various shipment points and build strong relationships with the supply chain managers to keep operations in order. Often, truck drivers become the main point of contact for companies that partnered with your business as they can ensure that order fulfillment is feasible, and they can also assess delivery times. Without effective communication between your business and truck drivers, deliveries would not be as efficient for those involved in shipping operations.
Moving Freight
According to the American Trucking Association, trucks move roughly 72.2% of the nation’s freight. In 2021, the trucking industry represented 80.8% of the nation’s freight bull at $875.5 billion in revenue. The trucking industry is crucial to the supply chain when nearshoring and offshoring as freight gets moved the most via trucks. Truck drivers move freight to help benefit the supply chain so that your company is able to keep production moving and keep your customers satisfied.
Meeting Deadlines
Since COVID-19, the supply chain industry has found it difficult to meet deadlines due to both material and labor shortages. The main job of a truck driver is to transport goods efficiently and effectively to ensure products get from one place to another. Truck drivers take on the responsibility of planning their routes out based on delivery schedules to ensure products arrive to their set destination on time. Being an expert at time management is essential for truck drivers as it is common to encounter road closures, construction, and rush hour traffic.
Carrying Different Types of Cargo
Truck drivers are crucial to all supply chains as the trucking industry transports all types of cargo such as fragile items or hazardous materials. The trucking industry must train their employees to be knowledgeable about the freight they are moving to ensure that it is being moved safely and guaranteeing that when products arrive to their destination, it is not damaged. Moving various types of cargo is a tedious job due to the specifics when handling these delicate products and materials.
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