As you ship freight, there’s one thing you should have – peace of mind. Now you’re wondering how to have peace of mind with all the changes in our country right now. The answer is simple. When you work with an experienced and respectable third-party logistics provider (think Beitler Logistics Services), they will manage your transportation and logistics needs.
A 3PL has access to countless tools that’ll give you the best service at the most competitive rate. And at BLS, we want to help educate you about your options, so you know what’s available before making a decision. This article is for anyone regularly shipping freight and looking to save money. If that’s you, then 3PL cross-docking might be the most cost-effective option.
Signs that Cross Docking Could Fit Your Needs
The world is always in a state of change, just like how consumers will always need to purchase products. So whether you’re transporting freight to warehouses or retail stores, a 3PL provider can handle, direct, and oversee your shipment so you can focus on other business matters.
One significant advantage to working with a 3PL is gaining access to their transportation and logistics knowledge. This means there might be options that you’re not aware of yet. For example, do you know about cross docking?
Cross dock services offer significant advantages to many industries. It’s the process of unloading packages, sorting everything, and reloading them unto a new shipment container. Its benefits include reducing delivery times, increasing product control (less damage), and maintaining transportation compliance.
5 Reasons Cross Docking Might Fit Your Needs
- A need to reduce shipping costs
- Frequently shipping from manufacturing sites
- Unable to handle shipment needs yourself
- Palletizing
- Labor force
- Physical space
- A need for trailer load reworking
- Your freight meets one of the following categories:
- Pre-tagged products
- Inventory with a stable demand
- Time-sensitive merchandise
- Flash sale items
3 Ways You Can Reduce Freight Costs with 3PL Cross Docking
Since you’re still reading, 3PL cross docking has caught your attention. It sounds like a service that might be a good fit for you. If you’re ready to get started, contact us. If you still want to learn more about how it can save you money, keep reading.
#1 Reduce (or Eliminate) Storage Costs
Cross docking can reduce your need for warehouse storage or even shorten the time you need to store items. This is possible because when your packages arrive at the facility, they’re:
- Unloaded
- Sorted
- Repacked (if needed)
- Loaded on a new truck OR placed into storage
#2 Reduce Labor Costs
When you store freight in warehouses or ship items via LTL, it sometimes requires more labor, costing you more money. Whereas the purpose of cross docking is efficiency, so employees move faster (which saves you money).
#3 Reduce Shipping Miles
When you do need storage time, you can ship your freight to a cross-dock warehouse. You can wait to ship your products until you have a full load. Then when you need to send a shipment, it’ll travel fewer miles and arrive faster—saving money and time.
Take Part in the Beitler Advantage
We mentioned above that we wanted to educate you on your transportation and logistics options. Now imagine what we’ll do for our customers. The Beitler Advantage is our commitment to integrity. We put processes and procedures in place that’ll align to meet the initiatives of our customers, and you can be part of it too!
Contact us to learn about our competitive pricing and cross-dock services.