The blockade protests on the border between Canada and the United States are currently causing nearly $50,000,000 in daily costs in Canada alone. With several of the primary roadways blocked, trucking companies have had to find other ways to get their supplies and products across the border.
If you’re curious about the other methods in use for freight transportation, we’re here to help. Read on to see three of the methods being used to help with freight transportation.
1) New Routes
Flatbed trucking companies don’t have a single route that they use for international shipping. Instead, there are a number of roadways and paths that are in use at any given time. Though the protests have blocked some of these paths, there are simply too many for all of them to be shut down.
Because of this, the most common fix trucking companies are using is to simply use a different road. Doing so is far from ideal – it requires different documentation, less ideal pathing, and can incur many other costs. However, for many trucking companies, it’s the only method possible.
2) Cross-Docking
Cross-docking has been a popular strategy for trucking companies that are working to get their supplies across the border. Cross-docking is a technique that removes the link of storage from the supply chain.
When cross-docking, freight is offloaded directly to the destination rather than being left in storage for a prolonged period. Doing so makes it so that fewer transportation vehicles are required. Goods are also more easily consolidated, helping to lower how much space goods take up in shipping and distribution.
It’s easy to see why trucking companies have been relying on cross-docking more in this situation. With fewer shipping trucks needed, there are fewer trucks that are struggling to cross the border. Using cross-docking helps lower the trucks needed, avoid the administrative issues of using different routes, and lowers the cost of freight transportation and storage.
3) Upscaling
With transportation having slowed down so much, the only fix for many freight companies has been to upscale their efforts. If it takes trucks so much longer, why not just send more?
Not all trucking companies can afford to do such a thing, and it’s far from an ideal fix. Still, as the situation continues to develop, many companies have resorted to such measures to alleviate issues getting their stock where it needs to go.
Improving Trucking Companies
Trucking companies are among the most affected by border protests and blockades. With so many major roads blocked, finding alternate ways to get freight across the border and properly distributed is growing more difficult as time goes on. By upscaling delivery, using alternative routes, and cross-docking, trucking companies are able to continue operating.
If you’d like to learn more about the developing border protest situation, you can browse our informative blog. You can also contact us to learn more about freight transportation and trucking.