The supply chain and freight management industry, in general, have experienced unprecedented levels of change and upheaval over the past few years for those specializing in import management and logistics. In times like these, with ongoing market instability and volatility in nearly every niche, the importance of 3PLs cannot be overstated. Freight management services remain in high demand, even as growth and recovery from supply chain failures and disruptions continue. Navigating the complicated waters of shipping in 2022 requires industry partnerships and expert guidance.

Many things impact the day-to-day operations of your local trucking company, but the most impactful often are the most mundane seeming of them all. Load management and capacity procurement inefficiencies remain the highest issues many transportation companies face. Therefore, knowing today's top trends impacting the trucking industry and in-demand shipping services is critical for ongoing growth and recovery.

“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” For Port City Logistics, one of the largest third-party logistics service providers in the Southeastern United States, those words are as true today as they were when noted novelist Robert Louis Stevenson first said them nearly 150 years ago. Coming off its best year yet, Port City continues to plant the seeds that will drive the company’s projected double-digit growth (67%) for 2022 and beyond.

In 2019 many in the supply chain saw a lagging ability to compete as the industry maintained its reputation for being slow to adapt to technology. The following year, COVID-19 wreaked havoc in a process that was already more complicated than local freight shipping from Point A to Point B. As shippers continue to rebound from the pandemic, many are looking for ways to utilize strategy and technology to promote business resiliency. Supply Chain 24/7 noted that “In today’s highly competitive warehouse logistics market, leading 3PL warehouses to recognize the need to keep operational costs low in order to maintain their margins and effectively serve their customers.”

There are many questions to ponder in logistics, including what is a 3PL and how it can help my business thrive? The answers rest in both consolidated freight shippers’ services and outsourced expertise. Freight rates will likely continue to rise through the remainder of 2022, according to Business Insider. “The Freightos Baltic Index — a measure of global shipping prices — sat at $9,488 on March 18, meaning it cost nearly $10,000 on average to ship a 40-foot freight container. That’s almost seven times higher than the March 2020 reading of $1,400. While that’s down from the highs seen in the fall of 2021, it’s still holding at extremely elevated levels.”

Cross-docking is distributing products from a supplier or a manufacturer directly to the customer or retailer. It involves the distribution occurring in a terminal where inbound trucks transfer goods to outbound trucks. Cross-docking provides a centralized area to store specific products and their similar counterparts easily accessible by the shipper and receiver, mainly when unforeseen circumstances like delays, driver and capacity shortages occur. 

A leading issue impacting shipping delays and logistical dilemmas is a lack of warehouse efficiency overall. This is clearly evident in freight market outlook predictions for the year ahead. Issues such as capacity procurement, container loading and unloading, port delays, and many drayage issues continue to plague the supply chain. Combined with increased demands, ongoing delays, renewed COVID shutdowns, lack of workers, and increased pressure from consumers make container drayage a significant concern for management. Drayage covers picking up shipping containers from ports and hauling them to inland locations for unpacking, reloading, and final distribution as needed. It is among the most critical and most volatile of all domestic freight shipping and transportation aspects.

Nearly a month into the second quarter of 2022, the Savannah Port is continuing to prove itself as the self-proclaimed “single largest and fastest-growing container terminal in America.” As of April 25, the Georgia Ports’ 15-day port of Savannah tracking system showcased 46 ships waiting to berth with turnaround times ranging from 15 to 47 hours. The port of Savannah vessel schedule lists ships originating from countries and businesses around the globe, something that experts believe will continue in the coming years as global trade continues to grow and evolve.

International and domestic shipping serves as the backbone of the supply chain network. So much rides on shippers having a firm understanding of domestic freight terms, port operations, and how to manage freight logistics. Unfortunately, bottlenecks, delays, and long dwell times continue to plague the industry. To address these concerns over local port congestion and backlogs, many ports are making changes to operations, personnel, equipment, and the ports themselves. 

Shippers across the globe are looking for strategies to improve port container management amidst a supply chain still reeling from pandemic-imposed congestion. According to Hellenic Shipping News, a global study indicated that the United States was “the second-worst performer in terms of the average median time containers spent in depots in 2021,” with an average dwell time of 50 days. Amidst the “get rich quick” suggestions that optimize today’s transport into the US, there are a few nuggets of true gold for shippers to consider — including cross-docking.