“Oh, and we need it tomorrow.” This final caveat can make even the most experienced freight salesperson or broker start to sweat. However, some won’t even bat an eye. Those with connections to the expedited trucking industry can make these requests in stride… at the correct cost. 2021 saw significant expedited services trucking companies see double-digit growth up to one company experiencing “an 85% jump in revenue from its truckload,” according to the Commercial Carrier Journal. The expedited trucking industry has exploded amongst companies choosing to expand their e-commerce offerings or explore other ways to endure the supply chain trucking slowdown.
What Is Expedited Trucking?
Expedited trucking is how an expedited shipment travels via truck faster than regular transit. The expedited truck would have a direct route from pickup to delivery with minimal stops to be as time-sensitive as possible. The expedited trucking industry joins other expedited transportation forms as the primary transport option for time-sensitive items such as biohazardous material, food and drink, flowers, and so on. However, when other transportation methods fall short, expedited trucking industry contacts are called upon to save the day regardless of the load type.
While this method benefits shippers, brokers, 3PLs, and more, numerous obstacles can prevent an expedited services trucking company from running smoothly. Some of those obstacles include:
- A Limited Pool of Experienced Drivers – As experienced truck drivers retire in droves, companies use perks such as dedicated loads and hourly wages to find young talent to replace them.
- Legal Time Restrictions – With the Electronic Logging Mandate in place, owner-operators and drivers must abide by the maximum allowed hours on the road, regardless of how close they are to the final destination at the time of reaching the limit.
- Too Few Truck Parking Spots Nationwide – Due to the efficiency required on an expedited route, OTR drivers are left to choose between parking in unsafe locations for the aforementioned required breaks or driving out of the way for a correct and safe breakpoint.
- Increased Road Congestion – As “downtown city traffic” becomes the norm across the United States, expedited truck drivers are stuck idling with the commuters while road infrastructures struggle to catch up.
Why Expedited Services Trucking Companies Benefit From Hybrid Broker Business Models
As more shippers and 3PLs need to move LTL expedited freight to keep their customers, the expedited trucking industry is turning to hybrid brokers. Even expedited trucking companies themselves can benefit from a hybrid broker’s virtual and physical network to maximize their customer experience. Some of those benefits include:
- Hybrid Brokers Have Both Assets and Network Connections to Fulfill Expedited Needs More Easily. A hybrid freight broker business plan adds to an expedited trucking network through its broker technology and additional vehicles on the ground for anything from drayage to the final mile.
- Hybrid Businesses Are Tech-Rich to Ensure Rates Result in More Tender Acceptances. Working with a hybrid broker ensures that expedited truckers will have everything they need to negotiate freight rates accurately and fairly, maximizing the loads they’re able to accept.
- Hybrid Operations Are Experts in Aggregating Both Owned and External Assets to Source Coverage. Brokers who can contribute to their local carriers can better combat the capacity shortage, even within a localized area, by drawing items from the center to expedited trucking industry partners.
- Proper Market Insight Ensures Drivers Are Paid Fairly and Deliver On Time, In Full. Because appropriate compensation is one of the driving factors of any career choice, hybrid brokers provide market insight to make correct pay choices that maximize driver retention rates.
Working with traditional brokers can reveal a lack of understanding toward carriers. Since hybrid brokers understand the road rules for their asset side of the business, they are better equipped to serve expedited carriers.
Put the Power of a Hybrid Brokerage to Work to Move Your FT and LTL Expedited Freight With AMX Logistics
Hybrid brokerages enable expedited trucking industry professionals the opportunity to accept and complete more routes. FT and LTL expedited freight require business partners who can understand the need for speed at competitive rates in the market but still improve a company’s bottom line. To see what an experienced hybrid broker can add to your expedited operations, contact AMX Logistics today.
