As summer approaches, the demand for freight remains in high. With a driver shortage creating a limited truck capacity, it’s only prudent for shippers to explore alternative delivery methods. Read on as we detail how utilizing maritime, rail or air freight methods could be the perfect shipping solution to the nation’s truck driver shortage.
Maritime Shipping
Despite rumblings of a potential trade war between the U.S. and China earlier this month, ports in the United States remain productive. With more imports being brought to the United States, many ports are undergoing plans for expansion in the coming years. In fact, some U.S. ports are receiving funding boosts to reduce the amount of trucks on the highways. For example, the Port of Savannah, in Georgia, has received $126.7 million to fund its Mason Mega Rail Terminal. Once completed, this rail terminal will efficiently move cargo from ships onto railcars to be transported across the nation. The project is expected to eventually take some 200,000 big rigs off the state’s freeways — even as container traffic in and out of the port grows, according to Transport Topics.
Rail Freight
Advances in technology makes shipping via rail incredibly flexible and reliable. Companies often underestimate the efficiency of rail, but the capacity of railcars offers more benefits than utilizing trucks. According to Union Pacific, in addition to being more environmentally friendly than trucks, domestic railroads annually haul an average of 117 million carloads of agricultural and soy products, including wheat, corn and soybeans. With today’s high levels of highway congestion, trucks simply cannot compete with the large shipping capacities and efficiency of rail freight.
Air Freight
When it comes to moving goods across the country and around the world, airplanes hold the undeniable advantage of speed. With a high level security and global shipping opportunities, air freight could be the shipping solution for your business. According to Need It Now Courier, the consistency of air freight is difficult for other shipping methods to match. Railroads and overland trucking often require multiple carriers to transport items oversea. Air freight is the only shipping method that guarantees the quickest route, usually utilizing only one carrier.
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