Relay Shipments: Expedited Service on a Budget


If you’ve ever watched a western that showed the pony express at work, you have a glimpse at the concept of a modern supply chain solution: relay shipping. Modern trucking firms are constantly seeking new ways to make their services more efficient and cost-effective. Relay shipping is often chosen as one of those innovative solutions.

A Win-Win-Win Option

Today’s hours of service rules have created serious limitations on the amount of time one truck and one driver can be on the road. This requires more time to cover long distances. Those delays in delivery may not be acceptable for many time-sensitive or critical shipments.

One popular solution is the use of team drivers to keep a truck on the road without extended stops. Another option, popular for its affordability and other benefits, is relay shipping. If your firm faces regular or periodic needs to get your products to customers with minimum delay, take time to consider what relay shipping can accomplish for you.

The win for you as a shipper comes with a more affordable choice for meeting your customer needs. One-day delivery is possible without worrying about truck driver downtime. Also, depending on your relationship with the right transportation partner, your freight remains secure and monitored at all times.

For that partner, the win comes in the form of more flexibility for drivers and a reasonable return on the large investment needed to make relay shipping cost-effective for all. The driver often chooses relay shipping because it lets them be at home most nights while working as a full-time driver.

How It Works

The basic concept of relay shipping is simple. One driver takes a load partway to a specific destination. Another driver either comes to that location or is based there, and then takes the load on the next leg. The first driver then returns with the swapped out or another load. Some variations may have a driver “swapping” loads several times while away from a home terminal.

This system works well for companies such as UPS and FedEx with huge infrastructures. The complexity comes from ensuring all the right support infrastructure is in place and optimizing how the relays are coordinated. It takes an established trucking firm to reliably bring these benefits to a smaller shipper.

If you think relay shipping might be for you, make sure your shipper of choice can handle your needs smoothly and efficiently. For example, the Road Scholar Transport team has invested a great deal of time and capital in building the most comprehensive relay structure in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Corridors. This includes carefully placed terminals that support relay operations.

Of course, dependable drivers are at the heart of any truly professional logistics solution. The uniformed drivers for Road Scholar show their pride with superb safety records and take advantage of their top-flight training and safety procedures.

Your chosen relay shipper should also accommodate a choice of options for effecting the transfer of shipped goods. This includes full dock operations, drop and hook transfers, and the use of driver slip seat. This investment allows for hassle-free and secure load transfers. Drivers appreciate how this keeps them out of the loading and unloading process while you gain added security and speed.

Of course, today’s environment requires a full suite of telematics, full-time monitoring, and sophisticated telemetrics. This allows shippers to keep their customers informed and delivers the peace of mind they expect and deserve.

Customized Logistics Plans

The continuing growth in end-customer expectations along with supply chain challenges make it vital to work with a full-service transportation partner. That includes the capability, flexibility, and experience to develop a customized solution to your specific needs. From standard shipments to LTL to relay and expedited shipping options, you need the ability to respond to the market and your customer needs.

Add relay shipping to the options you can pass on to your customers.

 

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