We depend on truckers to keep our freight and economy moving. Over time, they have developed a language all their own. Did you know that many words and phrases you use every day originated as trucker slang? Transportation is so important and vital to the US economy that we thought we’d put together a blog post about trucker slang and lingo.

First, a short history lesson. In 1958, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) allocated a new block of frequencies for a citizens band (CB) service. During the 1960s, it became popular among small businesses that were frequently on the road, like electricians, plumbers, carpenters and truck drivers. As CB radios became smaller and less expensive, CB radio usage exploded and a CB slang language evolved.

Some common, everyday phrases that started as trucker slang include calling your spouse your “better half.” Or watching the “idiot box.” If you still have a home phone, you probably call it a “landline.” So did truckers, decades ago! Ever meet someone for a “barley pop?” Or shop at “Wally World?” Yes, these slang words for beer and Walmart owe their creation to truckers.

Truckers have also created some great nicknames for American cities. Los Angeles is commonly known as “Shaky Town.” In fact, most city slang names refer to what the city is known for. Like “Beer Town” (Milwaukee), “Guitar” (Nashville), “Derby” (Louisville), and “Gateway” (St. Louis). Others are just fun to say, like “Choo-choo” (Chattanooga), “The Big D” (Dallas) and “The Nickel” (Buffalo).

During the 1970s oil crisis, the U.S. government imposed a 55 mph speed limit, and fuel shortages and rationing were common. CB radios were crucial for truckers to locate service stations with fuel and to warn of speed traps. Truckers paid by the mile were negatively impacted by driving slow so lots of slang was created to alert other truckers of law enforcement. If you’ve seen Smokey and the Bandit, you know an officer of the law is a “bear.” But did you know that a rookie cop is a “baby bear,” a police helicopter is a “bear in the air,” or that a speed trap is known as a “bear trap?” A sheriff is known as a “county mounty” and “city kitties” are the local police.

Finally, you’ve probably used “10-4” to acknowledge that you heard or understood something that someone said. Same with “what’s your 20?” which is short for 10-20, meaning location. These everyday terms originated from CB radio slang.

Next time you have a load you need to keep between the ditches, whether it is "Badger Bound" or headed to "Mile High," contact PartnerShip. You can reach us at 800-599-2902 or get a quote now! Until then, keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down.

One of the most important tradeshows for PartnerShip is CAMEX, the campus retailing industry’s largest educational conference and buying expo, which brings together thousands of attendees from campus stores as well as hundreds of exhibitors.

PartnerShip is the endorsed shipping partner of the National Association of College Stores (NACS), and through the NACS Shipping Program, we help college stores and vendors save on their shipping costs. CAMEX is a great place to meet with members, rekindle old friendships, and find more ways to help them ship smarter and stay competitive.

This year, CAMEX happened in Salt Lake City, and here are a few of our favorite memories:

Free coffee and cookies

Once again, PartnerShip provided free coffee and cookies to weary CAMEX walkers and workers. We love doing it because it gives us the opportunity to say thank you to our customers and let them recharge.

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City is a beautiful place, and we hope that you got to explore Temple Square, or see the Great Salt Lake, or just enjoy the wonderful views of the Wasatch Mountains in the distance.

Games

Did you get a chance to play the skiing or snowmobile simulator games in the PartnerShip booth? We hope you did and had a few minutes of fun because we know how much work tradeshows are.

New branding

Did you see the new PartnerShip branding in our booth? Stay tuned, because a new PartnerShip.com website will be launching soon.

You!

Really, the best part of CAMEX is you. We love the opportunity to talk with all of you – attendees, exhibitors, and everyone in-between. Whether you stopped by our booth or we got a chance to talk to you at one of the receptions, we enjoyed spending time with you and hope you had a great show!

CAMEX 2017 was a great time and we look forward to seeing you next year in Dallas, March 2 – 6, 2018!

What is guaranteed LTL service? It is a guarantee that your freight arrives by a pre-determined time of your choice on a standard-service delivery day.

It is very important to understand that LTL freight shipments are typically quoted with an estimated transit time. LTL freight carriers all have their own standard transit times, which take into consideration distance, the shipping lane in which the freight is moving and availability of trucks moving between the freight’s origin and destination. As an example, a carrier may estimate that freight moving between Atlanta and Chicago is two standard delivery days. Transit times are generally reliable, but again, are just an estimate so your shipment may be delayed.

The standard LTL freight guaranteed delivery is a 5:00pm guarantee, which means that your shipment will be delivered by 5:00pm on your specified date of delivery. Another commonly used guarantee is a noon guarantee, where your freight must be delivered by noon on your specified date of delivery.

There is also a LTL guaranteed delivery window service, where you specify a time period in which a shipment must arrive (between 1:00pm and 3:00pm, for example).

When should you use guaranteed LTL service?

• When you are shipping to a retailer that has strict delivery window requirements, or a MABD (Must Arrive By Date). Missing these delivery dates and / or times may result in chargebacks of around 3% of the value of the purchase order. So if an order valued at $50,000 was early or late, you’d pay a $1500 fine. Paying extra for guaranteed LTL shipping is a small investment.
  
• When your customer requires just-in-time (JIT) delivery. If you are shipping components to a manufacturer that utilizes JIT methodologies, a delay in your component arriving may delay their production run, or shut it down completely. This may result in a per-minute fine if your late delivery causes a shutdown in production, or you may lose their business entirely.
  
• Similarly, if the delivery is required for an installation in new construction or as a repair or replacement. For example, if you are shipping a stainless steel fermentation tank to a new brewery, it needs to arrive when the construction team needs it so that it can be installed and not cause delays to their build-out schedule.
  
• When other shipping activity relies on your shipment arriving at a specified time. For instance, you are shipping squishy stress relief balls to a national non-profit association as part of an event sponsorship. These stress balls, along with other sponsors’ promotional items, will be put into “goodie bags” for event participants and shipped to local chapters across the county for distribution. If your item doesn’t arrive in time, it may be left out, and you may lose the brand impact that your sponsorship was supposed to provide.
  

We have a couple of caveats to pass along regarding guaranteed LTL freight shipping. First, your shipment must happen during “business hours” on “business days.” This excludes holidays, so you should never assume that a guaranteed delivery can take place on a holiday.  Second, it is important to find out if a guarantee is even available for your LTL freight shipment before you assume that one is. Some examples that may exclude a guarantee:

» Collect-on-Delivery (COD) shipments

» Oversized shipments

» Hazardous materials shipments

» Service to some remote areas

If you have questions about when to use guaranteed LTL freight service, or how to find freight carriers that offer guaranteed freight delivery, contact PartnerShip. We can help you stay competitive by matching your LTL freight shipping needs with the correct service option. Contact us at 800-599-2902 or get a quote now!

We often get questions from shippers like, “Why do freight rates fluctuate so much?” or “How are LTL rates calculated?” LTL freight rates can be a bit confusing because of their variability. While truckload freight rates are typically calculated on a per-mile rate plus a fuel charge, there are many factors that determine LTL rates, and they can significantly impact the cost of your shipment. We’ll cover nine factors that influence LTL freight costs one by one.

Weight. The more your LTL shipment weighs, the less you pay per hundred pounds, also known as hundredweight pricing. Freight carriers will refer to a chart that lists cost per hundredweight (abbreviated as CWT, or centum weight) that contains weight breaks. As your LTL shipment weight increases, it moves into the minimum weight of the next highest weight category, which has a lower rate per CWT.

Density. Density is the space a shipment occupies in relation to its weight and is determined by dividing the weight of the item (in pounds) by the volume (in cubic feet.) Freight density is a major factor in determining your shipment’s freight class. There are 18 freight classes, numbered from 50 to 500. The higher density your product is, the lower its classification (50-85). Less dense products usually have higher classifications (125-500).

Freight Class. Generally, a shipment’s density, value, stowability, handling and liability are how freight class is determined by the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) system. Lower classes represent very dense freight that is difficult to damage and is easy to handle. These lower classes have lower LTL shipping rates per pound. Higher classes represent lighter and less dense freight that typically takes up more space. The higher the class, the higher the freight rate.

Distance. As a rule, the longer distance your freight must travel, the higher the price per-hundred weight will be. Fuel costs, driver costs and equipment costs all increase with distance, as does your cost.

Base Rates. All LTL carriers establish their own LTL base rates which are quoted per 100 CWT. These carrier base rates are based on its volume, demand and gross costs. For example, one carrier may have a lower base rate for shipping lanes where they have a good balance between trucks and freight than another that may not.

Freight All Kinds (FAK). The Freight All Kinds classification is a pricing arrangement that allows multiple products with different classes to be shipped and billed at the same freight class. For example, a shipper that ships multiple items ranging from class 50 to 100 could negotiate an FAK to rate all items at class 70, reducing costs on higher class shipments.

Minimums. The absolute minimum charge (AMC) is the cost below which a carrier will not go. The costs a carrier experiences for a minimum charge shipment typically exceeds the costs they experience for larger, heavier shipments.

Negotiated discounts. Third party logistics (3PL) freight brokers can often save an additional 18 to 25% off LTL freight rates based on the volume of business that the 3PL brings to the freight carrier. For every $10,000 in freight costs, that’s an extra $1,800 to $2,500 in savings!

Accessorials. Freight accessorial charges are extra services performed by the carrier that go beyond dock-to-dock pick up and delivery. Common examples include lift gate service, residential pickup or delivery, limited access locations and inside delivery. A fuel surcharge is the most common accessorial and is typically included on every shipment.

LTL freight costs can be reduced by managing one (or more) of these factors. Working with a freight broker like PartnerShip will help you ship smarter and stay competitive by matching your LTL freight shipping needs with one of our many carrier partners, and in many cases, allow you to get the best LTL freight rates possible. If you're not sure where to start, or have a challenging shipping puzzle, we’d love to help! Contact us at 800-599-2902 or get a quote now!

The LTL shipping industry has been reducing its shipment liability to the point where recovery for lost or damaged freight is pennies on the dollar. As recently as 15 years ago, carriers agreed to be liable for the full cost of any freight lost or damaged. But as their insurance costs increased, carriers began decreasing their liability to keep costs low. Today, it’s common to see liability restricted to $0.25 per lb. or even less.

In our relentless effort to help customers ship smarter and stay competitive, PartnerShip is now offering freight insurance. We’ve teamed up with Roanoke Trade (a division of Roanoke Insurance Group, Inc.) to offer coverage to shippers against physical loss or damage, providing them a better option than relying solely on a carrier’s liability coverage.

This high quality, competitively-priced and easily-managed freight insurance will pay to repair or replace the cargo regardless of if the carrier is found liable.

We’re logistics experts and our customers rely on us to help them safely and efficiently move their freight. LTL carriers want shippers to bear the risks of in-transit loss or damage, but freight insurance helps mitigate the risks inherent with the shipping process.

Benefits of freight insurance include:

·         Affordability. Minimum premiums as low as $20 per shipment

·         $0 deductible. Approved claims are paid from $1 (maximum liability of $100,000)

·         Claims typically paid within 30 days

·         Pays to repair or replace the cargo whether or not the carrier is found liable

Of course, some restrictions apply. Your PartnerShip account representative can give you a complete explanation of freight insurance from Roanoke Trade.

The shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to help you ship smarter and stay competitive. Contact us at 800-599-2902 or email sales@PartnerShip.com for more information about freight insurance. 

PartnerShip is proud to recognize manufacturing and celebrate MFG DAY 2016. MFG DAY was started five years ago to celebrate manufacturing and to help inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Its main purpose is to educate and inform students, teachers, and community leaders about how important manufacturing is to the economy and to local communities. We’re proud to partner with NTMA, NATM, MAPP, PMPA, Wire-Net, and many other organizations that support manufacturers!

There is a growing skilled labor shortage in the manufacturing sector, and MFG DAY gives manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show what manufacturing is, and show that manufacturing offers high-quality jobs and career choices.

Consider these statistics:

·         US manufacturing is the 9th largest economy in the world. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis)

·         There are 12.3 million manufacturing workers in the United States, accounting for 9 percent of the workforce. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

·         In 2014, the average manufacturing worker earned $79,553 annually, including pay and benefits. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

·         Over the next decade, nearly 3½ million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed. (Source: Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute)

Last year, over 2,600 MFG DAY events were held, with a total of 400,000 participants.

PartnerShip works with hundreds of manufacturers and we’re proud to spread the word about the importance of manufacturing. To learn more, visit the official site of MFG DAY. You can find resources to help you get involved, host an event, view sponsors, and get up-to-date news.

It’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week!

“This week is about raising public awareness and support for the important work professional truck drivers do in our communities year round,” said American Trucking Associations (ATA) President and CEO Chris Spear. “These men and women are safety-minded professionals who deserve our respect and praise. We’re fortunate that truck drivers have dedicated their careers to delivering critical goods like medicine, food and school books.”

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week happens September 11-17 to honor all 3.5 million professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment to deliver our goods safely, securely and on time, and keep our highways safe.

PartnerShip is saying “thank you” to these hard-working men and women that keep our economy moving with a Dunkin' Donuts gift card for drivers that move a load for us during the week. Yep! Free coffee delivered via email or text! It’s one way we can express our appreciation for drivers that allow our customers to stay competitive by shipping smarter.

If you would like to learn more about National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, visit trucking.org for more information. To become a partner carrier please contact one of our Carrier Procurement Representatives for a setup packet at carriers@PartnerShip.com or visit our Becoming a PartnerShip Carrier web page.

A little more than a year ago on this blog, we asked the question, “Are Self-Driving Trucks the Future of Shipping?” Recent technology advances and business partnerships have made it clear that yes, self-driving trucks are the future. The question is now, “When is the future?”

Google’s self-driving car project has logged more than 1.5 million miles in autonomous mode with no accidents resulting in major injury or death. The US Army has tested self-driving technology with truck convoys. Uber is road testing a fleet of cars equipped to drive themselves in Pittsburgh. Its competitor, Lyft, is partnering with General Motors to develop self-driving taxis. 

How is self-driving technology going to impact shipping? Google already has a patent for a “package delivery platform” which suggests its technology will be in trucks soon. The US Army wants to deploy self-driving convoys carrying troops and supplies in the next 10 to 15 years. Uber recently purchased a startup company called “Otto,” with the mission to make every truck a self-driving truck. Its goal is self-driving trucks on our highways in as little as two years.  

Self-driving cars have gotten more attention, but self-driving trucks will have a much more substantial impact on the economy. Trucks move nearly 70% of all the freight tonnage in the US and involve 3 million heavy-duty trucks and drivers, using 37 billion gallons of diesel fuel to move 9.2 billion tons of freight over 279 million miles of roadway (American Trucking Associations). The savings potential means trucks may become automated sooner than cars.

The self-driving engineers at Otto believe the commercial trucking world can be automated first and their goal is to have trucks drive themselves on highways, leaving city driving, docking and parking to human drivers. The concept is just like automated pilots that fly jets at high altitudes while leaving the trickier takeoffs and landings to trained human pilots.

The challenges

Self-driving vehicles have several challenges to overcome before they can appear on the roads. First, the technology to make a vehicle autonomous is expensive. Second, consumer trust in fully self-driving vehicle technology is still very low, and third, government regulations are relatively nonexistent, although California recently proposed regulations that stipulate that a fully autonomous vehicle must have a driver in it at all times. 

The benefits

The use of autonomous trucks would overcome many of the stringent “hours of service” regulations in place. Use of self-driving trucks would allow the driver to get rest while the truck drives itself, speeding up deliveries and overall productivity.

Autonomous trucks are more fuel efficient due to computer-controlled acceleration and braking systems that optimize their speed. Conservative estimates predict self-driving trucks consume 10 - 15% less fuel.

Self-driving technology can increase the safety of the driver and the load. A report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) assigns blame to operator error in 94% of truck accidents. Between 10 and 20% percent of the roughly 4,000 fatal truck accidents are linked to driver fatigue, based on estimates gathered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, and self-driving trucks never get tired.

The impact to employment

While it might seem like self-driving trucks would result in increased unemployment, that may not be the case. There were more than 48,000 unfilled driver openings last year. If the trend continues, the driver shortage may increase to 150,000 by 2024. The shortage is a result of older drivers retiring, fewer people entering the profession, and increased demand to move freight. Self-driving trucks can fill the gap and could attract more tech-savvy and younger people to become drivers.

Otto is looking for 1,000 volunteers to have self-driving kits installed on their cabs (at no cost, of course) to test and fine-tune the technology. Volunteers are expected to take control of the truck if the technology fails or if driving conditions make it unsafe to remain in autonomous mode. Otto plans to test its equipment on volunteers’ trucks for the next 12 to 18 months.

Whenever self-driving trucks become viable, PartnerShip will be here to help you focus on your business by managing the complicated parts of shipping. To stay competitive, ship smarter with PartnerShip! Contact us at 800-599-2902 or get a quote now!

Imagine an event where you get to see your best friends and make new ones. And it happens in a beautiful place with terrific food, exciting activities, and lots to see and do. And did we mention the great friends? That sums up the 2016 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition recently held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Called the "Big Daddy of Conventions," the event attracts thousands of association executives, from executive management to finance to technology. With 120+ education sessions, countless networking opportunities, and an Expo Hall filled with exciting business and networking opportunities, an estimated 5,500 nonprofit and association professionals gathered to exchange ideas, resources, strategies, and solutions.

Highlights from the show included:

·         The Opening Celebration at Library Square featuring Project Bandaloop, a group of aerial dancers performing on the glass exterior wall of the Salt Lake City Public Library

·         An early-morning 5K Fun Run

·         Opening Keynote with NASA Astronaut brothers Scott and Mark Kelly. 

·         “The Classic” event, with a theme of “A Night with the Sundance Film Festival” and music from the Bacon Brothers

·         Reconnecting with our great partners and meeting new ones!

PartnerShip also gave away two $100 gift cards to two lucky visitors to our booth. Congratulations to John from the Society of Broadcast Engineers and Anne from Healthcare Distribution Alliance!

PartnerShip provides shipping programs to over 150 professional and trade associations and we love when we’re able to meet so many of our partners at one time. Plus it’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce ourselves to new colleagues and explain how a PartnerShip managed Shipping Program is a valuable member benefit.

If you’re an association member, executive or board member and would like to learn more about our association shipping programs, click here.

The Bill of Lading, or BOL, is one of the most important freight shipping documents because it fulfills three purposes: 1) it acts as evidence of a contract between the shipper and the carrier; 2) it serves as a receipt of freight services and goods; and 3) it is a document of title, or ownership, of goods.

Let’s examine the roles the Bill of Lading plays, one by one.

Evidence of contract between shipper and carrier. The Bill of Lading is a document that provides the driver and carrier details of your freight shipment, including what goods you are shipping, where the shipment is coming from, and where it’s going. It acts only as evidence of a contract between the shipper and the carrier, since the contract is agreed upon before a Bill of Lading is issued. The BOL must be provided to the carrier when a shipment is picked up, and will be delivered to the consignee upon delivery.

Receipt of freight services and goods. The Bill of Lading is issued by the carrier or its agent and provided to the shipper in exchange for receipt of the freight. The BOL is proof that the carrier has received the freight in good condition, as provided by the shipper. The shipper should keep a signed copy of the BOL as proof of carrier liability in the event the shipment is lost, damaged or destroyed.

Document of title, or ownership, of goods. The Bill of Lading means that the goods may be transferred to the holder of the BOL (the carrier) to be transferred to someone else (the consignee). The most common type of BOL is the "Straight Bill of Lading." This is typically used to ship freight to a customer that has already paid for it.

Information contained on the Bill of Lading includes: shipper and consignee names, name of the carrier, an itemized list of goods being transported, number of packages and kind of packaging, weight and/or volume of the cargo, each package’s freight class, terms of payment, special handling instructions, and freight rate and amount.

A Bill of Lading is required for all claims for compensation due to damage or loss, and for any disputes regarding ownership of the freight. Without a correctly completed BOL you could be faced with a major headache to be compensated for your freight loss or damage.

In addition, carriers have the right to inspect, reweigh and reclassify your freight so be sure all weight and shipping class information is accurate. Errors can result in additional charges and delayed delivery of your freight.

As you can see, the Bill of Lading is a very important document and needs to be filled out completely and accurately.

The shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to help you focus on your business by managing the complicated parts of shipping. To stay competitive, ship smarter with PartnerShip! Contact us at 800-599-2902 or get a quote now!