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Inclement weather can have a large impact on your supply chain. Because of this, winter can put your supply chain at risk for downtime more so than many other seasons.
The most obvious concern that comes with winter weather is traffic delays, but another factor that has a significant impact is equipment damage. Damage to the equipment that moves your freight can be a logistical nightmare.
Although snow and ice storms are out of your control, our team has put together some things you can do to reduce delays from winter weather.
Understand Your Capacity
Don’t overcommit yourself. The worst thing you can do is overpromise and underdeliver. Be aware of your freight shipping capacity, your available fleet, and your available drivers. When winter weather hits, it can slow down your drivers or even take their trucks out of capacity.
This is even more relevant with the current labor shortage. Be prepared for how losing one or more drivers could impact your shipping capacity. Because of this, try to not overcommit your business.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
In a season when customer expectations are high and weather-spurred delays are likely, it’s important that you’re communicating with your customers. Create a plan and appoint one staff member to handle the communication. That way they can reach out during inclement weather, snowstorms, and more that cause delays.
Monitor Potential Weather Delays
Generally speaking, most winter weather isn’t a big surprise. You are usually able to track weather patterns across the globe to determine potential threatening weather before it happens. Be proactive. Don’t wait until the last minute to contact your customers about a potential delay.
Make sure you have a contingency plan in place if one of your shippers is experiencing significant delays due to a winter storm. If you work with a shipper on the east coast that has to close down operations because of a winter storm, make sure to have another partnership elsewhere. This will help you get the freight you need so you don’t have to experience downtime.
The team at TOC Logistics knows how frustrating weather delays on shipments can be. That’s why we would love to work with you to make sure you never have to experience downtime due to a winter weather delay. Reach out to a team member today to learn more about how we can help.