In today’s global economy, companies are obtaining materials from and sending products to points farther away than ever before. Consequently, most businesses have seen their freight costs increase significantly in recent years. If your company hasn’t experienced that rise, you’re lucky.
There was a time when moving and storing everything from raw materials to finished goods was simpler. Business owners face much more significant resource management challenges today. Why? In short, supply chain issues have complicated the processes of bringing supplies in and shipping products out.
Whether you need to rent or lease semi trailers regularly or infrequently, you should find a source you can rely on and trust. In other words, you want to identify a semi trailer leasing partner, not a provider.
If your company brings in or ships out anything from raw materials to finished products, you probably utilize semi trailers of various types. This may include dry vans, refrigerated trailers, flatbeds, lift gates, etc. If you provide that equipment, you know that it requires significant work to keep track of your inventory, including ensuring that every trailer is maintained correctly.
It goes without saying that 2020 has been a year that wreaked havoc on the status quo in virtually every area of life—from personal relationships to business operations. That is certainly true from the semi trailer rental industry.
For a casual observer traveling down the highway beside an 18-wheeler, it might seem like all semi trailers are the same. However, the people responsible for hauling, servicing or renting semi trailers know that that’s far from the truth. Not all semi trailers are designed and manufactured the same way. And the same goes for equipment like liftgates and refrigeration units.
It’s estimated that conventions contributed $101 billion to the U.S. economy in 2019. Convention attendees spend money on traveling to the event site, getting around town once they arrive, booking hotel rooms, dining out, enjoying entertainment and much more. In fact, even before they leave home there is money spent on everything from new clothes to business supplies for the event.
COVID-19 and the restrictions implemented to get it under control have caused significant slowdowns in many industries. However, transportation is not currently one of them. While each transportation market segment is experiencing the effects of the pandemic differently, overall the need to move goods and materials remains high, and as a result, the need for semi trailer rentals and leasing has remained high as well.
According to the National Retail Federation, holiday sales represent roughly 20% of annual retail activity. For some types of retailers, like those that sell toys, games and hobby-related items, the number can be even higher—closer to 30%.
Reverse logistics is not a new concept. In fact, the first use of the term was in 1992 in a white paper titled “Reverse Logistics” published by the Council of Logistics Management. However, the idea has received more attention in recent years due, in part, to a desire to recapture value from products and from an increased focus on earth-friendly, “green” practices.