The U.S. economy is strong. All indications show that will continue in 2018, leading to an increase of consumer demand. Nearly 70% of all freight in the U.S. is delivered by truck. The American Trucking Association forecasts that goods hauled by truck will grow at a three percent rate over the next five years to keep up with consumer demand (roadscholar.com). While demand is up, the truckload freight market continues to be a strain across all industries because capacity withered to an all-time low.
Driving factors leading to the low capacity include new electronic monitoring regulation, an overall driver shortage, a tight labor market and increasing oil prices. Skidmore is taking strong measures to combat these strains, and secure equipment nationwide.
The Skidmore mission is simple: “By helping customers succeed, we succeed ourselves,” In his first month with Skidmore, Pat Murray, our new Supply Chain Manager has already identified ways for Skidmore to streamline logistics processes to help us better serve our customers.
Pat is a proven transportation expert adept in domestic and global distribution, process improvement, and supply chain optimizations. As a former Army Officer, and logistics professional, he has over 20 years of experience in many facets of logistics from domestic expedited services to international over dimensional shipments.
“My top priority as Supply Chain Manager is to ensure transportation and logistics excellence remains a top priority and core competency at Skidmore Sales. As freight companies modernize, we too must change the way we secure transportation. So much of the process is now automated, such as trucking rates and available lines being updated real-time. I am excited to lead a new initiative to identify, select, and implement a Transportation Management System (TMS) at Skidmore. The TMS will bring automation to all facets of our logistics service,” Murray explained. “This will optimize in-bound and out-bound freight routing, monitor the on-time delivery record of potential carriers, and dramatically reduce the period of time it takes to find the right carrier. In essence, it will ensure we continue to get ingredients to customers when they need them, and at the lowest possible cost.”
In addition to implementing a new TMS in the near future, Skidmore also is looking at new freight consolidation opportunities. “We are centrally located in the U.S., and well positioned to minimize transportation costs and take advantage of the concentration of carriers situated in the geographic region. We will continue to utilize this to our customers’ advantage, and keep freight moving- even in adverse conditions.”
At Skidmore, we measure our success according to our ability to provide on-time and in-full orders to our customers. Since 2012 we have maintained a perfect order rate of 97%. We are committed to continuing that for years to come. Easing the burden of a complicated logistics environment is one of the many ways we can help you spend more time doing what you do best!
Please contact us to learn more about the benefits of doing business with Skidmore, 1-800-468-7543.