One number for all of it.
What 3PL actually means
Third-party logistics means outsourcing transportation and logistics functions to an outside provider instead of running them in-house. The term covers a lot of ground, from a broker moving loads to a provider running your entire distribution network.
Here is where we sit:
- Mode selection, carrier sourcing and carrier management
- Day-to-day execution and exception handling
- Accessorial management and reporting
If you want a provider to run dedicated facilities on your own systems, that is a different kind of 3PL, and we will tell you so rather than stretch.
Every mode, one number
Truckload
Dry van, reefer, flatbed and step-deck capacity sourced per load from carriers we have vetted and used before.
LTL
Less-than-truckload for freight that does not fill a trailer, with class and dimensions checked before it ships so the invoice matches the quote.
Ocean Freight
FCL and LCL booked with the steamship lines, with the inland leg arranged on both ends.
Air Freight
For freight that has run out of road time. Airport to airport, or door to door with the pickup and delivery arranged.
Intermodal
Rail for the long middle where the transit allows it, with drayage arranged at both ramps.
Cross-Border
United States, Mexico and Canada lanes, with the paperwork lined up before the truck reaches the crossing.
Customs and Compliance
Entry filing, classification and duty handled through licensed customs brokers we work with, coordinated with the truck.
Consolidation
Separate LTL shipments combined onto one trailer when the timing and the lanes line up, which is usually cheaper than shipping them apart.
Expedited
Team drivers, sprinters and straight trucks for when the delivery window is shorter than the drive.
Drayage
Container moves between the port or ramp and your dock, scheduled around the free time so you are not paying per diem.
Warehousing
Short-term storage and cross-dock space arranged where the freight needs to pause between legs.
What you get
Mode selection
The cheapest way that still makes the date, including when that is a mode we make less on.
Carrier sourcing and vetting
Authority, insurance and safety record checked on every carrier on every load, not once at onboarding and then trusted.
Day-to-day execution
Tendering, booking, tracking and exception handling, so a late truck reaches you before it reaches your customer.
Accessorial management
Detention, lumpers and dwell handled and documented rather than passed straight through to your invoice.
Claims
Handled from receipt to settlement, with the paperwork chased rather than left sitting with you.
Reporting
Cost per lane, on-time performance, tender acceptance and accessorial spend.
One point of contact
A named person with a direct line, rather than a queue and a ticket number.
Who this is for
Fits
A company with real freight volume and no dedicated traffic desk. Or one whose traffic manager is already doing three other jobs. Or one running a handful of carrier relationships and finding that it does not scale.
Does not fit
A company that needs dedicated facilities, deep systems integration, or an outsourced supply chain design function. We would rather say that now than six months in.
Either way
We will tell you which one you are before you sign anything. The wrong fit costs us more than the lost revenue does.
How it starts
- Send us your freight. Ninety days of history: lanes, volumes, modes, and what you paid.
- We tell you what we see. Where the money is going, which lanes are mispriced, and where a mode change would help.
- Start with a slice. One region or one mode, not the whole book. Both sides find out whether it works.
- Expand if it is working. Or do not, and nobody has a problem.
We are not going to ask you to move your whole book on a slide deck.
What is the difference between a broker and a 3PL?
A freight broker arranges individual shipments. A 3PL typically takes on ongoing responsibility for a broader set of functions: mode selection, carrier management, reporting, and sometimes warehousing. Most 3PLs, including us, do brokerage as part of it.
Do I have to move all my freight at once?
No, and we would advise against it. Start with one region or one mode so both sides find out whether it works before anything is at stake. Expand if it does.
Related services
Supply Chain Consulting
Network reviews, mode-shift analysis and lane rationalization from people who cover the freight every day.
Managed Solutions
Managed transportation for shippers who would rather not run a traffic desk.
Contract Logistics
Ongoing programs with agreed rates, committed capacity and reporting against a service standard.