Shipper says delivery focus will change
With the cost of moving goods by truck escalating daily, shippers will look to intermodal more and more, even though rail delays set shipments back a day or more, said Britney Croft, manager of corporate freight for Shaw Industries, a carpet and flooring manufacturer in Dalton, Ga.
Speaking at the National Industrial Transportation League/Intermodal Association of North America Intermodal conference Tuesday in Anaheim, Croft said his company's focus for delivery times has changed from a 'we can get it to you by ' ' model to a 'when would you like it by?' one, allowing Shaw to use intermodal for more shipments.
Croft said Shaw relies on team carriers to truck its product. But with driver shortages, teams are harder to find all the time. 'So we have to change our shipping patterns and build in another 10 hours to account for rest time for the drivers,' Croft said.