Transportation teams are burned out! Studies have revealed that over 15% of transport and logistics workers are contemplating leaving their job due to excessive stress. Why? Most teams have heavy lifts, are understaffed, and lack the proper tools to successfully perform their job. Specifically, they need c-suite acknowledgment, actionable data, and smart technology to achieve their goal which is to deliver goods on time, at a fair market price.
US Domestic Truckload Supply Chain Teams Feel Like They’re Running On Treadmills And Getting Nowhere.
Truth said, there are not enough hours in the day for transportation/ logistics managers to deal with day-to-day requirements, fire drills, and strategic initiatives. 
They have many tasks including, but not limited to, transportation planning, procurement, dispatching, routing, tracking, and invoicing. Freight procurement alone is a full-time job. Hours are spent finding and then vetting new carriers for safety and compliance. After a carrier has been approved, more time and energy are spent onboarding the new carrier. As more carriers are added to the network, there are more vendor relationships that need to be juggled and managed.
“US Domestic Truckload Supply Chain teams have a heavy lift and are short-handed,” said Michael Paul, VP of Sleek Technologies Sales. “Week after week, shippers tell me they’re trying to juggle a number of activities that leaves them feeling like they’re on a treadmill and not getting anywhere. They are so focused on annual bids, dealing with fire drills, and being short-staffed that they feel like they don’t have time to look at innovative solutions.”
Unfortunately, these problems are compounded when the team is down a resource due to vacation, maternity leave, or illness. Or what about when the shipper experiences a spike in product demand and needs to ship more goods than typically normal? Or what about when the freight market begins to tighten up again?
Top Tips To Quickly Fill Gaps When The Transportation Team Is Down Resources
Tip 1: Leverage data. Unfortunately, many teams fly blind when it comes to making important decisions. Obtaining and leveraging actionable data makes it easier to pull the trigger on quick decisions. For example, optimizing the carrier network has been a difficult task for many shippers because they don’t receive full data transparency from 3PLs. Advanced freight procurement analytics is now helping shippers quickly understand which carriers to add, keep, or drop.
Tip 2: Embrace technology. Forward-thinking shippers have embraced technology that has automated manual tasks that tie teams down and drive focus away from strategic efforts. For example, AI-powered software has helped shippers dynamically find, vet, and onboard new carriers in seconds.
When teams are burnt out, performance suffers. Hiring new resources can take weeks if not months to recruit and then onboard. But now with technological advancements and innovation, teams can make quicker decisions with actionable data, and reduce worker burnout by eliminating mundane, repetitive tasks with technology.