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It Takes Strategic Thinking to Keep Freight Moving in Minneapolis, MN

Strategic-Transportation loves challenges, but you could say these days are a perfect storm of headaches for anyone trying to get around Minneapolis, MN, and other parts of the metro.

The demand for orders from brick and mortar stores and those who buy things over the internet isn’t easing up any, and neither are government regulations, nor the need for quality drivers to get them to retailers and consumers. To complicate matters, Interstate 35W, a major artery through Minneapolis is being redone along with a number of local streets.

Strategic-Transportation knows the solution starts with numbers. The trucking industry as a whole is short at least 50,000 or more drivers. It’s why we’re always on the lookout for quality drivers who know how to deliver.

Salaries for drivers are also being pushed up as the demand for their skills on the road grows by the quarter and some companies work to strengthen their own private fleet of delivery vehicles.

The Federal government’s new hours of service rules are also demanding even more strategic thinking and planning. After 14 consecutive hours, electronic log books are forcing drivers to adopt new habits and to worry about whether there’s somewhere to pull over and park when that 14th hour is through.

A shortage of places to park, costly new equipment, and a resulting cut in take-home pay are creating additional roadblocks to recruiting new drivers.

Instead of shunning the commercialization of roadside stops, some strategic thinkers believe that America’s larger truck-stop chains should work with state transportation departments. The goal would be to convert nearly useless rest areas into attractive places for truckers to stop.

The additional parking would lead to more productive hours, lower fuel costs, less air pollution, and greater take-home pay. Many argue these changes need to be made to attract people to a grueling and essential job; creating more places to stop would be a good start.

It’s the sort of strategic thinking you can expect from Strategic Transportation of Minneapolis. We’re known for taking the time to understand your goals, anticipating delays of all kinds and making sure shipments happen on your schedule and, of course, on time.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transportation experience that fits your business’s needs in Minneapolis and other destinations across the country no matter what sort of curve nature might decide to toss our way. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you deliver the perfect transportation strategy.

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Strategic Thinking by Truckers Will be Needed to Navigate Hurricane Season in St. Paul, MN and Elsewhere

Hurricane season might seem like an odd issue for managers and even truckers in St. Paul, MN to be concerned about, but it’s a concern that’ll likely have to be dealt with before November rolls around.

A perfect storm of potential roadblocks and hazards has already formed as problems created by nature offer a potential threat to on-time deliveries in St. Paul and places far closer to the whims of tropical storm winds in these United States.

Consider that truck freight tonnage has continued to rise over the past year. A severe shortage of truck drivers is pushing up freight costs which are being passed on to consumers. It’s leading to late deliveries and new technology isn’t helping in at least one respect.

The advent of  electronic monitoring of driver’s schedules, especially their hours of service, is reducing the number of trucks available at any given time, and some drivers have decided to just leave the business rather than deal with the new rules and in some cases uneven enforcement from state authorities.

Enter into this confusion the guarantee that nature will surely throw a huge amount of unpredictability into the mix throughout the months of summer and fall. Most everyone remembers the dangerous flooding around the Houston, TX area following a hurricane landfall. Big rig drivers in the Florida area weren’t spared either when a monster storm brushed Miami and headed up the Gulf side of the Sunshine State.

It’s sure to mean greater driver demand and pay for those who know how to work around obstacles of all kinds and deliver.

That’s the sort of strategic thinking you can expect from Strategic Transportation of St. Paul, MN. We’re known for taking the time to understand your goals, anticipating delays of all kinds, and making sure shipments happen on your schedule and, of course, on-time.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transportation experience that fits your business’s needs in St. Paul and other destinations across the country no matter what sort of curve nature might decide to toss our way. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you deliver the perfect transportation strategy.

 

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A Bumpy Start for ELDs Could Make for a Long Summer for Truck Drivers in Minneapolis, MN

If federal regulators thought the addition of electronic gizmos would solve all the issues behind logging hours of service and driver fatigue, they’re getting heat as hot as a sizzling summer’s day from some trucking companies in Minneapolis, MN and elsewhere.

As what’s known as strict enforcement enters its third month, many truckers are still trying to get Electronic Logging Devices in their cabs to work. Some digital trackers aren’t able to offer accurate locations, miles, or hours, while some just don’t work at all.

Non-functioning devices aren’t exactly an option when you figure commercial vehicle inspectors can place a trucker without an ELD out of service for 10 hours. Truck drivers without a working device, whether it’s due to technical issues or not, are facing the same penalties.

To make matters worse, manufacturer support lines are understaffed, and problems usually happen while on the road. Truck drivers have 8 days to get back into compliance or they could risk being cited for using a non-working ELD.

The ELD requirement was initiated to help enforce the federal hours-of-service rule. It limits time behind the wheel for truckers to no more than 11 hours a day, within a 14-hour workday. Truck drivers must be off duty for 10 consecutive hours to round out a 24-hour day.

Violations can also affect a driver’s safety score. Truckers face a five-point penalty if they don’t have an ELD and lose another two points if they’re placed out of service.

Another issue has to do with the transfer of data showing driver hours for commercial inspectors to review on the road. If the information is recorded correctly, everything is fine. But some truck drivers have opted to continue to fill out a logbook as a method of paper backup.

That’s the sort of strategic thinking most of us need to ensure obstacles don’t become roadblocks. It’s also what you can expect from Strategic Transportation of Minneapolis. We’re known for understanding your goals, anticipating delays, and making sure shipments happen on your schedule.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transportation experience that fits your business’s needs in Minneapolis and other destinations across the country. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you deliver the perfect transportation strategy.

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Strategic Transportation Means Knowing How to Maneuver Around St. Paul, MN Bottlenecks

It never fails, or so it seems. You’re in a hurry to get somewhere in the Twin Cities and traffic has come to standstill on a major freeway in St. Paul or across the river in Minneapolis.

You’re not imagining things. Based upon the recently released Minnesota Go Statewide Freight System and Investment plan, no less than ten of Minnesota’s top highway bottlenecks related to travel time and delay are in the Twin Cities.

It’s little wonder that this area containing the largest amount of the state’s population also ranks high in the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s report as the center of passenger activity and the movement of goods in Minnesota.

All of that highway congestion leads to frustration for truck drivers, especially those who are maneuvering around delays to make just-in-time deliveries.

No one is suggesting an implementation of rules like those seen in New York City in recent years where drivers needing to make deliveries are required to do so during the overnight hours to avoid major traffic tie-ups.

MnDOT is focusing on places where high amounts freight and passenger traffic come together to create congestion largely caused by rush hour traffic, crashes, and construction delays.

MnDOT believes it’s already having an impact with additional MnPass Lanes, a 511-traveler information line, and other intermodal technologies.

Strategic Transportation is doing its part by paying attention to designated truck routes and Complete Streets planning to assist with congestion management solutions.

It begins with knowing your surroundings. Strategic Transportation believes in offering a professional consultation to get an idea of your needs. Let us worry about potential delays and problems with freight efficiency; we’re ready to make your shipment happen on your schedule.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transportation experience that fits your needs in St. Paul, MN and other destinations across the country. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you create the perfect transportation strategy for all of your goods and cargo.

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Truck Drivers Strategic Thinking is Required to Fund Needed Highway Repairs in St. Paul, MN

Truck drivers seem to agree that roadways in St. Paul, MN and around the region need either repairs or expansion. How to pay for these improvements, however, is another matter.

Recently, President Donald Trump announced his infrastructure plan. It would repeal the federal ban on tolling existing interstates. The Minnesota Department of Transportation also released a tolling study that examines the idea of expanding what’s already being done on a limited basis on a few state roads.

Most truck drivers are familiar with what’s called the MnPass system, which is found on three Twin Cities area highways. While the Minnesota Department of Transportation considers it a toll, it’s more of a way to cut down on congestion on the busiest of roadways rather than a way to pay for their repairs.

MnDOT’s study considers tolls to be a possible fix for roads. The research looks at various scenarios for tolls on different types of highways throughout the state, including Interstates 35 and 94 in the metro. It also includes Highways 169, 610, and Highway 52 to Rochester.

The state estimates it could raise anywhere from $200 million to nearly $3 billion to reinvest in roads over a 30-year period. But trucking industry supporters and other business interests are not excited about the idea of paying new taxes and dealing with the disruption of toll booths.

The resulting rise in costs for shipping companies like Strategic Transportation of St. Paul would inevitably be passed on to consumers. It’s why critics think Congress should be encouraged to take action and pass a fuel tax increase. Supporters maintain it’s the easiest and fairest way of funding infrastructure repairs or road expansion.

While there’s much to debate about possible tolls and private partnerships, there’s no question your businesses shipping needs will get even more scrutiny as a part of the professional consultation that comes with considering a move by Strategic Transportation.

We’re all about constructing a personalized transportation experience that fits your needs in St. Paul and the rest of the country. We also have reliable truck drivers that will safely transport your cargo from point A to point B. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310. We may not be able to solve the issue of infrastructure funding, but we’ll help you keep costs under control while creating the perfect transportation strategy for all of your goods and cargo.

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Leave the Long Miles to the Machines, We’ll Personally Handle Your Local Hauling in St. Paul, MN

That title could one day be the source for a future marketing slogan for some trucking firm, but we’re pretty sure it won’t be Strategic Transportation of St. Paul, MN.

As tech talk and testing heats up for autonomous vehicles, including big rigs, the ride-hailing service known as Uber is suggesting that self-driving semis could be a boon for local truckers.

Here’s how the thinking goes: Autonomous trucks can go much longer distances without the worry of electronic monitoring devices, which reduce the length of time drivers can spend on the road in a given day.

The way Uber envisions things, most human trucking jobs would be needed by local haulers. They figure the number of those jobs would rise because the automation of long hauling would become more efficient.

At Strategic Transportation, we’ll allow technology and your opinion of that proposal to be your guide as to whether it’s a viable idea.

We’ll argue that not all hauling jobs come in standard shapes and sizes. There’s a human factor that cannot be automated away when cargoes of certain shapes and sizes need a personal touch, regardless of whether you’re going across town or across the country. Strategic Transportation is ready to help it happen on your timetable.

We also partner with Strategic Warehousing to offer you storage space and a convenience advantage that most transportation companies simply cannot match. This is especially helpful if you have special demands in fulfilling the last-mile for certain orders. We’re ready to assist and lend our considerable expertise.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transportation experience that fits your needs in St. Paul, MN and the rest of the country. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310, and we’ll help you create the perfect transportation strategy for all of your goods and cargo.

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Strategic Transportation Means Helping You With Proactive Delivery in Minneapolis, MN

Are we there yet? How many times have you heard that line while taking the family on a road trip? While there aren’t any lasting penalties for repeatedly saying “no” to family members, the same cannot be said for retailers and shipping companies in Minneapolis, MN.

It’s a strategic transportation question for shippers, especially those with goods in transit and trying to satisfy customers who expect “proactive delivery.” Along with promises about cost, consumers expect proactive updates on the shipment of their products and demand retailers quickly address any delivery issues should they arise.

It’s another example of how e-commerce continues to transform traditional transportation models as it creates more real-time demand and higher expectations. Those consumer demands for more information can only be met by a transporter who believes in using data to ensure fast, fair, and effective deliveries.

Even though Strategic Transportation is based out of Minneapolis, we’re just as committed to providing proactive delivery to our customers across town as we are about getting goods moved across the country. The size or shape of the load is no object; we accept loads from any industry.

Our freight transportation experts use modern machinery and technology to proactively anticipate potential problems and plan around them. We also partner with Strategic Warehousing to offer you storage space and a convenience advantage that most transportation companies simply cannot match.

We’re ready to offer you a professional consultation to get an idea of your needs. Let us worry about potential delays and problems with freight efficiency; we’re ready to make your shipment happen on your schedule with proactive delivery.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transportation experience that fits your needs in Minneapolis, MN and the rest of the country. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you create the perfect transportation strategy for all your goods and cargo.

 

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It’s Time to Think Strategically for the Holidays in Minneapolis, MN

There’s nothing like the rush of the holidays and no better time to get a handle on your transportation and warehousing needs for what can be the busiest time of the year in the Minneapolis, MN, area.

Strategic Transportation understands if you need to get that important load delivered right away or some extra space to store it until the time is right for a final shipment. We’re prepared to handle and manage it all.

Got less than a truck load? No problem. Got a full truck load? We can handle it. Strategic knows flexibility is just as important as safety and reliably when it comes to getting your important cargo delivered on time. From dry van assignments to air freight, Strategic has the resources and knowledge to make your shipment happen.

Strategic has an extra advantage most others do not: as a fulltime, asset based and third-party logistics provider, we’re ready to help you store and manage your valuables until the time to move them is right for you.

Our partners, Strategic Warehousing, are Minnesota’s and the Midwest’s leading warehouse provider. This means several additional options for you and your business, no matter how little or how much you need to store or manage.

From food storage to custom packaging and real-time inventory management, you’ll quickly realize why Strategic is a valued partner to businesses of all sizes in Minneapolis and around the Twin Cities metro area.

Strategic is ready to consult with you about your company’s needs. Our team of specialists can then build a custom plan to fit your logistics needs and business goals.

Strategic Transportation and Warehousing is about creating a personalized transport and storage experience that fits you and your needs in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you create the perfect shipping and warehouse strategy for all your goods and cargo.

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It Pays to be Nimble, and Strategic Transportation Strives to be Quick in St. Paul, MN

Sometimes a load isn’t exactly a full load, but no matter, it’s still important and has to be delivered in St. Paul, MN, plenty of other places around the Metro area, or as far away as the West Coast.

Strategic Transportation of St. Pau, MN, understands, and we aim to do more than just deliver. We’ll offer you our strategic expertise with your next delivery job. Whether your needs are local, or you’ve got a project that stretches your needs across the country and beyond, Strategic Transportation can handle all of your shipping needs.

From several types of ground deliveries to air freight and even international services, the professionals at Strategic Transportation are always thinking about the most efficient and safe way to get your valuable cargo where it needs to go as fast as possible, no matter what the shape or size.

The key to our success is in offering options on method and speed, no matter what type of shipment you have. We aim to be your one-stop-shop for everything you need to get your valuable cargo to where it’s going quickly and efficiently.

Don’t hesitate to make an appointment with us for a personal touch. We’re ready to offer a professional consultation to get a better understanding of your needs. These logistical planning meetings with our transportation specialists help us understand your needs and allow us to guarantee your business will run as smoothly as ours. Let us worry about potential delays and problems with freight efficiency. We’re ready to make your shipment happen and on your schedule.

Strategic Transportation is about creating a personalized transport and storage experience that fits you and your needs in St. Paul and surrounding areas. Call us today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you create the perfect transport and warehouse strategy for all your goods and cargo.

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Think Strategically About Your Next Shipping Move in Minneapolis, MN

Ever watch a train go by and wonder where all the cargo onboard goes after it reaches its destination? If it’s headed to Minneapolis, MN, it might already be the subject of some strategic transportation and thinking.

Not everything that’s loaded onto a truck at a railyard is headed to a local store right away. Chances are someone’s done some thinking, and maybe that cargo is headed to one of several places in the Twin Cities managed by our partner company known as a Strategic Warehousing.

It’s a safe, controlled environment for valuable inventory that could range from a few pallets to a full warehouse.  The key is keeping things simple and smart. You might also say flexible, too, because Strategic Warehousing is ready to go with your flow depending on your company’s needs and just how busy you get.

It’s what makes Strategic Transportation your one-stop-shop for everything you might need to get your shipments to where they need to be without any hassle. We’re innovative about inventory control and tracking, we believe in research and planning, and we’re also mindful of your needs when it comes to hauling your important cargo.

The key is offering you the best drivers to manage our trucks and deliver your freight. This helps avoid common issues like missed deadlines, unfamiliarity with certain vehicles, and other avoidable errors. We combine this with a flexibility that not only includes short or regional transport, but smart storage solutions as well.

Whether your needs range from dry van services to partial and full truckloads, we can handle it. Need to get it there now? Air Freight is a sure way to handle tight deadlines.

Do you have other special delivery needs like a flatbed, step deck, heavy haul, or a strange sized, special load? Please call us to check on truck availability and request a quote.

Strategic Transportation and Warehousing is about creating a personalized transport and storage experience that specifically fits you and your needs in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas. Call Strategic Transportation today at (651) 433-7310 and we’ll help you create the perfect transport strategy for all your goods and cargo.