A Trucking Services Overview!

Trucking Services

The trucking industry provides shipping and trucking services for goods and products from the manufacturing/production point to the consumers, mainly using trucks. The carrying capacity is usually vast since it directly links a producer who serves many consumers. Several trucks and tractor-trailers of different types or fleets are required to convey commodities to meet the end-user demands.

There are many carriers and shipping companies specializing in the transportation of different types of cargo in different vehicle types. Since manufacturing firms are increasing rapidly, the trucking business has significantly grown over the years to help link consumers and producers locally and internationally. The industry operation area circulates between the transportation and warehousing sectors.

The availability of several firms operating in either small or large trucking business entities has opened up job opportunities in logistics management. One of the obvious ones is vacancies for skilled drivers for the trucks. Securing a job has never been easier; you only need to search for truck driving jobs near me.

The trucking industry is among the most significant revenue streams in most countries’ economies. Managing a trucking company requires adequate skilled personnel to perform different roles in the transportation chain and sufficient economic resources, especially motor vehicles, to ferry the goods. Like most companies, a trucking firm has various departments, including administration, procurement, accounting and finance, logistics, and transportation.

Trucking services deal with small or large shipments, and special provisions are available for special types of cargo such as fragile, perishable, or volatile commodities. Based on your business needs and the nature of goods transported, you can choose from the different tracking methods.

Here are some of the standard trucking services:

LTL or Partial Truckload – LTL stands for Less than Truckload shipping. It is a service that allows one to have their goods loaded on a portion of the truck and only pay for their goods’ space. As such, the truck carries goods for several individuals, with each paying for the occupied space. It is an economical way to ship a few goods, although it does not allow you any control of timing and shipping routes.

FTL or Full Truckload – It applies when you have a shipment that fills the freight trailer or in a case where one requires a truck dedicated to their goods only. It allows you more control of timing and shipping routes compared to the partial truckload service.

Flatbed Trucking Service is ideal for cargo that necessitates easy loading and unloading, for instance, motor vehicles, oversized machinery, and building supplies. They are suitable for ferrying containers and other products that are not susceptible to weather.

Refrigerated Trucks or Reefer Trucks – The service specializes in perishable and other unique goods that require temperature control during shipping. Such include commodities in the chemical, medical and pharmaceutical industries. Animal products such as meat and milk require refrigeration during shipping. Flowers may also need this service.

Special monitoring and tracking are offered under the service, and either the FTL or LTL option applies.

Intermodal Freight Shipping – The service is employed when the goods require more than one mode of transport such as rail and road. Goods can be shipped from the initial location by rail then loaded onto a truck for hauling to the final destination. Trucks come in, especially where one mode such as rail has no direct access to the final required destination.

Expedited Trucking Service/Straight Truck Delivery Service – The service is applicable when goods that may be fragile are required in a hurry at a destination that other transportation modes cannot be used.

White-Glove Service – Unlike other services where readily packed goods are transported, white-glove service involves engaging one person to pack, load, and unpack the products when they reach the destination.

The mechanical structure for the different trucks varies; therefore, the training requirements for the drivers also vary. All truck drivers operating to operate large, heavy, or placarded hazardous material vehicles for commercial purposes must possess a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License).

Depending on the truck operated, there may be a requirement for Class A, B, or C CDL. 

Some of the other truck driving positions include:

OTR (Over-the-Road) truck drivers specialize in hauling freight, including goods, chemicals, and equipment, over long distances only and not within local or regional routes. A Class A CDL is required under this occupation. The drivers are also needed to be well skilled in using road maps and GPS devices.

Team Driver – It is a concept of having two drivers for the same truck to take shifts driving the truck. It is done to meet the maximum requirement of 11 driving hours followed by 10 hours of rest; hence the other driver can take control. A Class A CDL is required.

Owner-Operator Driver  It is usually self-employed drivers/businesses that haul goods to their customers. They are common in entities such as health care, restaurants, maintenance, and operations firms.

Another type of truck driving position that falls under the owner-operator category is owner operator tank jobs. These positions are specifically geared towards drivers who specialize in transporting liquid or hazardous materials in tank trucks.

Owner-operator tank jobs require specialized training and certification due to the unique nature of transporting liquids or hazardous materials. Drivers in this role are responsible for safely loading, transporting, and unloading various types of liquids, including petroleum products, chemicals, and gases.

With the requisite CDL and a clear Motor Vehicle Driving Record, you are better positioned to secure a truck driving job.

Trucking services article and permission to publish here provided by Nikitha Kanumuri. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on August 18, 2021.

One thought on “A Trucking Services Overview!”

  1. It sure was interesting when you said that the shipping services for goods and products from a manufacturer to the consumers can be provided by the trucking industry. This is something that warehouse powers must consider in order to easily ship their products out. I could imagine how a trucking transportation service could ensure customer satisfaction by ensuring fast delivery services.

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