No doubt that the last couple of years in our industry have been tough ones. Constant pressure to squeeze costs out of the equation is the order of the day and at the same time, efforts to find new revenue streams are more difficult than ever. While we have seen some positive upticks in the economy and in our business, we are cautiously optimistic about the future.

As we get further into the New Year, tighter truck capacity is becoming a hot topic of discussion and is certainly being felt in certain areas of the country. The downward pressure on pricing we have experienced is beginning to stabilize and swing back in the other direction which will present challenges to the shipping community. In addition to capacity issues, there are many transportation and logistics providers that are battered and bruised as a result of the tough environment which also presents challenges for shippers in making sure the providers they are utilizing are stable and financially viable.

With the truckload industry being the highly fragmented marketplace that it is, now is a great time for a shipper to consider the services of a 3PL, such as C. L. Services, Inc.

Statistics show the overwhelming majority of truckload carriers are small businesses with an average fleet size of 15 to 20 trucks. Most have a limited presence outside their domicile area and depend upon the 3PL industry to help re-position their equipment. The utilization of a highly competent and financially stable 3PL such as C. L. Services, Inc. provides the opportunity for a shipper to tap into a supply of equipment that would otherwise be inaccessible. Furthermore, it allows for a shipper to minimize the number of carrier relationships they have to maintain in order to have adequate capacity to move their product to market quickly and efficiently. A single point of contact for any issue that arises provides convenience for any shipper, small, medium or large.

In addition to the aforementioned benefits, many 3PLs , such as C. L. Services, Inc., offer multi-modal services that can drive costs out of the supply chain and profits to the bottomline. The flexibility of providing multi-modal services can ease the pain of a shipper in finding that specific piece of specialty equipment such as, intermodal, temperature control, flatbed or over-dimensional load that comes along from time to time and is outside of their normal operation.

For further information about how C. L. Services, Inc. can help bring value to your organization, visit us at or call 1-800-533-3922.

Russ Caudell, Chief Financial Officier