When the traditional large national parcel carriers announced their record-breaking surcharges and placed caps on shippers shortly before peak season, the scramble for new capacity began. Thousands of companies who had planned on continuing to utilize a national carrier to help them make all of their holiday deliveries were shattered.

How your company pivots over the next few weeks will determine how much your capacity, costs, and customers are affected. Utilizing a network of regional and local carriers can not only bridge the gaps in capacity needs, they can offer cost savings and better customer experience, thereby saving your holiday season.

Access their capacity.

Order volumes have been higher than average all year, and peak season is not slowing that down. Early predictions estimated a 5% capacity shortfall, and it’s already looking like that number will be higher. Some national carriers have announced that they will not be adding new capacity for peak to help with the even higher delivery volumes, leaving companies stranded.

Moving from your national carrier to a network of regional and local carriers can help add flexible capacity to fill your immediate needs. With thousands of these companies nationwide, you can select which markets you need to fill capacity gaps in and select carriers specific to your service needs. These companies are uniquely positioned to be flexible and easily adapt with your business to get you through the holiday season.

Lower your costs.

The surcharges that the large national shippers published for this season are record breaking. And, Fedex has already announced they will keep the new high rates in effect until at least January.

Moving to regional and local carriers can help keep your costs low during peak and as long as the price hikes continue. It is much easier to negotiate with these carriers and many times they can meet or beat the large national carrier rates in markets where you can drive volume or when you have to send big and bulky packages.

Regional and local carriers are uniquely equipped to handle your big and bulky or white glove deliveries. They can provide consistent service to your customers, even during a pandemic. To learn more about these carriers and their abilities, read this article. 

Move for your customers.

So much of the customer experience with your company hinges on the delivery process. How readily available was tracking? Was their order delivered on time? Was it delivered to the right place? Were all the steps completed correctly?

Your customers should be the main reason as to why you would move to a regional or local carrier. If the lack of capacity or coordination this season causes you to miss deliveries or be late, it can cost you in returns and lost business. 69% of customers will think twice about ordering from a business again if they don’t deliver on time. With a low estimate of 700 million packages not making it in time for the holidays, you can’t afford to be one of them.

The added capacity by utilizing a regional and local network, as well as their ability for great customer service can ensure your customers a great experience this holiday season.

It’s not too late

Accessing an existing network of regional and local last mile carriers, like the eTrac network, can take a matter of days to onboard and get rolling. It’s not too late to use eTrac to find capacity through the comprehensive network of regional and local carriers, as well as maintain complete visibility through the last mile. Let’s get through this peak season together.

Schedule a demo to learn more.