March is the month we celebrate Women's History, so here's a timeline of some major accomplishments and impactful inventions brought to you by women. These little known facts have shaped the trucking industry and paved the way for women in the industry today.

Organizational silos are a major obstacle that often lurk within the transportation sector, particularly in the trucking industry. But what exactly are these "silos"? 🤔

What are Organizational Silos? 

Organizational silos refer to the isolation that occurs when employees or departments within an organization do not want to, or do not have the means to, share information or knowledge with each other.

Disadvantages of Silos in Trucking 🚫

It wasn’t just drivers who entered the industry during the peak of the pandemic. The role of logistician was booming. The pandemic created demand for supply chain talent giving rise to a new generation of logisticians, the “pandemic logistician.” Many came to the industry to join the logistics circus, prompting us to question:

Don't take shipping containers for granted. They are one of the top inventions to revolutionize the trucking industry. Shipping containers streamline transport between different modes by providing a standardized yet extremely versatile solution. These containers can be seamlessly transferred from ships to trucks to trains without the need for unloading and reloading cargo.

What would freight coordination be like without them?

Without the invention of shipping containers, the transportation and logistics industry would still rely on labor-intensive and inefficient methods of handling cargo. Goods would need to be individually loaded and unloaded. Imagine the amount of lumpers that would need to be paid on every load between the different modes of transportation. Think about that the next time you are pricing out drayage or planning imports/exports.

It's time we delve into the evolution of containerized shipping and the inventions that paved the way for the rise of shipping containers and their impact on trucking.

Refrigerated trucks and trailers, specially designed to haul temperature-sensitive refrigerated freight, play a vital role in the local and national food supply chain. Reefer freight routinely makes on-time deliveries and keeps commodities safe at controlled temperatures. In addition to drivers and shippers,  reefer freight brokers are vital in this supply chain network. Reefer transport services remain in high demand, despite increasing shipping costs and rate increases in many areas and regions. Compared to dry van freight shipments, reefer freight shipping and handling incur additional costs due to refrigerated cargo’s specialized equipment and handling needs. 

Shippers, transporters, and supply chain management often need a helping hand from industry experts that offer outside perspectives and additional resources and assets. Often referred to as logistics freight brokers, these experts can make the difference between breaking even, ending up in the hole, and making a profit for those with truck driving as a career. Brokerages are big business and are a driving force in today’s modern supply chain  — both domestically and globally. According to Verified Market Research, the “US Freight Brokerage Market size was valued at USD 1.164 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 13.78 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 36.2% from 2021 to 2028.” Understanding how freight brokerage works and what benefits shipping managers and transportation professionals can enjoy, it is easier to see why freight brokers are in such high demand, especially during peak driving seasons. 

The business of freight is continuing to evolve. What once was only done continentally by wagon and then train now often sees multiple modes of transport. With the evolution of travel, methods develop the logistics required to complete each delivery. As populations expanded and dispersed across the nation alongside the new forms of transport, brokers came into play to solve the communication disconnect between shippers and carriers. In recent years, technological advances have both eased and widened the jobs of freight brokers, and out of that constantly growing work came a new freight broker business plan: the hybrid broker.