With the continuing pressures of a recovering supply chain network and ongoing volatility in multiple markets and industries, the demand for reliable shipping services at fair freight rates remains high. Today, the bulk of goods shipped across the country is classified as dry van freight and transported in non-refrigerated trailers. 

Of all the lessons learned in the past few years as the effects of the global pandemic still rage on, one of the clearest has been the poor state of the domestic and international supply chain networks. Expedited services remain a popular focal point for shippers and transportation service providers. Within local supply chains,  temperature-controlled freight transportation remains one of the most in-demand—and complicated—services. While demands for electronics, fuel, and other products fell sharply during lockdowns and pandemic recovery periods, the need for food and beverages, medical supplies, and other reefer cargo skyrocketed. 

Alabama freight transportation has been the lifeblood of major industries throughout the South Eastern United States. Alabama Trucking, an affiliate of the American Trucking Association, documented what this impact across the south looks like by highlighting the data around freight companies in Alabama. Specifically, in 2019, Alabama trucking businesses represented nearly 110,000 jobs, with trucker wagesover $5.4 billion overall. 

Dealing with the pressures from the ever-changing supply chain and transportation industry takes a specialized approach to freight management and shipping. In times like these, dedicated freight solutions can have a tremendous impact on both forward and return logistics, impacting everyone from hybrid freight brokers to shippers to carriers. Recent pressures that started with the COVID-19 pandemic and continue today with economic and manufacturing forces shape businesses big and small looking to gettheir products from Point A to Point B. Dedicated transportation services can make it easier to track, manage, and capitalize on every truckload and every shipment—regardless of whether a trucking company deals with specialty products or faces unexpected spikes or crashes in demand.