2020 has been quite a year for all of us with uncertainty piled upon uncertainty. We have dealt with a deadly virus most of this year, completely different ways of social interaction, (or none at all), various and strange product shortages, economic and business disruptions, and the list continues…

In conjunction with the current circumstances above, the transportation and logistics industry has been dealing with its own challenges. In the full truckload sector, capacity has tightened drastically, due in part to increased home e-commerce demands and other various factors. These trends have caused significant pricing increases and an overall lower quantity (sometimes quality also) of available carriers to move critical business-to-business products via spot markets. Less-than-truckload carriers are absorbing more freight that may have once traveled via the truckload or partial truckload network, causing their own capacity to tighten in various lanes as well. This is leading to larger general rate increases and higher levels of delayed pickups and deliveries than are usually experienced.

Specialized and expedited less-than-truckload carriers are not immune to the new normal in the marketplace and have struggled to consistently meet their own pickup and delivery timeframes. Some of these carriers are even now adding peak season surcharges to every shipment, no matter how large or small. International shipping in all modes has also become less reliably consistent given various traveling bans, reduced capacities, staffing layoffs and etc. Overall, the transportation environment has been a mirror of the greater societal uncertainties we are all facing. Everything we thought we knew back in January 2020 has been replaced with this ever changing state we all wish would just return to the pre-2020 normality.

In this difficult environment, we at WF want to assure all of our current and potential valued clients that we are continually working to add network capacities across all transport modes, increase and diversify carrier choices, enhance connective information technologies between our carriers and clients, and provide the most innovative creative and cost-effective solutions based on the trends in the market. We holistically utilize all our resources to better assist your business in the fulfillment of its transportation and logistics goals. WF remains committed to delivering the solutions you need for the results you expect – even during one of the most uncertain times any of us have experienced.