Combating the Driver Shortage

Solving the problem

This is not an easy task, but it’s one problem many professionals in the industry have been trying to solve.

So, what’s actually being done?

Honestly, at times, it feels like nothing. But that’s not entirely true.

We addressed some major reasons for the driver shortage in one of our very first blogs, so let’s try to figure out how we, as an industry, can come together to combat these ongoing challenges.

Can we change the lifestyle?

One of the biggest reasons for the driver shortage is that the lifestyle is less than ideal. Some of it, however, just is what it is. We can’t change the fact that the job entails sitting behind a steering wheel all day. We can, however, address some of the other concerns along the way by asking some of these questions:

  • What if companies encouraged physical activity through paid gym memberships?
  • Or instead of gym memberships, just provided them with some basic workout equipment that doesn’t take up much space in the truck? 
  • What if companies provided healthy food options for truck drivers to grab on their way out?
  • Is it possible for shippers/receivers to have space for drivers to walk safely? Or maybe have healthy snack options available?
  • Would better routing that includes rest areas, gyms, and healthy restaurants nearby benefit the drivers but not cost extra money associated with more miles?
  • Do companies have healthcare access on site or nearby with hours conducive to truck drivers?
  • Can we route drivers home more frequently and still get the same (or better) results?

None of those questions present easy answers, but they are important solutions in trying to reduce some of the concern for the lifestyle of a truck driver.

What can we do about the regulations?

Unfortunately, they aren’t going away no matter how much the industry wishes it would. However, we could pay drivers differently to off-set what the regulations are taking away from their pockets.

Instead of just paying per mile, carriers could:

  • Pay their drivers an hourly rate when at the dock getting loaded/unloaded.
  • Pay drivers for resets on the road or nights spent in the truck.
  • Give the drivers a per diem for food.

There are many options out there, it’s deciding which ones work best for each company’s structure.

How do we get more bodies?

The biggest problem of them all- having the bodies to do the work. Many organizations, industry professionals and schools are coming together to reach more people. All trades are feeling some version of a shortage because of the push for higher education over the years. The stereotype that you “have to go to college to make a real living” was sold for years, decades even. Together we are trying to break that theory to get more people to realize they can early a very good living as a truck driver without waiting for a degree.

Along with that comes setting up training programs once we do reach those people. While driving a truck seems like a simple concept, it can be scary for someone who hasn’t done it. Incorporating better training programs will give people time to get comfortable and learn some of the nuances that comes with driving a truck.

Are any of these solutions doing any good in the short-term? Maybe. Maybe not. There are many people working together to come up with new strategies every day. The companies putting for any type of effort are seeing results through hiring and lower turnover rates.

M is for Meticulous

Attention to Detail

And we’re back at it! Time to continue our discussion on our core values! If you missed it, we discussed teamwork and integrity early this month. Go check it out and come back for the third piece here.

We have determined that T.I.M.E. was our most valuable asset. In every interaction, we strive to uphold our values to keep our team and your business on track.

But what does T.I.M.E. mean for you? We continue this discussion with today’s focus: M is for Meticulous.

Attention to detail. Precision. Over communication. Perfection.

That’s what being meticulous means at PGT. We will never be satisfied when it comes to our customer service. We are always looking for ways to improve and be better than we were yesterday.

One word tends to be the focus of many staff meetings around here: precise.

We believe precision is key in logistics because it involves meticulous behavior. Checking and double checking. Then triple checking. The more we can prevent errors, the easier it is on all of us. We’ve created multiple systems to help catch errors before they become problems. We regularly analyze various ways to refine those systems to be better.

We have also used technology to give us a giant leap forward. We have a new, customizable TMS system that has helped catch human error. It is set up to recognize each customers’ requirements and expectations to help prevent common errors. We plan to continue to use top of the line technology to better serve our customers.

If you want it, we can make it happen! We promise to execute to your standards meticulously, precisely, and as close to perfection as we can get. Every day. Every shipment. Give us a shot!

Are the rumors true?

Fuel prices trending in wrong direction

It’s no secret that fuel prices have increased.

In fact, we are confident that it’s something you’ve analyzed in your personal lives as of late. 

With regular fuel prices increasing weekly, we are seeing trends more than a dollar higher than a year ago and twenty-five cents higher than a week ago.

The average regular fuel price in the United States right now is over $4.30 per gallon.

If it is having that kind of impact on all of our personal lives, can you imagine what it is doing to the transportation industry?

We will break it down.

The rumors are true. Diesel fuel prices have skyrocketed in the last 4-6 weeks. In fact, in some parts of the country, diesel costs are OVER six dollars per gallon. YIKES! That is not a favorable trend for the freight and shipping industry. Arguably the largest expense in logistics is tied to transportation.

If you ask any owner-operator or fleet manager, they will tell you the most significant cost they have year-over-year is fuel- and across the country, the average fuel cost is $5.250/gallon for diesel. That’s over two dollars higher than this time last year and over forty cents higher last week.

“It’s a challenge. Carriers are telling us their overhead costs have doubled in the last month and are continuing to rise.” -Brandon Cliffe, Acct Mgr

In March 2021, diesel prices were over two dollars cheaper per gallon across the country. The bigger concern is that we don’t see any relief in sight at this point. In fact, all trends are indicating on going increases, at least in the near future.

Shippers and brokers are feeling this impact every day, but PGT will continue to work to save you money on your shipping costs. We’ve built strong relationships with carriers across the country who value our partnerships & customers.

Our First LC

Meet our first LC

There are many pieces to the puzzle at PGT. One of those vital pieces are our Logistics Coordinators. The first LC that joined our team was Kandra Dauwe. She has been with us for over a year and has proven to be a valuable asset to the company.

Who is she? Kandra gave us the short version and we decided to share it with you for our Staff Spotlight!

My name is Kandra Dauwe. I am born and raised in Ohio and have enjoyed living out in the country my entire life. I have been in the transportation and logistics industry for over 15 years. I work and live each day for the amazing family that God has blessed me with.

My family is my world. I married DJ over 20 years ago and together we have two awesome children- an 18-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son. We spend most of our time watching and supporting both of them in their many sporting events throughout the year. My daughter plays basketball at the collegiate level, so my husband and I are enjoying traveling across the country to support her. My husband runs an AAU team and our son plays AAU basketball, so we definitely stay busy! They both keep us on our toes, however, we wouldn’t trade it for the world! It’s true what they say: don’t blink because it goes by fast!

I’ve enjoyed working at PGT over the last year. It is a family atmosphere. We all mean business when we walk through the doors, but our management team also understands that we have life outside of work. They are willing to be flexible with us because they understand that life can hit hard at times.

For those on the fence about joining our PGT team, my advice to you is simple. Take the leap! We go hard every day, but each person is treated as a valued team member. The entire team wants everyone to be successful and is willing to help make that happen. It really is like a family.

Who are we?

Who is Premier Global Transportation?

If we are being honest, that’s a loaded question.

At a very high-level, we are a non-asset based third-party logistics provider. But what does that mean?

We’ll explain.

We develop custom solutions for your supply chain challenges. It could be as simple as scheduling trucks to pick up your shipments. It could also be as complex as routing, cost analysis, cost savings, scheduling, data analysis and much more. Our team has a proven track record of delivering superior customer service in all of those areas. 

With over 75 years combined industry experience, we are confident we can make your job easier! At PGT we provide exceptional logistics services that result in strong partnerships with our customers and carriers built on trust, reliability and professionalism.

Our account managers take pride in being able to solve problems and our operational staff loves executing those solutions. We want to be partners and create win-win situations for everyone. We tackle your business challenges as if they are our own.

We’ve been breaking down our core values one by one in other blogs this month, so we won’t go too far into that here. Our values are based on the foundation of T.I.M.E.- our most valuable asset- Teamwork, Integrity, Meticulous, Excellence. In every interaction, we strive to uphold our values to keep or team and your business on track.

Open, honest communication is key. We believe in 100% transparency. We will always have open lines of communication to build strong sustainable relationships with our customers, carriers and employees.

It is important to invest in ourselves as well. This allows us to better serve and understand our customers. We have adopted several new technologies that are easy-to-use by our carriers and customers to improve overall experiences. Our software systems are customizable to your needs and requirements. It gives us a different insight into the industry that allows our team to maintain a forward-thinking attitude every day.

Find out how we can help you by calling 513-575-7645!

St. Patrick’s Day

The history & fun of St. Patrick's Day

Let’s change things up a bit today. After all, it is a holiday known for Irish cheers, parades and lots of green!

But, did you know it wasn’t always that way?

St. Patrick’s Day has been around for centuries, however, it wasn’t always the traditional celebration we see in America.

The holiday originated in Ireland as a religious holiday. It falls during the Christian season of Lent, so it was seen as a break from everything that came with the Lenten sacrifices. The Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and then celebrate in the afternoon. The Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived so they would dance, drink and feast. The go to meal? Irish bacon and cabbage.

Who was St. Patrick?

In case it isn’t clear, he’s the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. He was actually born in Britian, but what most people don’t know that he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave when he was a teenager. In his six years as a slave, he spent his time working alone and afraid as a shepherd. During his time of loneliness, he turned to his religion, becoming a devout Christian.

He did eventually escape the country, but later returned to Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish.

The holiday is celebrated on what is believed to be the anniversary of his death around 460 A.D.

St. Patrick’s Day has grown into much more over time. In America, green is everywhere on March 17- food, drinks, rivers, lights, clothing. People use it as a chance to celebrate, regardless of their heritage. Popular meals include corned beef and cabbage and common attire includes leprechaun hats and green from head to toe. For many, the day also includes green beer and the Cincinnati locals love to enjoy green noodles from their favorite Cincinnati Chili restaurants.

The holiday at PGT

At PGT, we jump at any opportunity to celebrate anything- big or small! Our team enjoys having fun together and isn’t afraid to entertain crazy ideas.

I mean, would your entire staff dress up in crazy props just because they were asked?! 

And do you have your own personal leprechaun on staff? WE DO 😉 (he forgot his pot of gold, though!)

Want to join our crazy shenanigans?

Check out all of our open positions on Indeed.

We are confident you’ll find one that is perfect for you!

Outside Sales Opening

Do you like sales, but don't like being in an office?

Do you prefer face to face interactions in sales rather than over the phone conversations?

If so, we have the job for you!

You may have seen our posts about our open sales broker and logistics coordinator positions. This one is slightly different- it’s an outside sales role that covers the Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky tri-state area. It is perfect for those that enjoy sales AND face-to-face interactions.

That’s all good, but what comes with it?

Let’s break it down.

The pay is structured the same as the inside sales position. This means a couple of things:

  1. We pay above the industry average.
  2. It is structured as a base + 40% uncapped commission! No, you didn’t read that wrong. FORTY PERCENT UNCAPPED COMMISSION! Why? Because we want you to join our team and stick around for the long-term. What better way to do that to pay you what you deserve?

The benefits continue to grow as we grow, but this role is already built with a good list of benefits. This list is a great start for a company less than two years old. The good news is that there are more benefits in the works!

  1. 401k with company match- our goal is for you to retire with us, so we want to help get you there!
  2. Cell phone stipend
  3. Paid time off effective on hire date
  4. Medical, dental and vision insurance options.
  5. Mileage/fuel allowance

What else does PGT have to offer?

Endless growth potential. New company = endless opportunities. We have a solid staff that has laid the groundwork for success, now we just need you to help build the foundation of our future. As we grow, so do the opportunities. The potential to move up into various other roles is endless. You can do as much as you want with us and go as far as you want to go. You control your destiny when you work at PGT.

This role won’t spend much time in the office, but it’s always good to know what you’re getting into when you are in the office. A few words we use to describe the atmosphere of our office: relaxed, casual, fun. Sound good yet? PGT is all of those things and then some. We want everyone to enjoy coming to work. Sure, there are always going to be bad days, but we believe there are more good days than bad here. There are TVs going, music in the background, and often jokes and stories flying back and forth. We enjoy simple things like casual attire, walks around the building, flexibility, and team events outside of the office.

Come join our team! Apply on Indeed or just give us a call at 513-453-6046 to set up an interview.

I is for Integrity

Doing the right thing

Every company has core values. When PGT was started, having the right core values was vital. Those values had to drive honest success and bring values to everyone involved in our business.

We determined that T.I.M.E. was our most valuable asset. In every interaction, we strive to uphold our values to keep our team and your business on track.

But what does T.I.M.E. mean for you? We continue this discussion with today’s focus: I is for Integrity. (Did you miss last week’s article on “T is for Teamwork”? If so, check go check it out and then come back to this one.)

According to Merriam-Webster, by definition, integrity is (a) the firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; (b) an unimpaired condition; (c) the quality or state of being complete or undivided.

What does integrity mean to PGT though? The easy explanation: doing the right thing.

We pride ourselves on making the right decision, even if it is a hard decision. No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but rather than sugar coat it, we promise to be honest and informative regardless of how difficult it may be to hear (or say).

No one likes to make mistakes, but the reality is, we are all human. While our focus is always to minimize error, we will be the first to admit we aren’t perfect. (But we’re close 😊) We will own up to our mistakes, be honest with you, and then do everything in our power to correct it as quickly as possible.

Doing the right thing is the PGT standard. If that sounds too good to be true, we can assure you it isn’t- and we will prove it to you.

Freight Market Size

How big is the freight market?

In one word: HUGE!

The United States truckload freight market alone is worth over $212 billion. And that’s just the US. Add in the Canadian market and it’s over $225 billion.

The chart below from Statista shows the trend over the last 4 years. The growth was fairly significant from 2018-2019, but then COVID interrupted that growth trend in 2020. The good news is, the industry rebounded quickly and made up most of the ground it lost in 2021.

All of this means different things to different groups of people.

For all of us at PGT, it means our growth potential is endless. There’s plenty of freight that needs moved which presents many opportunities for us to jump in and save companies money. We won’t go into all that again (you can catch that in our previous blog about how a 3PL can save you money).

More importantly, for our carrier partners, there’s a good chance that no matter where you end up, we will have freight to take you somewhere else. The $200+ billion dollar industry isn’t localized to a few spots- it’s nationwide! With endless freight opportunities, we can build a long-lasting relationship. It does mean, however, that we are going to need new drivers to enter the transportation industry to keep the freight moving. Afterall, there’s no doubt truck drivers are the backbone of the industry- they take on over 70% of the freight!

For our customers, it’s simple. The endless amount of freight just means it is likely you will need someone to help balance it all. Keeping track of every shipment you have going in and out of your facilities is only one piece of the puzzle. Scheduling and rescheduling appointments, tracking and tracing drivers, handling unforeseeable problems, and everything in between should be left in the hands of someone that specializes in those tasks. That someone? PREMIER GLOBAL TRANSPORTATION!

Our First Associate

He's here for the long haul

At PGT we want our associates to be around for the long haul. The only way that happens is through proven success and growth opportunities. We definitely have both of those, in large part due to today’s Staff Spotlight. He’s been with PGT since day one, so it’s only fitting that we let him introduce himself!

My name is Jake Garn and I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I graduated from the University of Cincinnati (Go Bearcats!) with a bachelor’s degree in Communication. I have been in the transportation industry for the last three years and I honestly enjoy all aspects of the business.

My wife and I have two boys, ages 6 and 2, and we enjoy spending time together. One of our favorite pastimes is  going to Cincinnati Reds games. There is nothing I love more than my family, so if I have the opportunity to spend quality time with them, I jump at it every time.

I pride myself on hard work and helping others achieve their goals. I am motivated by my family to give them a better life than I had. One of the most important professional goals I have is to make my teammates around me more successful. If our team is successful, I am successful.

I enjoy the atmosphere and the people at PGT amongst many other things. We are a tight knit group of professionals who are willing to do whatever it takes to service our customers and win as a team.

If I were to give advice to someone thinking about joining the PGT team, I would tell them to be prepared to work hard, but it will all pay off. PGT will bring out the best in every individual and inspire you to be this best version of yourself daily.

Don’t just count your blessings, be the blessing other people count on!