Trucks are responsible for transporting the vast majority of commodities throughout the United States and Canada, and in an ideal world, this would be a problem-free procedure. Trucking delays are a common part of the transportation industry, and they can be incredibly irritating for everyone involved. Every professional in the field eventually has to deal with the hassle of handling delays.

It is widely known that transporting goods involves multiple steps, including packing, lining up, loading, unloading, and more. This takes a long time, and it’s only one of several things that can cause the shipment’s transport to be delayed. Keep reading to learn what factors contribute most to a shipment’s delay.

Most Common Shipping Delays and Their Root Causes

The following are some of the primary causes that could cause your shipment to be delayed:

1. Insufficient Visibility

Over the course of the past few years, supply chain transparency has emerged as a primary concern in the transportation sector. When businesses do not place a high priority on visibility, it is easier for freight to become lost, be delayed, or be destroyed. Being open and honest with customers is now much simpler for businesses because of the advancements in technology that have been made in recent years. It is simple for shippers and carriers to keep a careful eye on the items that are being moved thanks to technologies such as freight tracking, route mapping, and regular communication.

2. Poor Technology

It’s no secret that the trucking industry has been going through a technological revolution in the past several years; in fact, it’s very obvious. Nevertheless, there are those people working in the industry who are resistant to the shift. Rather than relying on outdated hardware and software, which can both cause delays, businesses can choose to make investments in technologies such as cloud-based software, which enables businesses to monitor and manage their operations from any location. This is an alternative to relying solely on outdated hardware and software.

3. Problems With The Vehicle

Truck breakdowns are an occurrence that can never be completely avoided. If they take place when a shipment is in transit, then there is no way to prevent delays caused by them. By adopting software to keep track of vehicle maintenance, trucking businesses can lessen the likelihood that their vehicles may experience problems. Tracking software makes it simple for truck drivers to make urgent calls for assistance, which enables them to get back on the road more quickly.

4. Customs

It is a well-known fact that the procedures of the administration are infamously slow. Because trucking is one of the industries that is subject to the most stringent regulations in the United States and Canada, all goods that cross the border are required to go through customs. It is important for transportation businesses to ensure that its drivers have all of the necessary papers in order to reduce the likelihood of delays. Customs software makes it easy to submit and keep track of all the documentation that is required to move freight between the borders of the United States and Canada in a lawful manner, which substantially simplifies the process.

5. Weather

When severe weather strikes, even the most meticulous planning in the world may be rendered useless. Shipments could be held up for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to thunderstorms, snowstorms, earthquakes, tsunami, tornadoes, and wildfires. While transportation businesses are unable to prepare plans for all of these, current technology makes it easier to keep a close check on the weather and to make adjustments in real time as necessary.

6. High Volume

Even while work may be found in the transportation business around the clock, certain periods of the year are typically busier than others. Trucking businesses, for instance, start to witness an increase in the volume of freight and parcels during the busiest time of the year, which is the holiday season. When businesses make the investment in order management software, they are able to simply track freight when business begins to pick up, as well as look at historical data to estimate how the following year will go.

7. The Flow of Traffic on Roads

One of the earliest and most common causes of such problems is traffic, which also happens to be one of the most common causes of trucking delays. Construction and alternative routes are just two of the numerous factors that contribute to traffic congestion, which is something that all trucking firms have no choice but to acknowledge as a reality of life. The task of optimizing routes and providing dispatchers with access to live maps is made easier by good trucking management software, which also makes this process more fluid. In the event of an emergency, it is easy for them to alter their course.

Wrapping Up

Investing in the appropriate strategies can provide solutions to a significant number of the most common reasons for delays in the trucking industry. There will undoubtedly be holdups, but with the correct software, businesses will simply be able to manage and mitigate these issues. I-way Road Freight Transport Solutions provides a variety of all-encompassing solutions for road freight transportation, all of which are geared at assisting you in making your business more productive and profitable.