Since 2020, you’ve likely been bombarded with the news and effects of supply chain slowdowns throughout most every industry. Whether from labor or product shortages, clogged ports, or geopolitical interference—shipping interruptions are a problem. However, while the state of shipping and logistics may be complicated, supply chain shortages and interruptions are nothing new to logistics professionals. While easier said than done, most would agree that the key to avoiding shipping interruptions is to take preventative action before your services are affected by external forces out of your control.

One of the most effective methods of preventative, proactive planning for minimal shipping and supply chain interruptions is to implement a Transportation Management System (TMS). Implementing a TMS increases visibility across your entire supply chain, creating opportunities for next-level control of shipping speed, efficiency, cost, and adaptability.

Defining a Transportation Management System

A transportation management system is a logistics technology platform that helps manufacturers, distributors, 3PLs, and any participant in the supply chain system plan, execute, and optimize the transportation of incoming and outgoing goods and ensure shipments are compliant and properly documented. A TMS provides visibility into shippers’ transportation operations, trade compliance information, and documentation and ensures the timely and most efficient delivery of freight and goods. This technology is essential in modern logistics to help streamline shipping processes and facilitate better management of transportation operations, no matter the modes used.

A transportation management system such as CLX TMS is a platform that logistics professionals leverage to plan, execute, and optimize transportation operations and ensure delivery performance, maximum efficiency, and compliance to partners and customers anywhere in the world. The platform provides advanced visibility and control over your chemical logistics operations with interactive dashboards and real-time metrics that allow shippers to remain on time and budget. Using CLX TMS, shippers can compartmentalize shipments as efficiently as possible and catch problems if and when they occur.

Requirements and Features of a Transport Management System

As with most tools and software, the quality of transportation management systems can vary from provider to provider, and some are better suited for different applications than others. Regardless, specific requirements should be a part of every TMS to ensure you’re implementing a quality system for managing your vital logistics.

When implementing a transport management system to manage your chemical logistics, make sure the system you choose includes:

• Complete visibility across all modes of transportation from procurement to delivery, including order management and warehouse management.
• Compliance capabilities to ensure you adhere to all regulatory practices across all locations and shipping practices.
• Rating abilities to help select the correct shipping method and carrier.
• Automatic booking and tendering to select the most affordable and efficient shipping method and carrier.
• Load planning to pack shipments more effectively, maximize load sizes, and optimize route planning.

A transport management system simplifies and optimizes domestic and international logistics for shippers, freight forwarders, carriers, and 3PLs by improving visibility and control over the entire shipping process.

CLX Transportation Management System Features

When it comes to a transportation management system for chemical shipping, there is no comparison to the features and global reach of CLX TMS powered by e2open. Our offering simplifies and optimizes domestic and international logistics for chemical shippers, freight forwarders, carriers, and logistics service providers by providing capabilities based on your specific needs to serve your customers better. CLX TMS provides a single application purpose-built for your business’s unique volumes and workflows, covering all modes and regions, domestically or internationally, with full functionality for planning, carrier procurement, execution, tracking, and settlement. 

CLX TMS grants access to the broadest global chemical carrier network.

CLX TMS increases profitability for all parties, connects global trade, channel, and supply chain ecosystems, increases visibility, allows shipments to be pinpointed globally, and above all, enables shippers to provide the highest level of service to customers and partners.

The core offering of CLX TMS for all businesses includes: 

• Carrier coverage across all modes and regions for domestic and international shipments
• Optimization tools to reduce costs and meet delivery targets
• Direct connections to trade compliance, order management, and warehouse management systems
• Specialized capabilities such as fleet management, last-mile delivery, rail tendering, and global parcel shipping

Critical Benefits of CLX Transportation Management Systems

CLX TMS powered by e2open helps chemical shippers to achieve best-in-class operations in every aspect of their transportation network to deliver significant and rapid ROI with benefits such as:

• Consolidating freight from less-than-truckload to truckload, or for outbound or inbound moves from a distribution center
• Management of the entire logistics operation from front to back, handling multiple languages, currencies, and time zones 
• Automated carrier invoice matching and reconciliation of billing errors before payment authorization 
• Enterprise-class, multi-carrier parcel shipping system that supports complex, high-volume, multi-location, domestic, and international chemical shipping 
• An easy-to-use interface that accelerates startup time with “near-zero” training

Key Features of CLX Transportation Management System

• Carrier Management: Plan and execute carrier management strategies with powerful contract management tools and dynamic routing-guide capabilities. 
• SaaS Solution: Improve speed-to-value through faster updates without upgrade costs. 
• Seamless Integration: Integrate CLX TMS into one or multiple existing ERP environments. 
• Global Carrier Network: Plug into an easily accessible global carrier and freight forwarder network. 
• Network Visibility: Track and control freight via the web and real-time visibility with leading tracking services. 
• Reporting & Analytics: Develop data-driven strategies to hit KPIs using interactive dashboards.

For a more detailed analysis of CLX TMS powered by e2open’s ability to transform and optimize your global and domestic chemical shipping capabilities, check out our transportation management system data sheet:

[A Global TMS for Effective Supply Chain Management]

A TMS to Meet Your Needs

To overcome modern problems, you must meet these demands with modern solutions. That’s what a TMS does—it brings shipping into the future by increasing visibility, control, and optimization of your entire global supply chain.

Are you ready to implement a leading global TMS to meet your chemical supply chain needs? Contact us today to get started.

Resources

¹ https://www.selecthub.com/transportation-and-logistics-management/tms-system-requirements/ 

² https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/transportation-management-system/ 

³ https://www.oracle.com/scm/logistics/transportation-management/what-is-transportation-management-system/ 

Hailing from Cedar Lake, Chicago, Rocket J. Turtleson began his leadership journey growing up among his 1,000 siblings. Someone had to be in charge and organize the many moving parts of such a big family, so that’s how he spent his childhood. Once a bit older, Rocket traveled to Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas—a city he loved and vowed to return to one day.

After three years in Houston, Rocket decided to enroll in school and start a career. Heading to a different part of the country this time, Rocket enrolled in the SMEAL College MBA program at Penn State University with a concentration in Supply Chain Management. While there, he was also a member of the ROTCN program, leading him to join the Navy after graduation. This adventure found him stationed in Hawaii aboard the USS Chicago (officially—the rest is classified information). This massive submarine is where Rocket was introduced to tanks being utilized for fuel logistics, which he oversaw.

Ultimately, this interest in fuel logistics led him to pursue a career transporting freight worldwide.

Rocket felt CLX Logistics had just the tools he needed to be a world-class leader in chemical logistics. He found himself inspired by offerings like:

✅ Managed Transportation Services

Someone working behind the scenes 24/7 to help lower costs and improve service, with a fully customizable menu of transportation services tailored to chemical shipping, would be an immense value to him.

✅ CLX TMS

Rocket could leverage a world-class, plug-and-play transportation management system to increase visibility over an entire supply chain dramatically.

✅ Bulk Intermodal Service

Bulk intermodal would be especially beneficial for multi-modal capabilities, making the most of each method to help reduce emissions, simplify management, and lower costs.

✅ CLX LaneLogix

Partnering with other in-network shippers helps ensure freight arrives on time, so something like CLX LangeLogix that helps streamline and optimize Rocket’s benchmarking, bidding, and procurement processes is a great addition.

✅ CLX Freight Brokerage

CLX’s long-term carrier relationships ensure that when transportation is needed immediately but Rocket is not personally available, he can rest assured his clients are taken care of by another outstanding provider.

✅ CLX Gravity

This modern solution to transportation managed analytics is ideal for exactly the types of global supply chains Rocket deals with daily.

✅ International Services

Rocket would make excellent use of CLX’s international services as he directs freight all around the world, helping to ensure speed, safety, and dependability while keeping costs as low as possible.

✅ Supply Chain Consulting

Rocket knows there’s always room for improvement. That’s where CLX comes in. CLX’s experts provide strategic design, tactical optimizations, and operational support that helps optimize routes to save significant time and money.

Rocket joined the CLX family in 2013 as our VP of Logistics Efficiency and has been a pillar in our organization, helping provide the best transportation service to clients worldwide. He currently resides in Perkiomen Creek, PA, with his wife and a growing family of 215 children. Rocket fishes on the Chesapeake Bay during his free time and fits in a healthy CrossFit schedule to keep his shell strong.

In February, The Penn State University Smeal College of Business Center for Supply Chain Research® (CSCR) named CLX President and CEO David Vieira among the newest members of the 2022-2023 Advisory Board.

Penn State’s CSCR is a dedicated leader in supply chain management research and education. Over the years, the CSCR has partnered with several industry-leading businesses and corporate partners whose commitments have led to milestone years of service and support. In a recently published list recognizing many of their longest partnerships, and gave thanks for the dedication, thought leadership, and insights they’ve shared to help maintain CSCR as a leader in supply chain research, education, and talent development.

This year’s CSCR milestone partnership anniversaries have been formally recognized at the Spring 2022 Corporate Sponsor Meeting for the following companies:

• 30 Years – CLX Logistics
• 25 Years – Johnson & Johnson
• 20 Years – Boeing
• 15 Years – Verizon
• 5 Years – Volvo, Air Products, Merck, ALDI, Church & Dwight

CLX Logistics is honored to collaborate with CSCR for 30 years and appreciate the incredible work the CSCR has done for the industry in preparing the future supply chain leaders, developing executive education, and providing faculty with the resources to produce cutting-edge research.

The CSCR Advisory Board enables the Center to remain at the forefront of the supply chain discipline by aligning research, programs, and offerings with current and future industry challenges and trends. Board members commit to a two-year appointment in a brand and sponsor development role for the University, Smeal College of Business, and CSCR, while remaining active in Center-sponsored programs and events. They provide input and guidance for the CSCR strategic plan and forward-thinking initiatives and approve our faculty research affiliates and fellowships.

Since 1953, the Penn State Smeal College of Business has steadily advanced through the growth of its undergraduate and graduate programs, executive education, and major research centers. In 1990 Frank P. Smeal ’42 and his wife, Mary Jean, provided a generous gift to form The Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business. The Smeals’ gift to the college was the largest individual donation in the University’s history at the time, creating five endowed chairs and a separate endowment for program excellence.

Thank you to Penn State University and the Smeal College of Business CSCR program for your long-term dedication to improving the industry from the ground up. We look forward to many more years of close collaboration, education, and forward-thinking insights as we work to pave the way for the next generation of supply chain experts.

To learn more about the Penn State Smeal College of Business CSCR program, visit https://www.smeal.psu.edu/cscr.

Click here to explore CLX Logistics’ comprehensive supply chain services and capabilities.

There is a growing need to leverage sustainable freight transportation methods to help reduce carbon emissions and minimize damage to the planet. Our industry has a history of being one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions, and transportation and logistics leaders and organizations constantly seek new methods of ensuring shipments arrive on time without breaking the bank.

One of the leading ways logistics professionals provide fast and dependable service while saving money and significantly reducing their overall carbon footprint compared to standard over-the-road shipments is intermodal transportation. Let’s take a quick look at what intermodal shipping is and the carbon reduction benefits it offers to carriers.

What is Intermodal Transportation?

Intermodal transportation uses two or more modes or carriers to transport freight from shipper to consignee. It’s a shipping strategy that began in 18^th century England, and in the 1950s, the steel intermodal transportation container was standardized based on design specifications from the US DoD. Today’s intermodal containers often include further specializations, such as BulkTainer™ ISO tanks used for BulkTainer® intermodal transportation services for liquid chemicals, allowing carriers to transport liquid chemicals between trucks, trains, and ships without handling any actual cargo. When considering different strategies, shippers want to balance cost and service, and intermodal is often an effective solution to meeting those goals.

The Carbon Reduction Benefits of Intermodal Transportation

The extensive use of railways is key to the carbon reduction potential of intermodal transportation. Freight trains are more aerodynamic and move at a consistently faster pace than trucks with much higher capacity, leading to significantly greater fuel efficiency. Using freight trains for most of a continental journey, with support from OTR trucks for local transfers and deliveries, typically leads to a better bottom line and a massive reduction in carbon emissions. The EPA shows that utilizing intermodal rail for shipments over 1,000 miles reduces greenhouse gas emissions by over 65%.

Trucks are also critical to intermodal transportation systems by making all the short trips between warehouses, distribution centers, and destinations following a rail journey. While long-haul trucks offer many benefits to the transportation industry, they also contribute to highway congestion, city congestion, and idling traffic. Smaller trucks, frequently used for drayage in intermodal situations, are more fuel-efficient than large diesel trucks, giving intermodal transportation a further boost in carbon reduction.

For shipping to other regions by sea, cargo ships carry large volumes of freight in efficient, space-saving containers that optimize the load of each ship. Standardized shipping containers also improve efficiency during loading and unloading processes, reducing the need for special resources at port. Even specialized shipping containers, like CLX Bulktainers for bulk liquid chemicals, conform to all standardized dimensions.

Sustainable Materials in Intermodal Transportation

Standardized shipping containers, including CLX Bulktainers, are integral elements of eco-friendly intermodal transportation. These steel or aluminum interlocking boxes fit together precisely to help optimize capacity for each journey. Shipping containers are durable and long-lasting, so they can be used repeatedly and reduce the need for single-use materials. While both steel and aluminum are recyclable, retired containers are often recycled and repurposed creatively, including residential housing, office spaces, or stationary storage units.

Getting the Most Out of Intermodal Transportation

While the concept of intermodal transportation is straightforward, orchestrating an effective intermodal network of established carriers is no simple feat. It takes the right mix of logistics expertise, network connections, and technology to ensure you maximize every opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint, eliminate unnecessary spending, and get freight to its destination on time.

CLX Logistics develops fully customized intermodal transportation solutions that offer a variety of benefits, especially to chemical manufacturers and shippers in a wide range of commercial and industrial sectors. With CLX Intermodal, chemical shippers save up to 30% compared to OTR shipping, reduce capacity constraint issues, provide convenient forward storage solutions, and perhaps most importantly, reduce the impact that transportation has on the environment. Talk to a member of our team to learn more about how CLX Intermodal can help you save time and money while reducing your carbon footprint.

Freight brokers are the unseen heroes of the transportation and logistics world. They’re the middleman between shippers and carriers and ensure shipment processes go smoothly. Freight brokerage services include a wide range of features and benefits that shippers wouldn’t otherwise have access to, chiefly an expansive network of trusted and dependable freight carriers.

Shippers frequently underestimate the value of freight brokers, but time and again, freight brokers prove their worth by saving shippers substantial time and money. Freight brokers use their carrier connections to negotiate low transportation rates and handle your freight safely between shippers and carriers. And critically, when challenges arise and you need a carrier immediately, freight brokers have various solutions available to ensure your freight gets to its destination intact as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

Let’s look at the solutions freight brokers can offer when you need a carrier now.

Last-Minute Shipments

When a carrier backs out of a contract at the last minute, freight brokers can access a broader range of carriers to execute fast, last-minute shipments. With access to real-time trucking and capacity data and a global network of carriers, freight brokers are indispensable in ensuring those urgent last-minute shipments make it to their destination on time. Freight brokers thoroughly vet all their carriers by reviewing safety ratings, HAZMAT certifications, and insurance coverage. They also accommodate special modes like dry van, refrigerated, and temperature-controlled solutions, all on short notice.

Specialized Transportation Expertise

Different types of freight must follow different rules and regulations surrounding packaging, modes of transport, border crossings, and more. For example, when shipping something like bulk liquid chemical, it’s essential to work with a freight broker who knows the industry inside and out to achieve the best prices and prompt, professional service. When choosing a freight broker for their specialization and expertise, look for one that industry manufacturers and shippers trust and has a history of excellence among their clients. They also need robust technologies to manage issues, communicate with parties seamlessly, and facilitate timely in-transit tracking, reporting, updates, and confirmations. The right freight brokerage experience mixed with the right technologies for specialized industries are key to ensuring fast, on-time delivery of your goods.

Save Time in the Face of Transportation Challenges

From global pandemics to clogged canals to geopolitical conflicts, you never know what kinds of supply chain challenges, slowdowns, and delays will arrive, when they’ll show up, or how long they’ll last. Amid all these issues, when you need a product shipped ASAP, freight brokers can help filter through the noise to find new options. Using their connections with a wide range of trustworthy and experienced carriers, freight brokers take all the work out of finding and organizing a transportation network so you can stay on track and focus on more crucial elements of your business.

Getting Started with the Right Freight Broker

There are a lot of freight brokers to choose from, but few have the complete mix of experience, expertise, technology, and specialization as CLX Logistics. Our award-winning freight brokerage team connects carriers with available capacity to clients who need to support shipments now. We provide vital freight brokerage services for businesses of all sizes across the US in a wide range of industries with unmatched specialization in chemical transportation solutions.

Need to get started with freight brokerage services? We’re ready to help. Contact CLX Logistics today.

As lockdowns continue to affect supply chains worldwide, demand has skyrocketed in every industry. Supply chains that experienced disruptions during the global health crisis still face enormous challenges and struggle to bounce back. This situation has proven chaotic for manufacturers and distributors who cannot produce or supply the same quantities of goods as in their pre-pandemic state, including worker shortages and a lack of critical components and raw materials.

In an effort to relieve the stresses of lockdowns and supply chain disruptions, many shippers are looking to air freight as an accessible and practical solution. Follow along with this overview of the advantages of air freight and get 3 air freight tips you can use to overcome chemical supply chain woes.

Advantages of Air Freight Delivery Services

Air cargo transports more than $6 trillion worth of goods, accounting for approximately 35% of world trade by value. Traditionally, air freight costs about six times as much as ocean cargo, but this gap has closed significantly due to high ocean freight costs during the pandemic. Factors like increased port shipping times, lack of driver capacity, and increased costs across the board all contribute to the high costs of ocean shipping. While air cargo is still prohibitively expensive for some manufacturers and retailers, demand has surged regardless over the past year as port backlogs continue dragging on.

Air freight’s rapid turnover and flexibility help cover supply chain gaps and help ensure goods make it to their destinations on time. Using air freight, businesses no longer need to worry about ground-related travel disruptions like traffic, road construction, and auto accidents that could add hours to delivery or pickup. This quick turnaround helps air cargo operators and ground handlers expedite the shipping process, making them much more efficient with your cargo. Since inventory stays on the same plane for the duration of the journey, it’s handled less, leading to a lower chance of getting lost or damaged.

3 Air freight Tips for Overcoming Chemical Supply Chain Woes

1. Rely on a Trusted Chemical Logistics Provider

Chemical transportation (especially by air) can be highly complicated with all the laws and regulations that shippers must follow. The best way to overcome chemical supply chain woes is by partnering with a trusted chemical logistics provider with a high level of industry experience. It’s critical to establish trust with your 4PL to ensure full transparency to your goods and maintain confidence that your provider will transport your goods, leveraging the most efficient and affordable solutions possible while adhering to all legal and customs processes and demands.

2. Be Open-Minded About New Shipping Methods

With constant supply chain disruption, logistics providers rely on increasingly complex intermodal solutions that change daily and require consistent outside-the-box thinking to guarantee customer timetables. While air is generally faring better than ocean transport, processing times have extended as facilities and airports work to meet demand. Successful shippers incorporate all modes of transportation, including air, into their transportation management strategy to mitigate the risks of tight capacity, rate hikes, and on-time requirements. It’s also often possible to procure supplies and goods faster or cheaper through a country outside the US and utilize air freight to close supply chain gaps.

3. Plan Ahead and Expect Shortages and Delays

As global supply chain networks are expected to see continued struggles, planning and preparing for the unknown is one of the most valuable things you can do to ensure supply chain continuity – whether a global pandemic breaks out, critical waterways shut down, a military conflict erupts, or any other major event.

A Transportation Management System (TMS) is key to forecasting global supply chain impact and implementing solutions before a problem occurs. CLX TMS is one such solution that offers a fully integrated carrier network and real-time visibility to your entire global and domestic supply chain. You get the absolute best planning and execution capabilities across your network, supported by CLX Logistics’ unmatched expertise, adaptability, and flexibility.

Getting Started with Air Freight

It’s clear that air freight is a powerful tool to help shippers transport chemical goods to customers worldwide on time. However, many still struggle to leverage this mode among others effectively and incorporate the flexibility a modern supply chain needs to succeed. That’s where CLX Logistics comes in. CLX TMS’s fully integrated carrier network and CLX Logistics’ unmatched expertise, adaptability, and flexibility integrate as a seamless extension of your operations to deliver the absolute best planning and execution capabilities across your network.

Contact us to talk about your chemical air freight and supply chain needs and learn how CLX TMS can help transform and streamline your entire process.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen global supply chains pushed to the brink of speed and capacity.  Global providers, ports and intermediaries of all sizes have struggled to keep up with shipping capacity demand as COVID-19 and the ongoing labor shortages continue to impact networks.  The volume – more than 30% of pre-covid in some places – have exposed the lack of network resilience and overwhelmed transportation networks globally. Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine puts additional pressure on networks for a variety of reasons:
Continue reading “War in Ukraine & Its Impact on the Global Supply Chain Crisis” →

The main difference between transloading and intermodal shipping is that transloading consists of products transferred from one mode of transportation to another, compared to intermodal, where an entire shipping container is transferred. Transloading is often a required step of the shipping process but can also be leveraged strategically to reduce storage costs, speed up delivery times, and improve supply chain efficiency.

Keep reading to get up to speed on the nuances between these similar but functionally separate transportation methodologies.

Continue reading “Transloading Vs. Intermodal in Logistics & Supply Chains” →