Delivery service finds the capacity it needs with Power Only trucking

A parcel-package delivery service needed additional freight capacity over the holidays.

The holidays are a busy time for many of us, but they’re especially busy for a parcel-package delivery service that ships e-commerce freight to consumers’ homes. While the delivery service typically ships 12 million packages per day, that number surges to 22 million packages daily from October through December.

A surge in demand came much earlier in 2020, thanks to a new service offering and unprecedented customer demand. In February, the delivery service began offering its home delivery services seven days per week to compete with other e-commerce delivery services. Then in March, the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down in-person shopping and the number of e-commerce orders soared.

Power Only shipping is the smart solution

The delivery service asked Schneider to provide additional freight capacity for its expedited e-commerce business. Schneider suggested a Power Only solution. Power Only trucking is when a third-party carrier picks up a preloaded Schneider trailer at the delivery service’s facility then drives it to a destination for delivery.

While the delivery service was initially wary of working with third-party carriers, it agreed because Schneider carefully vets all of its third-party carriers. The delivery service would still benefit from a lot of the perks of working with Schneider because it was still using Schneider trailers for its Power Only freight.

Schneider would handle all the coordination, simplifying the process and saving the customer from having to contract with many individual carriers.
Schneider trailers have enhanced tracking visibility, and drivers use Schneider FreightPower® to provide real-time updates.
The orange trailers are easy to spot, making it easy for the delivery service to find its Power Only freight during pickups and deliveries.

The Power Only solution offered the delivery service an efficient and flexible solution in a tight capacity market.

Delivery service gets nearly unlimited capacity and gold-standard customer service

Because of its network of 36,000 carriers, Schneider had no trouble delivering nearly unlimited capacity to the delivery service. Beginning in mid-October and extending through the holiday season, Schneider contracted with 87 third-party driving teams to provide linehaul service.

As an added bonus, the Power Only solution allowed the delivery service to flex up freight capacity in California when it was receiving a surge in imports from the port.

Even though 25 different carriers delivered the additional capacity, the delivery service continued to work with the same Schneider team. The delivery service received the same high level of Schneider service that it relies on throughout the busy holiday season.