Dock Congestion, Complex Carrier Relationships, and Inefficiency
This King client is a nationwide distributor of commercial construction industry products. With an over 75-year history in the industry, this leader has had the better part of a century to improve their products, processes, and partnerships. Over the years, they’ve expanded their product offerings by acquiring and joining with leading manufacturers, leading to a large network of manufacturing plants and stocking locations (the most in their industry) that give them fast local distribution to most major metropolitan areas in the U.S.
The client was facing growing logistics challenges at their Minnesota facility that were slowing down operations and consuming valuable time and resources. Managing multiple carriers each day created congestion at the dock and added complexity to shipping and receiving. At the same time, the client struggled to coordinate partial truckload (PTL) shipments and consolidate outbound freight. As a result, they were often sending multiple less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments to the same destination with different carriers or shipping full truckloads (TL) that weren’t filled to capacity. This led to inefficiencies, higher transportation costs, and unnecessary complexity in their supply chain.
This challenge was compounded by the need to manage multiple carrier relationships, each with its own invoices, schedules, and communication processes. Without a centralized logistics partner to provide coordination and oversight, the client’s shipping operations consumed too much of their team’s time and energy, reducing their ability to focus on what mattered most: serving their customers.
Why It Matters:
The Cost of Inefficiency
Dock Congestion
- Operational delays: coordinating multiple carriers at the dock creates bottlenecks, leading to long wait times for loading and unloading and delaying both outbound shipments and incoming inventory.
- Labor inefficiency: warehouse staff are forced to juggle priorities across several carriers and may be idle while waiting for dock availability, reducing overall productivity.
- Increased risk of errors: the complexity of managing multiple carriers increases the chances of rushed or mismanaged loading, resulting in damaged goods, incorrect shipments, or other mistakes.
Managing Too Many Carrier Relationships
- Administrative overload: juggling contracts, schedules, billing, and points of contact across multiple carriers consumes valuable internal resources.
- Lack of standardization: varying service levels, tracking capabilities, and communication styles make it difficult to maintain consistent customer service.
- Limited negotiating power: fragmented shipping volume spread across many carriers reduces leverage when it comes to rates and service terms.
The King Solution
King Solutions implemented a comprehensive and centralized shipping strategy designed to simplify operations and restore efficiency.
Dock Sweeping to Eliminate Congestion
At the core of the solution was the implementation of a dock sweep program at the client’s Minnesota facility. Instead of coordinating pickups with multiple carriers throughout the day, King enabled them to load one consolidated trailer at a time. This dramatically reduced dock congestion, eliminated long wait times, and created a smoother, more predictable outbound flow.
Consolidated Shipments Through King’s PTL and LTL Network
Instead of sending multiple LTL shipments to the same destination or shipping underfilled TL loads, the client leveraged King’s Partial Truckload (PTL) network alongside our LTL network of more than 40 carriers. This enabled them to consolidate freight headed to similar destinations, reducing the number of trucks needed and maximizing trailer utilization—without sacrificing delivery speed or reliability.
From Five Carriers to One Trusted Partner
King also assumed the role of primary logistics partner, consolidating the client’s previously fragmented relationships with five carriers down to just one. With King managing all carrier coordination and communication, they eliminated the administrative overhead of juggling multiple contacts, schedules, and invoices, freeing up their team to focus on core operations.
Smarter Freight Logic for Smoother Deliveries
To further streamline shipping, King Solutions integrated custom freight logic to ensure that orders are never split across multiple shipments. This minimized the risk of misrouted pallets and ensured that all freight arrives together, intact, and on time.
Full Visibility with Pallet-Level Tracking
King also implemented a pallet ID tracking system to monitor every pallet as it moved between buildings and through the network. This added level of visibility gave the company greater control helping to ensure that nothing went missing and every load was handled with care.
Setting Up for Success from Day One
King developed a fully customized statement of work to clearly outline the partnership and ensure the client’s processes were set up to run smoothly from day one. King also aligned systems and implemented processes to track KPIs, giving the client clear visibility into progress toward their goals.
The Results:
Less Hassle. More Efficiency.
By partnering with King Solutions, this nationwide distributor of commercial construction industry products streamlined their shipping operations and reclaimed valuable time and labor. The company:
- Saved manpower by eliminating the need to manage multiple carrier contracts and relationships. Everything is now handled entirely by King.
- Reduced labor at their dock by loading a single trailer instead of coordinating with multiple carriers each day.
- Optimized trailer space using King’s PTL and LTL network, cutting down on underutilized truckloads and excessive and inefficient shipments.
- Enhanced reliability and consistency ensuring deliveries arrive on time and complete, reducing errors and misrouted freight.
- Freed internal resources to focus more on core operations and customer service rather than logistics management.
About King Solutions
Established in 1989, King Solutions is an asset-based logistics service provider headquartered in Dayton, MN. As a leader in the logistics industry, King provides freight transportation services, fulfillment, warehousing, and e-commerce services to its customers. King is committed to a customer-focused approach, creating tailored solutions through a robust network of shipping resources, information services, and dedicated employees.
