Gateway OT/Crate and Freight/DeliveXy

I once had a C.E.O of an online retailer tell me that the most important person in his company was the packing and shipping clerk because the last thing he or she does is the first thing the customer sees. The saying you only get one chance to make a first impression is so true especially in today's e-marketplace. The last thing a customer wants to see when she first opens the box that you shipped her is the item she has been waiting for broken. In the transportation systems of today, there are many transitions through trucks, containers, conveyor belts and hands that your package will have to travel. There is only one thing that can increase your chances of having your package delivered with no issues - Proper Professional Packaging. Sometimes even the best packaging is no match for the treatment some packages take during transit. (Click the back button after viewing these videos to return to this blog and continue)  FedEx    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D...

Intermodal Rail Freight has evolved in North America to the point where it has become a reliable, cost effective alternative to long haul trucking. There are many reasons for this; including the railroads investment in technology, increased production and deployment of domestic containers, and the shortage of Long Haul drivers. The shortage of long haul truck drivers has had the most significant impact on the price for this service. Long Haul drivers (driving over 750 miles) are hard to find these days, the law of supply and demand allow those drivers who want a long haul load to increase their prices. There are many factors that play into this driver shortage, the one we contend with the most is that younger drivers prefer a "home" to a "home on the road" In fact most younger CDL truck drivers would rather take a local pickup and delivery job (within 100 miles of home) for less money than make more money driving long haul. This driver trend...

The tragedy in Boston affected many people. Living in Phoenix about 2700 miles away, I still felt a direct connection to those who suffered a loss, or were injured. How could this happen? More importantly, Why? Some questions may never be sufficiently answered by those who need them most. One question, was answered though, how would the residents of Boston react to such a catastrophe? With bravery, courage and commitment. The photo above shows the empty streets of Boston as authorities searched for the bombers. What normally would have been a very busy day on these streets turned into emptyness and silence. In fact We here at Gateway had a delivery due in the town of Boston that day but our shipment did not deliver. We pride ourselves on ensuring timely deliveries for our clients but not that day. On that day the people of Boston and people all around the world were more concerned about a pickup than a dropoff. From a business standpoint I cant help but think abo...

In my years of being in distribution, transportation and logistics I have had to work with many sales guys. I understand the importance of the sales team to the business because they ring the cash registers and bring the money in the door, but have you ever known a sales guy where you thought they hurt the business more than they helped? I have. Now this blog isnt a slam on sales guys and girls, because when Im out selling my company I'm a "sales guy". The freight guys who have helped me over the years solve some of my logistics issues are "sales guys". Even my brother +Ken Adams  sells cool Native American art work and jewelry over at +Alltribes Indian Art LLC  is a "sales guy" so I'm not really putting this group down, but instead I want to talk about the few individuals who have "sold out" their company rather than "sell for" their company. I was actually reminded of this today when I had an admin clerk at a company tell ...

Welcome to the Gateway Crate and Freight blog. My name is Steven and I have created this blog to share with you the experiences of our company. I was watching Shipping Wars the other day and found the show to be 'entertaining'. I have spent the last 28 years in the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics field and have never found late shipments, damaged deliveries and bad customer service to be funny, but it is when its not happening to you!!! My partner  +Roy Meyer   and I started Gateway Crate and Freight as a serious business, we pretty much know that if something we package and ship for a customer gets damaged, our customer is not going to be laughing. We take our time, analyze our packing and transportation options and offer our customer the right combination of logistics services to fill their needs. Proper packaging, safe transportation methods, and economical solutions are keys to being successful in this business. In this business people insure against dama...