The Power of The Supply Chain at a Glance
“If you got it, a truck brought it.” One of the most insightful quotes my 11-year-old son routinely says when we discuss the impact professional drivers have on our day-to-day comforts. I strongly believe professional drivers deserve positive recognition for their dedication to safety, and professionalism. Quick note, my son and I recently recorded an episode on our podcast, Truck Focus Podcast, which is all about the importance of professional drivers.
When you review the data on just how much freight is hauled in Canada alone, it is nothing short of amazing. According to Stats Canada, in 2017, approximately 73.3 million (yes, 73,300,000) freight shipments were made in Canada. 90% of these were hauled by a truck. Yes, 90%. That is equal to approximately 65,970,000 freight shipments hauled by a truck in 365 days!
Let me start by asking you this – of the 65.97 freight shipments hauled, how many of these would have been handled by only the trucking company and did not have assistance with a shipper, receiver, or another sector? Probably not very many. In my humble opinion, this reflects wonderful, the power of the supply chain.
The supply chain can be defined as “the sequence of processes involved in the production or distribution of a commodity.” (In this article, I will focus on the distribution of such commodity, as in a product, but not the creation of such.) As my son’s quote communicates, “If you got it, a truck brought it” speaks such truth, and commercial carriers and professional drivers are ESSENTIAL in the success of this process.
If you stop and think about this for a moment if other sectors are involved in the process of the supply chain for most products, what exactly are these sectors? How important are they, and what impact do they have?
Other sectors that significantly impact the supply chain would include organizations such as brokers, steamship transport, rail companies, distribution centers, shippers, receivers, malls, grocery stores, just to name a few. In addition to the organizations themselves, there are thousands upon thousands of employees and contractors that work within these organizations to manage each step of the process.
When we talk about the importance of the supply chain, I feel it is important to express the significant value these organizations and their people bring. One way to describe their value is by comparing it to the presence of oxygen. Without oxygen, life would stop fairly quickly. The same can be said of these organizations that support the supply chain.
Could you imagine, entering your favourite grocery store to purchase your weekly groceries, and the shelves are empty? Possibly you experienced something similar when the pandemic first occurred, and mass purchases were being made to the point that stocks were empty. Thankfully, the supply chain stayed strong and restocked our shelves as fast as possible. When you enter the grocery store to purchase your weekly list of fruits and vegetables, we can thank the process of the supply chain from picking the fruit off the tree to being placed into the bin, to eating for an afternoon snack.
That truly is the power of the supply chain.
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Did you know, the Pivotal Transportation Industry Solutions offers online compliance training that is designed by industry experts, to help ensure you meet your regulatory requirements?
If you or someone that you know requires compliance training and prefers to take the courses online, then I encourage you to send us an email to inquire further, pvtlindustry@gmail.com
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We are all faced with different challenges as we live each day, and my encouragement to you is to ensure you are pushing through each and every one of them!
First off, I want to express my gratitude to the professionals working in the transportation industry.
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