Anyone who works in the 3PL industry understands the concept of a hotshot delivery, which is typically a small, time-sensitive shipment that needs to be delivered to a single destination within a tight timeframe. Urgency and timeliness are the names of the game with hotshot deliveries, making them incredibly complex to execute.
While executing hotshot deliveries is inherently challenging, mastering this service can deliver serious benefits to the 3PLs that provide it. Continue reading to learn more about creating hotshot delivery services that can help your 3PL grow, and reach out to us if you’re searching for a partner to help you execute hotshot deliveries.
Hotshot Delivery Challenges
What makes hotshot deliveries so challenging? First and foremost, their time-sensitive nature is what makes execution complex. When a 3PL attempts to manage its own hotshot deliveries, it’s often forced to pull resources from other areas of the business, which compounds the complexity.
Hotshot deliveries are also less than truckloads in most cases, meaning you need to arrange for a truck to pick up a shipment that does not maximize its capacity. Hotshot deliveries are moving point-to-point — a truck makes a pickup in one location and delivers to another. There’s no point at which the shipment moves en masse with other packages (as shipments typically do in the first and middle miles).
Technology can also be an issue. Successful hotshot deliveries require visibility, but traditional systems may not be able to provide the level of transparency and communication that customers expect in the modern age. In most cases, 3PLs aren’t using in-house platforms that are designed to meet customer expectations with hotshot deliveries.
Almost all customers (90%) expect “immediate updates and real-time visibility” into the status of their shipments, which makes hotshot delivery even more challenging for 3PLs. Why are these challenges worth taking on? Because perfecting hotshot deliveries means unlocking major benefits.
The Benefits of Executing Hotshot Deliveries
Any 3PL needs an advantage to thrive in an industry that’s growing increasingly competitive. Adding hotshot delivery services can serve as the competitive advantage you’ve been looking for. The benefits of mastering hotshot deliveries for 3PLs include the ability to:
- Overcome mistakes: Even the best 3PLs occasionally leave a pallet behind or make other mistakes in day-to-day operations. Hotshot deliveries give 3PLs the ability to rapidly correct these mistakes.
- Say “yes”: A 3PL with a thriving hotshot delivery program can more often say “yes” to last-minute and urgent customer requests.
- Create outstanding customer experiences: In general, hotshot deliveries are a path to creating the outstanding customer experiences needed to build loyalty and generate more repeat business.
Estes Forwarding Worldwide is just one of the many organizations that rely on FRAYT for hotshot deliveries and filling gaps in service offerings. Read the full story of how FRAYT helps EFW access the benefits of an effective hotshot delivery program.
The Power of Partnership for Hotshot Delivery
The fastest path to overcoming the challenges of hotshot deliveries is to partner with a third-party service provider. When you find the right hotshot delivery partner, you can gain access to:
- Quality drivers, diverse vehicles, and a presence in markets across the country that you can use on-demand.
- The technology needed to meet customer expectations (including route optimization, visibility, communication, plus more).
- Capacity that allows your in-house team to focus on day-to-day operations while an expert handles hotshot needs. (This is especially important during peak seasons.)
Not all third-party service providers are created equal, though. When searching for a hotshot delivery partner, ensure you’re exploring providers that have a track record of success with this specific and nuanced service. At FRAYT, we use our knowledge and experience to serve as an industry-leading strategic partner to 3PLs around the U.S. that require hotshot delivery support.
FRAYT: Your On-Demand Partner for Hotshot Delivery
At FRAYT, we offer the drivers and vehicles, existing tech, a presence in key markets, and the on-demand capacity needed for your business to master hotshot deliveries. You can spend a great deal of time and invest resources into creating your own hotshot delivery program, or you can lean on our expertise to offer this service to customers and achieve the ROI you want.
Are you ready to master hotshot deliveries through a strategic partnership? Ship with us.
