Few messages are more frustrating for a business than:
“Your shipment has been delayed.”
A delay can affect production schedules, stock levels, customer deliveries and cash flow. While some disruptions are unavoidable, many logistics problems can be reduced through better planning, communication and coordination. At Covenant Logistics, proactive problem-solving is one of the principles behind our service approach. We believe the best logistics partner should not wait for a problem to become a crisis. Here are eight common reasons shipments can be delayed—and how Covenant Logistics helps businesses manage them:
Your logistics provider needs accurate information to plan your shipment.
This includes:
At Covenant Logistics, our logistics enquiry process asks for details such as commodity, weight and container size so that we can understand the movement properly. The better the information, the better the planning.
A shipment can be physically ready while the documentation is not. Incorrect or incomplete documents can create delays at critical stages. Covenant Logistics’ customs and clearance team assists businesses with the documentation, permits and inspections associated with their shipments.
Customs authorities may request additional information depending on the shipment. If those queries are not addressed quickly, the cargo may remain where it is. Covenant Logistics takes a proactive approach to customs and aims to clear cargo before arrival where possible, with the objective of resolving queries within the carrier’s free time.
Sometimes the shipment isn’t actually delayed. The receiving location simply isn’t ready.
A delivery may require:
Covenant Logistics coordinates road transport and delivery requirements so that the final stage of the journey is considered as part of the overall logistics plan.
Port operations can affect when cargo becomes available for collection. This is why Covenant Logistics’ sea freight team focuses on proactive vessel monitoring and pre-clearance, helping identify and address potential issues as early as possible.
A change in the actual cargo compared with what was originally booked can affect transport planning. For example, incorrect weight or container information can result in the original transport arrangement needing to be reconsidered. At Covenant Logistics, understanding the cargo before the movement begins is an important part of creating an appropriate logistics solution.
A delay is frustrating. Finding out about the delay only after the expected delivery date is even worse. At Covenant Logistics, communication is one of our core service commitments. Our website states that clients receive daily updates, providing visibility into their shipment and helping eliminate uncertainty.
Not every disruption can be prevented. But businesses can prepare for the possibility that something might change. At Covenant Logistics, proactive exception management forms part of our road transport approach.
The question should not only be:
“What is the plan?”
It should also be:
“What happens if the plan changes?”
How Covenant Logistics Helps Reduce Unnecessary Delays
At Covenant Logistics, we focus on four important areas:
Covenant Logistics states that clients are not billed for costs arising from our own failings, delays or actions that were within our control.
The Best Time to Solve a Logistics Problem Is Before It Happens
Not every delay can be avoided. But many unnecessary delays can be reduced through accurate information, early documentation, proactive customs management, effective route planning and clear communication.
That is the approach we believe in at Covenant Logistics.
We don’t want you to find out where your shipment is after it should have arrived.
We want you to know where it is, what is happening and what comes next.
Because your cargo is our covenant.
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