CANADA-U.S. TRADE: SEAMLESS SEAMLESS & & & STREAMLINED STREAMLINED
“We continue to work on identifying more customers with Canadian transport needs while simultaneously working to expand capacity,” Mead says. “Our carrier development team works with existing partners to build partnerships to ensure priority access to equipment and they work with our marketing team to solicit new providers,” she adds. “We continue to review requirements with existing customers to determine if they have additional needs that involve trans-border movements, introducing them to our Canadian capabilities to open up new lines of service.” CERTAINTY AMID UNCERTAINTY The supply chain disruptions over the past three years have many shippers returning supply chain operations to North American soil. In a world where the only thing that is certain is uncertainty, shippers are looking for proactive customer service, technology that provides shipment transparency, and fair pricing. Enter FLS Transportation. With 18 of ces throughout North America—11 of them in the United States—FLS is a cross-border 3PL specialist. In addition to its core competency in over-the-road transport, FLS provides highly customizable contract logistics functions, including warehousing, cross dock, project logistics, and freight management. Shippers have turned to FLS to help streamline their shipping operations across North America with all the recent supply chain disruptions. Craig Swain, senior vice president of sales for FLS Transportation, says the pandemic prompted customers to depend more heavily on their next-door neighbors as trading partners. “With FLS Transportation being an expert in cross-border freight, we became the critical link in their supply,” he says. “The supply chain disruptions from overseas made our customers look at the products they are sourcing globally. “The disruptions made Canada
With 18 o©ces throughout North America, FLS is a cross-border 3PL specialist. In addition to its core competency in over-the-road transport, FLS provides customizable contract logistics functions, including warehousing, cross dock, project logistics, and freight management.
and the United States more reliant on each other.” The skyrocketing costs of shipping containers from overseas, combined with customs delays and extreme congestion at overseas ports, acted as a boon to Canada-U.S. trade. “Those high costs, extreme delays, and congestion at the ports made trade between Canada and the United States more appealing,” Swain says. FLS has responded to the increased demand for its services. “We’ve done record volumes over the past 12 months,” Swain says. “Particularly in our cross- border lanes, we have seen strong demand, and we’re very optimistic that will continue.” As shippers attempt to rein in costs, many have turned to FLS Transportation as their 3PL of choice to nd capacity and fair pricing. PROVIDING TRANSPARENCY “From the conversations we’re having with our customers, it’s clear that they’re looking for alternatives to add transparency to their shipping process,” Swain says. FLS Transportation listened to its customers and responded by investing heavily in its technology systems, including an online customer portal. The improvements have allowed FLS customers complete access to every facet of their partnership with FLS Transportation.
Amid his optimism, Swain echoes the sentiments of other cross-border trade experts and Canadian Ambassador Hillman: Timely planning and paperwork are vital to make border crossings as ef cient as possible. That’s where utilizing a cross-border trade expert like FLS Transportation can add simplicity to moving freight across North America. Knowing what’s happening in logistics and understanding the rules, following the protocols, and forging close relationships among customers, logistics providers, customs of cials, and government leaders can be a lot for one shipper. Companies have turned to FLS Transportation to navigate these dif cult times. The company creates a winning formula that includes expertise, technology, and proactive customer service to maintain the strong trade ties between Canadian and U.S. supply chains long into the future. Should you need extra help understanding the cross-border freight process, FLS created a free guide on its website: www. stransport.com/ weekly-freight-report With due diligence, proper attention to regulatory requirements, and partnerships with expert providers, moving shipments between Canada and the United States can remain a stress- free, friendly, and mutually bene cial process. n
186 Inbound Logistics • July 2022
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