Recession-battered trucking companies struggle to keep pace with customer’s delivery schedules

Aug 01, 2010 | 09:06 AM |

With signs of stability emerging in the metal industries, producers are finally looking to get their products on the move. But getting product from point A to point B is not as simple as it may sound.

Orders are beginning to pick up and financial positions are stabilizing, but increased metal demand for manufacturing and fabrication is straining an already-taxed trucking infrastructure. This means suppliers can expect to see a growing incidence of delayed shipments in the immediate future.

Among the worst hit on the upstream side of the supply chain are service centers, which form the intermediate link between producers and consumers. The biggest issue has been availability, sources said, noting that even the largest carriers aren't always well equipped to respond to shipping demands.

"The service from major carriers is a shadow of what it was a couple of years ago," one copper and brass service center source said.....