From Port-to-Door: How Weather Disrupts Shipping Patterns Across the Supply Chain
The weather impacts the global supply chain in every aspect. To combat this, companies must be prepared to navigate weather-related challenges and mitigate the effects on the economy. At a glance, this looks like making contingency plans, creating solid internal structures, and offering continuous support. To understand the weather’s effects on the supply chain, it’s important to explore how transportation is impacted.
- Drayage: Due to its seaside location, port drayage is particularly prone to weather disruptions that cause increased congestion. Issues then arise during the movement of containers from ports to distribution centers.
- Over-the-Road: Poor conditions create unsafe highways with reduced visibility and traffic. In turn, there are shipping delays due to weather, causing delivery schedules to shift in order to protect drivers on the road.
- Intermodal: Multiple modes of travel are susceptible to severe weather. Snow, ice, and flooding can impact rail and road operations, storms can disrupt ports, and cargo handling can be affected by temperature extremes.
Creating more tangible strategies, integrating weather monitoring, building flexible schedules, and following safety protocols can help companies maintain supply chain integrity and customer satisfaction, ensuring their future success. Learn how to keep your logistics on track.
Weather Impact on Drayage
Drayage operations are faced with a unique set of challenges during severe weather conditions. Port congestion, caused by shipping delays due to weather, increases turnaround times. STG Logistics keeps safety concerns top of mind, as drivers are particularly at risk due to dangerous road conditions. Heavy rain and flooding can force drayage companies to reroute their employees due to port closures, road washouts, fallen trees, damaged bridges, and other water-related hazards. The most common effect seen is the delay of deliveries, leading to customer frustration.
At STG Logistics, managing operational delays is a top priority, because the loading and unloading of containers is affected. We take a proactive approach to get ahead of disruption that may cause longer wait times, ensuring that our clients do not have to deal with the costly impact that can result from potential delays.
Strategies for Mitigating Weather-Related Drayage Delays
While weather impacting transportation is certainly not ideal, there are many strategies that companies can implement to mitigate weather-related drayage delays—and keep their business thriving. Common effective strategies for dealing with how the weather affects drayage include:
- Advanced weather monitoring: To plan and prepare for impending weather conditions, real-time tracking is a reliable option. This involves continuously monitoring the weather through advanced systems and adjusting routes as needed. There is a variety of software available, but simply tracking the weather through authoritative online forecasting tools can be a solid place to start.
- Flexible scheduling: Backup schedules and plans should be in place to adjust for shipping delays due to the weather. This ensures that action can be taken quickly—reducing the weather’s negative effects.
- Drive safety protocols: Companies should prioritize employee safety in every aspect of their operations. Safety protocols should be clear, widely available, and up to date. Drivers should be trained to effectively handle adverse weather conditions, instilling confidence and increasing productivity. Review current trucking safety guidelines for adverse weather conditions to get started.
STG Logistics relies on a national footprint and scalable capacity model to have one of the best drayage performance records in the industry. Learn more.
Weather Impact on Over-the-Road Solutions
When it comes to the weather impacting shipping on trucking routes, there are several key factors to keep in mind. Severe weather events make routes undrivable, forcing the creation of alternate routes and detours that add costly time to estimated deliveries. According to Forbes Accident Statistics for 2024, 13% of large truck accidents involve bad weather conditions. While driver safety should always be at the forefront of trucking conversations, it should especially be a priority when poor weather conditions occur. Truck drivers spending long hours on the road are also prone to distraction, creating an added layer of danger. In open trailers, cargo is also severely at risk, leading to damage and even loss—demonstrating some of the worst weather effects on the supply chain.
Particularly common in northern regions known for cooler conditions, snow, ice, and snowstorms also often cause road closures and delays, shifting truck schedules for unpredictable amounts of time. Over 70% of the country’s roads are located in snowy regions, so this can cause widespread problems.
Adjustments in Over-the-Road Operations Due to Weather
While weather-related shipping disruptions can cause a loss of cargo, time, and money, adjustments can be made to mitigate common frustrations. Trucking and weather considerations include:
- Route planning: Transportation providers need to practice weather forecasting and be prepared to adjust routes as needed.
- Fleet management: Vehicles should be equipped with the proper weather-related gear, including snow chains, anti-skid devices, rain gear to protect cargo, and portable radios in case of severe emergency.
- Real-time communication: Drivers should be in constant contact with their respective companies while being given updates on conditions, route changes, and more.
STG Logistics incorporates 24/7 dispatch practices to deal with issue resolution and weather that impacts shipping. We also use a custom app, called STG Carrier Connect, for drivers and carriers to be able to connect through real-time updates about pickups and deliveries, reducing the weather’s impact on trucking routes. Learn about our technology.
Intermodal and Weather Risks
Because intermodal often involves multiple types of transportation, intermodal operations are especially susceptible to adverse weather conditions. Railroads can be faced with delays and shutdowns due to rain, floods, extreme cold—and more. Trucks are also met with the same challenges that are present in over-the-road operations.
Ports deal with a special set of issues stemming from high winds that prohibit crane operations. In addition, port congestion occurs due to delays in loading and unloading when several types of severe weather takes place. High temperatures can also cause damage to goods within containers, adding to the list of challenges logistics companies must continuously plan for.
Navigating Intermodal Challenges
As the fourth largest asset-based IMC with competitive volume contracts with Class I railroads, STG Logistics is able to offer flexible supply chain solutions. This allows us to manage unexpected weather changes with ease, providing our customers with better outcomes. The technology platforms we use within our intermodal operations provide visibility and real-time tracking, creating the ability to solve delays quickly and effectively.
Strategies for Weather-Resilient Shipping
Many of today’s logistics companies continue to deal with weather impacting shipping by taking advantage of the tools they have available. STG Logistics is able to strategically prepare for many kinds of issues, from geopolitical disruptions to supply shortages. When it comes specifically to the weather, we track potential issues with the help of integrated weather monitoring systems. Our nationwide presence also enables us to operate on an adaptable model, with flexible scheduling and rerouting strategies. This ensures we’re able to maintain top operational efficiency—even during times of extreme weather.
When it comes to our e-commerce and retail distribution capabilities, we integrate cutting-edge tools and rigorous safety standards for a more secure and productive environment. Get an inside look at our logistics methods.
Best Practices for Maintaining Supply Chain Continuity During Adverse Weather
- Diversified supply chain: Relying on multiple sources can mitigate risk and lessen the impact of disruptions. This allows operations to shift to unaffected regions or alternate transportation modes when weather-related troubles occur.
- Proactive communication: It’s important to keep clients up to date on potential shipping delays due to the weather and changes in delivery plans. Being proactive here can help build trust and understanding.
- Investment in technology: Maintaining a supply chain also involves keeping up with the times. Tools such as predictive analytics and real-time monitoring are often worth the investment as they can help save money in the long run.
Learn more about how transportation systems manage and respond to various weather conditions.
Looking Toward the Future: Minimizing Disruptions
Dealing with weather’s impacts on shipping can be a frustrating aspect of logistics. However, planning for weather’s impact on logistics can make businesses more agile, resilient—and successful. To mitigate the challenges of weather-related shipping disruptions, companies can implement flexible operations, advanced technology, and proactive planning. This ensures that the supply chain is maintained, goods are delivered, operations run smoothly, and customers are happy—no matter what the weather has in store.
