newsoundseattle-blog

[newsoundseattle-blog]

Many drivers who have been over the road for many years are talking about becoming a team driver. There are also several first-time drivers who just got their CDL who would also like to start out as team drivers. Team driving seems to be the wave of the future. But is it reasonable and expedient for the truck companies to hire driver teams?

Driver teams consist of two people who have each have their CDL license and want to form a partnership on the road. Driver teams allow the tractor-trailer to be on the road without the usual stops for rest or sleep. It allows each driver to follow regulations regarding hours driving and still get the freight to its destination in half the time. Trucking Companies in Seattle are looking for team drivers can either train their own employees or hire already trained and paired teams.

Often teams consist of married persons or two people who are somehow related like siblings or cousins. The team drivers make their own schedule and can drive or rest whenever the two of them decide, as long as individually each driver meets the legal requirements for time resting. The team can also decide for themselves how they split their wages and bonuses. For the most part, team driving is a good thing for everyone concerned.

The shipping companies in Seattle gets its freight delivered quickly and the drivers get the advantage of better rest. As much as drivers love the travel and the views, over the road, long-distance driving is exhausting both physically and psychologically. Having a partner is very helpful. They have companionship and relief in their long drives. Quite often they can receive bonuses for getting the cargo delivered ahead of time.

Team driving can work very well. Yet there can be challenges as well. Two people cooped up together in the small space of a truck cab. Even with the larger cabs with a separate compartment, it is still close quarters. It takes a strong relationship with two people who really enjoy being in each other’s company to make it work.

Driving with a partner is very different than the driving alone you have been doing for years. It is both a relief and a challenge. Most over the road truck drivers really enjoy the time they spend alone driving the highways of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. So will team driving really work over the long haul?

ISSUES

Trust – can you trust your partner if they are not someone you know well. How do they drive? Are they safe? Are you really equal?

Sharing the cab- settings for the driver seat; the radio and the AC or heat.

Who does what? Who drives when? There must be an agreement before you start.

Weather concerns since you are driving through the nights regardless of the weather.

You are both trying to sleep in a moving truck so neither gets a really deep rest.

Unless you choose to be on the road twice as much as a solo driver you will make about the same as a solo driver.

Does it Work?

It can work. It doesn’t always work. It works if you are able to really be a team and this means compromising. Compromising on food, schedule, seat settings, AC/Heat settings, and radio settings. It works if you can choose your partner whether a stranger or a well-known, established friend.

It can work if you are at a place in your life where sharing the road with someone else benefits your life. Do you want to earn more money, or do you want to be home more? If you are an owner-operator will this move benefit your business for the long run?

Remember it is up to you. It is your career. Team driving can work if you want it to and it fits your lifestyle. If not – there’s always driving solo for an enjoyable career.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

Driving a truck through different areas of the country calls for being prepared for different weather patterns, road conditions, regulations, and even special permits.  In addition to the challenges and rewards facing any driver, in major transportation hubs and port cities like Seattle, to make it as a truck driver it is important to be savvy of the unique aspects of this spectacular port city.  With goods being accepted and shipped throughout the country and laden on seagoing vessels to other parts of the world the truck driver in Seattle trucking companies has an interesting and challenging lifestyle.

Life, Rewards, and Challenges of a Truck Driver

Depending on the type of trucking, distance and load driving has various challenges.  Regardless of what is being hauled, being lonely is one of the drawbacks of life as a driver.  Especially for long hauls a driver may be gone for weeks at a time then have a week or so of hometime. Keeping in touch with family and loved ones is crucial to ward off feelings of disconnection and loneliness, so a good cell phone may prove to be essential.

Staying alert, and being able to rest adequately takes discipline and routine, eating well and exercising. Home cooking will likely become more appreciated. The rewards are not just in a solid and respectable middle-class paycheck, but for the long haul, drivers being able to see the country and visit many areas (that much of the population plans and saves for years to see) as part of the job.  

Being a trucker is more than a job, it can be considered an adventure and definitely is a different lifestyle from working at a desk or in manufacturing.  Commercial pilots and air hostess, hosts, military, and those who work on oil platforms spend much time away from home, but professional truck drivers generally are in a much more solitary environment behind the wheel.

Driving a big rig demands special training, passing a physical exam, and drug screening.  One of the biggest dangers for truck drivers is automobile drivers, who do not respect that trucks are much heavier, have different shift and braking systems and a wider turning radius. The drivers of the cars do not allocate enough room for turns and stops. Knowing route challenges in advance such as construction, inclement weather and traffic snarls, helps a driver make his /her deliveries on time. Local deliveries must be on schedule to keep customers happy and their business running smoothly.

Geography and Weather in the Pacific Northwest

Seattle is located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and has unique geographic and other challenges.  The population of the city itself is estimated at around 724,000 and the greater Seattle metropolitan area around 3.5 million people, hence traffic is one challenge facing a trucker. There are many points of interest for tourists and that means drivers who are unfamiliar with the area, roads and such which can add another challenging element.  Knowing the infrastructure of the city and where it is permitted to drive and when are important considerations to making it as a truck driver in the Seattle trucking companies.

Hills are a prominent topographic feature of the city of Seattle especially near the heart of the city, and to the east is Lake Washington and a little further the Cascade range of mountains.  Puget Sound (a part of the Pacific Ocean) lies west and is a major shipping port.  

Water is very prominent and for much of the year so is drizzle. Fresh and saltwater, natural and manmade waterways mean a bit over 40 percent of Seattle is covered by water.  It is cloudy or partially cloudy over half the year (about 294 days out of 365), although the rain is more often a drizzle or mist than a deluge and falls in the autumn, winter and spring leaving summers comparatively dry.

Tunnels and restrictions on truck usage are found in Seattle. For example, no trucks are allowed on the Magnolia Bridge leading to Pier 91 ramps  It is reported that Seattle has heavy traffic congestion, hence some oversize vehicle restrictions and the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel has hazardous load restrictions as does the Battery Street tunnel.

Special Permits

Trucks in Washington are restricted by height, length, width, and weight. Trucks that exceed the legal limits need special permits.  The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) issues these permits in a variety of usage situations from one time to annual. Each day the driver must get a validation number and in some cases an escort by commercial vehicle enforcement officers.  This takes advance planning since the escort is generally in the very early hours of the morning before the workday commuter traffic begins.

Making it as a truck driver in Seattle requires training, advance planning, and awareness of local restrictions.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

Once you have your CDL and are ready to start your first job, it’s good to make sure you are prepared. It’s a question of how you get prepared for that first truck driver job. What should you do when you first start working? How can you get off to the best possible start in your first job?

If your new Seattle trucking company gives you choices about the jobs you take on or the loads you can carry. Accept any job they offer you. – Any open load is fair game when you are just getting started. It’s good to know in advance what will make an impression on your boss and his boss – not turning down any loads in your first 6-12 months will do it. Plus keep in mind, the more you drive, the more you earn and the more experience you garner.

Don’t be a loner – don’t be a show-off. Make friends with the other drivers in your company. If it takes an effort, make an effort. Get to know the drivers, the safety officers, the dispatchers – anyone who can have an impact long term on your career. Be respectful to everyone.

Be on time, every time – and make sure your boss knows it. The worst thing you can do when starting out on your first truck driver job is getting a reputation for being late.

Be a safe driver – Don’t speed, pay attention to who you are sharing the road with and don’t tailgate. Be early, but be safe and be legal.

Take care of yourself – watch your diet, get enough sleep. When you are on the road all week it is very easy to eat a lot of junk and not get enough quality sleep. Don’t eat too many carbs, don’t drink a bunch of carbonated and sugar-laden drinks. Take healthy food with you: bottled water, beef jerky, dried fruit, mixed nuts. Take time to stop and eat a meal. You can make it yourself in your sleeper in a crockpot or stop and buy a good meal.

Work hard – don’t mess around –  Hard work will be rewarded. Make yourself stand out from the other truckers in your company by being one who always gives 110%. Be reliable, be consistent.

Be prepared – From the time you earn your CDL until the time you put your first truck on the road, stay focused and work hard at whatever your company asks you to do. It is all a learning experience.                

Profit margins and you – understand where and how your company makes money. The profit margins for trucking companies is tight. No one is making money hand over fist. If you get a ticket, blow a tire or fail an inspection, your company will probably not make any money on your ride and perhaps the next couple as well.

Don’t complain. Just get the job done. – Don’t waste time complaining about your last load. Be positive. Move on. DO NOT complain. You are too new to know who to trust among drivers, dispatchers and safety officers.

So if you want to be a great truck driver and get off to a great start with your new employer, follow these tips. They should put you in good stead. If you’re not driving, neither you nor your shipping companies in Seattle is making any money. Get on the road as soon as possible and work as hard as you can before that.

Remember you only get one chance to make a first impression and those first few days and weeks on the job are critical in this process.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

You’re an over the road trucker driving on a route from Seattle to New Orleans. It’s a long haul but you love the job. However, you hate junk food and miss your family.  You know the risks of the road and you take them on willingly. The money is good, the road is wonderful, but you know how to keep healthy and safe on the road.

How does a truck driver who spends 48 of 52 weeks per year on the road, stay healthy and safe? What keeps you healthy? Strapped into the cab of a monster vehicle, alone and sometimes lonely, how do you stay safe?

Being Healthy on the Road

There are many factors to staying healthy on the road in Seattle trucking companies. These include nutrition and sleep, staying positive and getting at least some exercise. Here’s what’s important to stay healthy.

Eating – Make sure you eat a healthy diet- make sure you eat. Some truck drivers don’t take time to eat or eat well. They think they will save time and money by skimping on meals.

Nutrition – Eating isn’t just for the sake of eating – it’s about nutrition. TO keep going the truck driver needs the right kind of nutrition. You can’t just eat. You have to make healthy choices about what you eat. Stay away from fast foods and processed foods. That’s what the truck stops are for. TO give a driver a real meal – steak and eggs, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Snacks – Don’t pack up your cab with chips and candy. Eat peanuts and cheese. Stay away from sugar. Stay with high protein like trail mix, beef jerky, and away from things like 5hour energy. Take a good multivitamin.

Water is essential – You will drink your fair share of coffee and soft drink but if you don’t drink water, you can still drink plenty of water.

Sleeping – Truck drivers used to skimp on sleep all the time, cheating on their logs and driving 20 out of 24 hours. No longer. Drivers are required by law these days to take extended breaks. The law can make you take a break, but it cannot make you sleep. If you sleep in your cab or at a truck stop, you need to get quality sleep. While driving makes sure you are relaxed and focused. Have ways to relax while still staying alert. Listen to music, talk shows and even books on tape.

Exercising – Get some exercise. Take a short walk every day even if it is on the side of the road. Just make sure you are safe. Don’t smoke. It adds to depression. Make sure you stretch your legs, shoulders, neck, and arms. Keep muscles moving. More and more truck stops are adding gyms to their facilities.                                          

Keep in touch –  Loneliness is sure to be a companion on the road but staying in touch with the most important people in your life can ease that distraction. When you are home make quality time with family and friends. When you are on the road there is always Skype, Facebook, and other video call applications. Stay in touch with those you love.

Being Safe on the Road

Road safety starts with all those things just mentioned in staying healthy. As far as driving is concerned you have to be awake and focused and if you don’t follow the guidelines above you won’t be. Following that there are specific things the driver can do to make sure they and the rest of the people on the road with them, are safe.

Make sure your training is up to date and you are the best driver you can be.

People who drive every day, who drive for a living, have a much greater risk of an accident than those who don’t.

Employers should check MVRs – Motor Vehicle Records every six months.

Stay away from cell phones and text messages while driving. It is now the law in most states but seldom enforced. Truck drivers need to self-enforce this law.

Stay in your lane, don’t speed and most of all don’t tailgate. The big rigs have major blind spots and changing lanes can be dangerous.

Carry the right equipment for the climate you will be driving in. A scraper for the windows and chains for the tires in the winter environments.

Whenever stopped on the side of the road use flashers or flares. Have a quick list of who to call for help.

Keep yourself safe in rest areas and truck stops. Keep your eyes open for predators and if you sleep in rest areas make sure someone knows you are there. Check-in with that someone every morning and every night.

If you follow these guidelines of Seattle trucking companies, your trips will be healthy and safe.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

Looking for a new company to drive for and a new adventure in life? Try driving for Seattle trucking companies and living in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Not only is Seattle a great place to live, but the trucking companies in the area pay well and care about their drivers.

Seattle is a major transportation hub for freighters and barges, railroad, air and ground transportation. Because of this, there is more than enough work in the Port of Seattle/Tacoma area and plenty of diversification as well. If you want a long haul, it’s available. If you want to be home every weekend, that’s available. If you want local or regional so you can be home every night, well that’s available too.

Seattle is a popular city with a temperate climate. There are about 745,000 residents in the city itself. The metro area has about 4 million in population. The city is about 100 miles from the border of the US and Canada. It is the 4th largest port city in North America with heavy international trade with Asia.

The city bustles with technology and new industries mixed with the older logging and transposition industries. Microsoft is there. Bill Gates was born there. Amazon was founded there in 1994. One of the highest minimum wages directed by law is in Seattle. Small businesses must pay $15 an hour while large ones pay $16. The best news of all is that Washington is one of the few remaining states that do not have any income tax.

Summers are great in Seattle though winters are rainy. Summers make up for it with a warm, sunny and dry climate. Low humidity tops off at great summer forecast. Try playing in the Olympic National Park or visiting the San Juan Islands. Any time of the year you can enjoy professional sports with the NBA SuperSonics, the NFL Seahawks, MLB Mariners, WNBA Storm, and many minor league soccer and other sports.

If that’s not enough to attract you to Seattle, just take a look at what some Seattle trucking companies are offering.

Multiple career paths – driver, trainer, supervision, and management.

Home every week or every evening depending on your choice of routes.

State of the art equipment

Some offer weekly pay guarantees when you start. One company is offering a guarantee of 2500 miles every week and start out at 50 cents a mile. Even if you drive less than you can earn $1250 a week.

Most offer life, dental and medical insurance to full-time driver and dependents.

Some companies offer inspection bonuses, safety bonuses, and referral bonuses.

With pay based on time with the company, an experienced driver can easily earn over $75,000 a year with many of the Seattle trucking companies.

Sign-on bonuses can run from a couple of thousand dollars up to $10,000.

Guaranteed home time based on your needs and choice of routes.

No-touch freight; drop and hook.

Newest equipment.

Paid orientation.

Paid vacation.

Long term disability insurance.

401k match.

Seattle boasts some of the best trucking companies in the country because it is such a freight transportation hub. There is a shortage of both new and experienced drivers in the area. Because of this, there are many companies willing to pay the beginner to get their CDL and some will pay the tuition for it as well.

If you enjoy being around people who know what they are talking about and doing, Seattle is for you. It has the highest educated population in the country. It is one of the busiest cities in the country and yet it is a laid back, easy-going, coffee drinking west coast city. For a city its size, its neighborhoods are unique, and each has its own distinct style.

The only negative is the cost of living in the metro area is high. The reason for this is the cost of housing is high. But Seattle just built another 10,000 apartments and as growth continues, it is expected that this will go down. On the other hand, you can live just outside the metro area, or in Tacoma and other smaller communities for a lot less and still enjoy all the amenities of Seattle itself.

Between what the city or metro area has to offer and what trucking companies in the area offer to entice new and experienced drivers into their fold, there are many benefits to driving for Seattle trucking companies.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

If you are looking for shipping services in the Seattle/Tacoma area what will you find? In the early days, the Seattle area was all about logging. After that, it developed into a center for shipping and opening an avenue into Alaska. The shipping center remains today, along with the logging and an array of new technologies.

The port of Seattle is the third-largest in the U.S. in terms of container ports, with some of the newest technology in the shipping business. With the port of Seattle and the pot of Tacoma, the area teems with international shipping and Fortune 500 companies. Seattle itself handles container shipping of over three and a half million containers a year.

There is a multitude of shipping companies in the Seattle area with a wide variety of services, logistics, storage, technologies, and price. Some companies stick to what they have known and down for thirty to one hundred years. Others embrace the new technologies and look for innovative service to offer or innovative ways to offer those services.

Let’s take a look at what these shipping companies have to offer the customers. What kind of services will you find being offered by shipping companies in Seattle?

For Ecommerce:

Innovative software for syncing eCommerce orders with fulfillment and shipping. Seattle is particularly suited to this with its technological advancement in tracking, storage, and cost-efficiency.

Provides all shipping labels and documents for both domestic and international orders including emails and return labels.

Managing to ship for various sales channels.

International Commerce/Domestic Commerce/Regional/Local:

Barges, airplanes, trucks and railroad services available to cover the distance from Seattle to anywhere in the US and Canada.

Multi-carrier shipping options and tools are available depending upon the size of your loads.

Logistics/Software – don’t depend on old technology. Choose a copy with state of the art logistics and software. Know where your freight is at all times whether in storage or in transit. Cloud-based shipping software is also present and available.

Handles all customs/regulations, bill of lading and other international regulators and paperwork.

Full Truck Load. (FTL) – direct route – cost increased.

Full Container Load. (FCL) – direct route – cost increased.

Less than a Truckload. (LTT) – multi customers, many stops, cost less takes longer.

Less than a Container Load. (LCL)- multi customers, many stops, cost less takes longer.

Volume Discounted Rates are available from more than one carrier.

Lowest Price Guarantees if you search for them.

Expedited Orders/Same day orders/Next day. If you need this you will find several shipping companies capable of providing it.

Freezer and cold storage and protection in several companies in Tacoma and Seattle when needed.

Chemicals and HazMat meet all the regulations and take all the precautions.

Specialized Solutions of all kinds available. You name it and there will be a shipping company in Washington that offers it.

Retail/Government/Residential whichever type you need you will find it in Seattle.

Packing and protecting cargo – pre-shipping services.

Just-in-Time Delivery.

Door-door; Port-port.

A few extra words should be said the needs of the government and military. For the Government, there are several onsite and offsite opportunities. They can meet military specifications, custom packing, and custom crates. Anything the government or the military need to ship, the companies in Seattle and Tacoma have the capabilities to do so. Whatever the government level is – local, state or federal- there is a company in Seattle that can handle it. No matter which service is involved – Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, or Coast Guard – there are Seattle shipping companies ready to meet any need the services have.

Government and military contracts can be confusing and coded requirements for packaging and shipping are in the contracts. In order to service these contracts, the shipping company must be very familiar with the military specifications – especiallyMIL-STD-2073-1. Everything from a quantity per pack to preservation materials to the packing materials and shipping container. The shipping company must be very comfortable with the requirements and have the materials needed on hand.

These materials can include MIL-Spec Packaging, MIL-Spec Style Crates, ASTM Style Crates, MIL-Spec Pallets & Load Bases, Hood Style Crates, Slat Crates, Open Crates, and Wooden Boxes.

All of these services and more are available at one or more of the shipping companies in Seattle. With tens of companies, there will be one with exactly the right services for you. Whether you are shipping from China to Maine or Toronto; from Seattle to Portland, Oregon; from Tacoma to Texas – there will be a shipping company that offers exactly services you and your business needs.

For some Seattle trucking companies, there are no traditional size limitations or weight limitations. There are no freight minimums. These companies will ship anywhere, anytime, anything.

So you can see that there are many, many shipping companies in the Seattle-Tacoma area and any one of them might be the one to meet your needs.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

Moving freight around the world is one of the largest industries in a city that is hopping with some of the best-known businesses in the world. Seattle has an abundance of truck driving schools, shipping companies, and trucking companies. For customers with freight to ship, the Seattle-Tacoma port region has everything they could need.

There are many qualified drivers in the area because there are so many excellent CDL truck driver schools and placement services. The shipping companies in Seattle and Tacoma have plenty of high-quality employees to make shipping freight as easy and profitable for everyone.

LTL and FTL Trucking

Almost all trucking companies in Seattle offer both LTL and FTL options. These are Less than a truckload and a full truckload. Whether you are shipping from Seattle to Maine or just to a town a few hundred miles away in Oregon, the options are the same.

You can ship less than a load, which means that your package will be in a truck with a lot of other customers packages, but it will cost you a lot less. You only pay for the amount of square footage you use in the trailer. Packages are arranged, as much as possible, by the order of the delivery route.  If you are a driver going from Seattle to Maine with an LTL load you will put the packages for Maine on first and the local Washington state on last.

This type of shipping takes longer to get your package to Maine than if it was just shipped directly on an FTL With an FTL though you have to have enough freight to fill the entire truck, there will be no drop-off stops and your freight will arrive sooner at its Maine destination.

With less than a load shipping, drivers will load freight in the Seattle area and enjoy the US interstate system from Washington to Maine. Along the way, you might have stops on US 90 in Montana and then switch to US 94. Driving along the northern section of the US, you make another drop off in Madison, Wisconsin area and then head toward the Northeast coast. You can follow 90 again across Ohio and Pennsylvania with a drop off in Buffalo, New York.

From here it is over to drop off additional freight in Boston, then clear sailing up the coast to Maine. In Maine you will pick up the beginnings of another LTL load and head back to the Seattle area, picking up freight along the way. For an experienced driver, this is a long haul but not a terribly difficult one. For a new driver, it might be quite a challenge with the mountains in Pennsylvania and the traffic in many of the cities up the east coast. This trip will be cost-effective for your customers but more labor-intensive for the driver.

The same shipment with a full load from Seattle to Maine would have stops dictated by driver maintenance rules, but no change in freight along the way. Drivers running this FTL route will have devices that log the number of hours they drive and they will have to stop every 11 hours to rest for 10 hours.

Even though many drivers don’t care for these devices or regulations, they prefer the FTL to the LTL because they do have a smoother trip with fewer stops and less loading and unloading. For the customer, LTL makes the most sense if they don’t have enough freight to fill the truck.

Either way from Seattle to Maine, you won’t get a better deal, than you will from the shipping and trucking companies serving out of the Seattle-Tacoma area.

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Seattle has become a very successful hub for national and international shipping and trucking industries. The trucking companies in Seattle are very successful and they have a few very specific reasons why this is so. There are some things unique to Seattle that make the trucking and shipping companies of the area so successful.

Ports and International Shipping

The first thing to look at is the geographical advantages that Seattle offers any trucking company locating there. Whether you deliver locally, regionally, across the US and Canada or around the world, the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle give you access to all.

With international shipments coming in and going out of these ports on a daily basis, there is a constant flow of merchandise that needs to be trucked to somewhere else or needs to be delivered to the ports from somewhere else. This environment is enhanced by the fact that the Seattle area itself is an exporter of natural resources, farming products, consumer goods, and construction materials.

This gives Seattle’s trucking companies plenty of experience and opportunity for innovation. Do it better in Seattle or another trucking company will.

Seattle Infrastructure

Once again geography is king. Easily reachable from the Seattle area are many economic opportunities to truck goods to and from Canada and Alaska, the US western coastal states, and the states within several hundred miles of Seattle.

In addition, the infrastructure exists to truck goods from Seattle to the east coast of the United States or Canada, and everywhere in between. Seattle boasts a bounty of roads and highways along with goods move by truck every day. The state of Washington joins in with over 7000 miles of interstate highways carry over forty-five million dollars in goods every day.

The busiest road in the state comes out of Seattle on Interstate 5 and crosses the entire state with over two hundred and seventy miles of highway. More than 240,000 drivers transverse it in every direction, every day.

The state boasts over seventy-one thousand square miles of landmass and a population of over seven million. The city of Seattle itself has over four million in population and is a transportation and industry hub; with tech companies and service systems leading the way.

In addition, Seattle is gifted with a very large amount of warehouse space of all types and a boatload of some of the best truck driver training schools in the nation. There is a lot of innovation in Seattle.

Seattle is known for the Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies that are headquartered there, many who lead the way in their fields. Aircraft production, agricultural fruit production, chemicals, and metals are all industries that find their home in the Seattle area.

There are five Fortune 500 companies in Seattle and at least one Fortune 100. They would not be there if not for the shipping and trucking advantages the city and region have to offer. International and domestic shipping succeeds in Seattle by having to meet the needs and requirements of companies like Amazon.com and Starbucks.

Trucking History and Innovation

All of the previous advantages add up to give Seattle’s trucking companies a leg up on the road to success. But don’t think it is those advantages alone that make Seattle’s shipping and trucking industries so successful. They are very instrumental in their own success.

Seattle has a long history in shipping and trucking and many companies that have been in the business for a long time. These companies have grown and innovated right alongside the city itself.

Considerations like fleet size, number of drivers, mileage on their fleets in a year, history in the market and outstanding customer service are all factors leading to the success of Seattle trucking companies. Most importantly, like the region itself, they have not stood still and let the world of technological innovation in logistics, shipping, and trucking.

Some of the best of the best that Seattle has to offer includes:

Just-in-time delivery systems.

Consulting firms to help you determine the best trucking company for your needs.

FTL and LTL services in multiple companies. This is the full truckload and the less than full load trucking logistics.

24 hour tracking of your freight and expected delivery times down to the half-hour – some to 15 minutes.

Diversity of trucking companies, logistical systems, tracking systems, warehousing systems and some of the most innovative thinkers in the freight transport business.

Conclusion

Seattle’s trucking companies succeed because of Seattle; because of the geographical advantages of being on an ocean port; because of all the international and national trade, goods, and commerce coming into and going out of the city every day.

Perhaps more than anything else however, the trucking companies in Seattle succeed and have become the class of the industry, by their own efforts. Their forward-thinking, their innovations, their use of logistical technologies, and their responsiveness to their customers are all major factors in their success.

[newsoundseattle-blog]

Whether you are a driver looking for a job with one of the top shipping companies in the world, or a customer looking to ship your goods from China to Toronto, Seattle, Washington has a shipping company for you.

What makes the shipping companies in Seattle so special? Why shouldn’t you ship from the east coast of the United States to Toronto instead of the west coast? If you live in the northwestern region of the United States what makes Seattle such a great place to work as an over the road or local driver?

Drivers

If you live in the Northwest and you either already have a CDL or you are planning to get one, Seattle is probably your best bet for a place to do this. There are many advantages for a driver in the Seattle area whether you have your CDL or not.

Lifestyle

As a place to live, single or raising a family, few modern cities have more to offer than Seattle. The business environment is top-notch. There are great schools and neighborhoods for your kids. The cost of living is a little high, but reasonable. Then there is so much to do in Seattle.

Some of the places to see and things to do for singles or families, for your kids while you are on the road include:

The Space Needle

Henry Art Gallery

Seattle Asian Art Museum

Green Lake Park

Seattle Monorail

Great restaurants

Sports team – NFL, MLB, NBA.

And much, much more.

Training

If you already have a CDL there are plenty of job opportunities either regional or international in the Seattle and Tacoma Port areas. However, if you are just considering a career in trucking and are looking for a place to get your CDL, you can’t beat the Seattle area.

There are at least 28 trucking schools in Washington state with availability to get training for class A and B CDLs, bus, tractor-trailer, tanker and endorsement courses. In addition, there are some of the top trade school CDL programs as well. Many of these programs will offer you job placement in the Seattle area. Although none of them have a total online package, many will let you take some of your classes online and the rest on site.

Career Opportunities

Once you have your credentials in place, the Seattle-Tacoma port area affords you a great degree of choice in where you might choose to work. If all you want is to hop in your truck every morning and drive to Oklahoma and back, that is available. If you are interested in the logistics, the technology of shipping these days, that is available as well.

Between international, national and local, every type of opportunity in shipping and tucking is available in Seattle. The companies pay well, some of them in the fifty to sixty thousand dollar range and there must be between thirty and fifty to choose from. In addition, some offer specific times at home and a great signing bonus. Many offer up to ten to fifteen thousand dollars in signing bonuses.

Customers

Seattle Shipping Advantages

If you are a customer looking to move your goods across the region or across the seas, you will find a company in Seattle to meet your needs. Competitive prices for convenient services is what the Seattle shipping market is all about. Start at the port where your goods arrive from oversees; move them to a warehouse in the area while you await the rest of the shipment or complete the required customs paperwork. Now you can load up – full or part loads – and get your products on the road to their final destination across town or across the continent.

What makes these Seattle shipping companies so good for their customers? Many of them offer:

International shipping including assistance with all the customs regulations and paperwork. Many offer both full container and part container loads. Should have the right maritime licenses and paperwork on file.

On-time guarantees and next day arrival guarantees.

National services from Seattle to New York City and everywhere in between. If one company doesn’t do where you would like to ship, there will be another Seattle choice that does.

Regional services around the Pacific Northwest with choices of air, rail, and truck. Seattle drivers certainly know their way around the region.

FTL and LTL are available from many companies so you can get what you need. If you have a short budget and a smaller shipment, then use the Less than a Load option. It cost less but takes longer to get your cargo delivered. If you have a full load that has to be at a certain place at a certain time, you can use an FTL company.

Conclusion So, if you have any business in the Seattle area, or you want to be a truck driver and live in the northwest, you can’t go wrong with a Seattle CDL training school or a Seattle shipping service.

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Seattle is a great port very close to other northwestern ports, and this makes it a great city for trucking companies of all kinds. There is an abundance of LTL and FTL companies as well. Why are all these companies and some of the very best truck companies, located in the port of Seattle?

What are LTL and FTL Trucking Companies?

In the shipping business, whether it is long haul or just a few towns away, there are two major types of shipping. The LTL or less than a load truck and the FTL or full load truck. Both types of companies operate efficiently and profitable out of Seattle.

There are advantages and disadvantages of LTL and FTL companies, but Seattle’s LTL companies are really exceptional. Located as they are in an international port, serving the world with products coming in daily that need to be shipped around the United States.

LTL

The obvious advantages of the LTL option are cost and security if you do not need a full truck to ship your goods. If you have a few small shipments, you don’t need to pay for a full truck.

Minimize costs

Add flexibility

Reduces emissions

Increases security

Expedited shipping orders

Easier to track shipments – whether you are shipping a few blocks or to states in New England, you can track your shipment every step of the way and LTL companies offer a variety of ways to do so including information on in-service activities such as stops, pickups, drop-offs, and final delivery. Some of the ways your LTL could be tracked include:

Bill of lading number

PO number

Pick up date range

Pro number

Shipment Reference number

Additional service options

Delivery and pick up inside

Liftgates

Notification options

Non-commercial shipping

FTL

The advantages of the FTL is that your shipment goes directly to its destination. There are not a bunch of stops to drop off other loads for other customers. Your shipment will arrive at its destination sooner than it would with LTL. It will cost more but will be there sooner. However, you do not have the flexibility you have with the LTL.

Advantages of the Seattle Trucking Companies with LTL

Seattle LTL companies have different technologies and different solution to shipping problems. The advantage of Seattle is that there are so many and the diversity itself is a plus for the shipper. Seattle has excellent warehousing facilities.  Choose from the many LTL carrier in the city and find the one that is just right for your needs.

On top of this, there are several consulting companies in the Seattle area that will help you to choose the right one of the many Seattle trucking companies for your LTL needs. Logistical systems are different from company to company as are the warehousing systems and capacities.

If you need to know where your product is 24 hours a day, there is a company in Seattle that can provide that service. If you need Just-in-Time shipping and delivery, there are Seattle trucking companies that can provide that service. These consulting companies can help you to locate the right company for your needs.

Some of the best less than a load trucking companies are located in Seattle. This is because Seattle is a port, because Seattle has some of the best truck driving schools in the country and because Seattle has some of the most progressive and innovative minds in the shipping industry.

When it comes to LTL look for the smart solutions, the best innovations and the best customer service in any Seattle trucking company you choose. Seattle believes in sustainability and using your resources as effectively as possible. The many Seattle trucking companies that offer LTL services will do just that.

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Check out the reliable freight companies in Seattle providing the best shipping services. We can meet all your business’s shipping needs easily. For more details, visit Seattle Trucking Companies

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New sound transportation provides cold storage solutions to preserve your temperature sensitive item for a long time. We would like to introduce New Sound Cold Storage: a 50000 square foot freezer and 20000 square foot chill storage facility. We also provide Cold chain custody is maintained from pick up to delivery, ensuring your product arrives at the right temperature. For more info visit here http://newsoundtransportation.com/cold-storage-seattle-tacoma-fife/

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New Sound Transportation has extra capacity for new sound brokerage. They provide the 60,000 square foot warehouse facility. They are also known as the best shipping companies in Seattle that can provide the Experienced, resourceful, dependable and Integrity driven service. For more information visit us here http://newsoundtransportation.com/brokerage/.

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Seattle trucking companies

Want to ship the large and heavy items in Seattle? Use our freight transport services from one of the best Seattle trucking companies. New Sound Transportation is Your LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS PARTNER. We believe taking care of the customer, build lasting relationships and provide the highest level of service through communication and integrity.

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Seattle trucking companies

Need a reliable Full load delivery service or LTL Freight carrier in Seattle, New Sound Transportation is the accurate option! NST is an asset-based carrier which allows us to be more responsive and flexible to your changing supply chain needs. All of our trucks are GPS tracked so you will know where your shipment is 24 hours a day. Visit http://newsoundtransportation.com for more info.

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Are you in the Seattle, WA, metro area looking for a professional to ship your freight? Then save your time and money with one of the best Seattle trucking companies New Sound Transportation. With us, you will connect with the best freight shipping companies in your area. All solutions in one place. Visit http://newsoundtransportation.com for more.