ABF Freight is a freight logistics company that ships LTL freight in North America since 1923.
Are freight systems frightening? I suppose they can be if you don’t know which one to choose. And your choice depends on what scale of shipment you’re after, and the niche the prospective companies specialize in. In the case of ABF Freight, one of the lesser known logistics companies, may be a good choice if you plan on solely shipping in North America. They still focus on LTL shipments (how retro, right?) and have not yet conformed to the inevitable changes in the multimodal freight and shipment industry.
The Who and What
So, who are they exactly? Logistics, duh. We know that already. ABF Freight is a subsidiary of ArcBest Co. which was founded in 1923 as a freight hauler. Since then the company has grown and splintered off, producing various branches, one of which being ABF Freight. While shipping with ABF Freight, you will have access to all of the resources and features that ArcBest has to offer.
Services
ABF Freight has dedicated their focus to providing multimodal shipping and freight services to the various regions of North America, more specifically the mainland U.S.A. and United States territories. They provide for a plethora of needs for their prospective consumers.
- Expedited Shipping- Advanced shipping techniques at an increased speed to facilitate urgent and emergency shipments.
- Final Mile– Sensitive shipments (medical shipments, product for a launch, time-sensitive) receive extra care.
- Intermodal- Usage of railway transit systems for efficient and quick shipments.
- International Shipping- Pretty straight forward. Overseas Logistics to ensure accuracy when shipping overseas and across borders.
- LTL- Less than truckload shipments.
- Moving- Domestic moves from home to home (seen this personally from 2 family members… Great option!)
- Premium Logistics- Careful calculations to accurately transport freight and shipments in a timely manner.
- Product Launch- Mark the shipment on the BOL as such, and receive extra care. And yes, you will pay for it.
- Retail Logistics- The movement of retail goods from one point of origin, splintering off to many varied and distanced destinations, ensuring that they all reach their destinations on-time, as in sync as possible.
- Time Critical- Similar to expedited shipping, but choose a time window. Earlier in the day just means you will pay more.
- Trade Show Shipping- Standardized shipments for customers who regularly need to move their goods and products for trade shows.
- Transportation Management- A system for tracking and altering shipment routes and destinations. Being able to change a shipment on the fly is crucial!
- Truckload Service- Whole scale renting of a truck for a structured amount of time, paying by the truckload and not the weight.
- Warehousing and Distribution- Storing of goods in ABF Freight Warehouse, and shipping when needed. Ideal for manufactures and entrepreneurs who work by drop shipping and/or need to provide shortened lead times.
Awards
Although not necessarily renowned, ABF Freight has still managed to make a name for themselves. In October of 2016, they were adorned with the Excellence in Security Award. And in September of 2016 they won the Top 250 Carrier Award. For those of you wondering, apparently there are more than 250 carriers out there.
Downsizing
At the top of their game, ABF Freight was raking in an annual revenue of $1.47 billion smackaroos in 2009 and held a net worth of $128 million. The company employed 10,000 working class individuals.
But with the e-commerce boom, there is a much higher demand for the individual shipment of items and packages; resulting in the lack of necessity for LTL shipments and freight logistics. Due to this change in the industry, ABF (or ArcBest rather since they’re really the head hauncho here) decided to cut back and lay off more than 200 dock & yard workers as the number of shipments has dropped. An additional 130 employees from various branches had to be cut as well, as ArcBest works to restructure their shipping and logistic methods. ArcBest has since absorbed ABF Freight, and now operates as a single entity.
Sustainability
ABF Freight (or now ArcBest) has followed suit with their contenders, and jumped on the green bandwagon to lower emissions and their carbon footprint. They must understand that in order to be relevant in this industry, they have to at least pretend to care about the environment, and alter their practices for the betterment of the earth. They have been implementing these practices by:
- Reducing their trucks maximum speed to 62 mph to ensure an improvement in fuel efficiency.
- They are a Green75 Supple Chain Partner.
- Reducing idling by whatever means possible; efficient drop-offs, providing sleeping arrangements for their drivers.
- Engine Idle Shutdown Program- When the engine is set in park and still running, the engine is on a timer. When the timer runs out, the engine automatically shuts down in the event that the driver is indisposed; or not within the vicinity of the truck. This practice is uniquely designed to work with yard & city tractor engines.
- Extended use of retreaded and recycled tires- To cut back on the number of tire casings that are discarded and dumped into landfills, as well as reduce the need for the oil that is used to manufacture the tires.
Peanut Gallery
If ABF Freight or ArcBest, whichever name they happen to be going by now wants to succeed, they’re going to have to “hip to it.” It’s an awful turn of phrase, I know. But it still holds a relevant meaning. I lightly mentioned the e-commerce boom previously, and this is not just a trend. The market is changing rapidly, and companies like ABF Freight need to adapt in order to survive. Remaining true to your stomping grounds is a noble cause and all, but if you can’t expand to a global market, then you are going to drown. We are spoiled for choice when it comes to variety and the key is to be the absolute best option. Less than truckload shipments are getting phased out. What the consumer needs is a company that can facilitate large scale shipments, but on an individualized platform. While ArcBest is “restructuring”, other companies are offering the services that they lack. If they don’t step it up, and soon, they are going to be left by the wayside.