Inventory Straddling the Border

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o make sure goods move across the U.S.-Canada border with as few interruptions as possible, several third-party logistics companies told Transport Topics they work with customers to adjust inventory levels throughout the supply chain to prevent border delays for time-sensitive shipments.

For example, Ed Cumbo, senior vice president of operations at Penske Logistics, said the 3PL had started keeping extra inventory for his shippers in the supply chain to avoid missing deadlines.

Cumbo said because border wait times can vary from 40 minutes to four hours, the company had been keeping more freight in transit.

“If it takes two extra hours to get across [the border], you have to have two extra hours of inventory on that truck,” he said.

For the full story, see the Sept. 22 edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

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