SPS Commerce, C.H. Robinson Collaborate to Boost LTL Capacity for Retailers

Retailers may get a bit of a reprieve from the tight trucking capacity this holiday season thanks to a new partnership between SPS Commerce and C.H. Robinson. At a minimum, the collaboration could open up additional capacity on LTL networks for retailers desperate to move goods to fulfill omnichannel sales.

"For this holiday season and into 2022, transportation marketplaces are going to be constrained, which is why we are leveraging our information advantage and investing in technology that can help businesses be as automated and efficient as possible," said Chris O'Brien, chief commercial officer at C.H. Robinson. "We are joining forces with SPS and by connecting C.H. Robinson's LTL network to SPS Commerce's thousands of retail suppliers, we'll alleviate some of the stress when it comes to being able to secure LTL transportation at market-competitive prices."

SPS Commerce SPSC provides a retail network for global companies, optimizing supply chain operations through data-driven insights.

The new Carrier Service LTL network connects SPS Commerce Fulfillment's Carrier Service LTL service directly into C.H. Robinson's Navisphere technology platform. The result is access to LTL capacity, rate visibility, and the opportunity to schedule pickups and book shipments on carriers within C.H. Robinson's CHRW network, which includes over 73,000 contract carriers.

LTL freight has increased 9.1% in 2021 over 2020 levels, thanks in large part to growth in e-commerce. A shortage of truck drivers is constraining capacity and driving up rates. The Carrier Service LTL solution improves transparency on rates and automatically generates bill-of-lading documents and shipping labels, as well as populating tracking details into the shipping notice, C.H. Robinson said.

"This level of automation streamlines what is an otherwise resource-intensive process which requires suppliers to review and select rates across many carrier portals, book shipments, and print labels and documentation. Our partnership with C.H. Robinson makes that process easier, faster, and more efficient while at the same time unlocking seamless access to C.H. Robinson's vast carrier network without ever leaving SPS Commerce Fulfillment," explained Jim Frome, chief operating officer at SPS Commerce. "This new collaboration benefits suppliers during a challenging time and is the type of innovation that adds significant value to our customers."

The service is available now through SPS Commerce.

Click for more articles by Brian Straight.

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