By now Dimension Weight (DIM WEIGHT) is top-of-mind for many companies that ship small parcel orders. While not a new concept, the modified pricing model completed its full integration into the shipping industry sometime in 2015. Though the mathematical standards vary somewhat between carrier and country, the impact of shifting cost calculations from gross weight to DIM weight is having an impact on even the smallest volume shipper.
It’s easy to take a “glass half empty” approach when attempting to absorb and implement the new volumetric standards. However, it is hard to argue that a vessel (truck, container, train or plane) can only hold so much material in both weight and space. And then there is the current challenge to US motor freight capacity. A booming economy and driver shortage, combined with an increase in online purchases, have motor freight companies struggling to keep up. All of this means additional cost to your OPEX line.
So while we work to understand and address the challenge, I would suggest that there is another, more “glass half full” way of thinking about this. As we now know, every time that we use a container that is too large, we wind up consuming excess cargo space. This in turn places an unnecessary burden on our roads and precious resources including fuel and paper products, as more trucks are required to make the trip using larger than necessary packaging. It also has the potential to send unused cartons and void fill (packing) into landfills. By consolidating our shipments into smaller, more appropriately sized boxes and envelopes, together we can maximize cube space and together, share the load. And not only will we reduce our shipping costs, we’ll consume and waste far less.
Here at Motion Industries we have re-imagined how our small parcel shipping zones work at all of our distribution centers. Technology that only a few years ago seemed so efficient has been replaced with small, scalable manifest stations. This in turns allows a label to be produced and applied on the right-sized carton for each order, every time.
We know that conquering the DIM weight challenge will reduce the cost for our shipments and provide greater value to our customers. We also understand that it will have a positive impact on the communities where we work, and the environment that we share. It’s the right thing to do.
Joe Limbaugh, MotionMotion
Joe Limbaugh has worked for Motion Industries for 35 years, and is currently VP Operations/Distribution/Properties. Visit MotionIndustries.com and also see our video gallery (https://bit.ly/2Oqjrj8).
