Freight brokers are an integral pillar of the logistics industry, ensuring safe and on-time shipping by seamlessly coordinating shippers and carriers. Acting as a liaison between both parties, they resolve logistical bottlenecks to boost profitability and efficiency.

Schulz Logistics and its team of professionals, with broad expertise in asset-based trucking, make freight brokerage effortless for companies. Building solid relationships with customers, Schulz Logistics helps them resolve problems in their supply chains and thinks outside the box to offer innovative solutions for reducing costs and improving efficiency. It offers brokerage services for frozen, fresh, and dry food products, as well as food packaging materials, industrial goods, and products that require flatbed trucking services.

Building Enduring Relations with Year-Round Business

While working in his parents’ trucking company, Schulz Transportation, owner Joe Schulz gained extensive knowledge of the asset side of the logistics business and witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by carriers. Based on this experience, he established Schulz Logistics with a carrier-friendly approach to build synergy between his brokerage firm and the trucking company. Pursuing more lanes over the years, Schulz Logistics has expanded its operations to serve clients nationwide.

“We established Schulz Logistics not with a vision of what we wanted to be, but with what we didn’t want to be,” says Schulz.

Working with its carriers week in and week out, Schulz Logistics strives to steer clear of all the negative aspects that its team has experienced in the past while working in the trucking industry. It demonstrates its commitment to carriers by ensuring the availability of freight even during slow seasons. For instance, Idaho and Washington, during the summer, and California, during the winter, have much less freight to move. This results in carriers transporting freight at low rates or returning empty from their destinations.

Keeping carriers busy during the off-season by providing a steady flow of loads and paying them above market, Schulz Logistics has built strong relationships with them.

Carriers are motivated to work with them because of the respect and empathetic treatment they receive, which makes them come back during the busy season when finding reliable carriers becomes daunting for most shippers. With these measures, Schulz Logistics ensures adequate capacity around the year for its clients.

“We go above and beyond to make it easier for carriers to work with us. When a carrier faces a challenge, we don’t just fine them and tell them to fix it. Instead, we become a part of the solution, working with them to overcome the problem and finding the best way for both of us to succeed,” says Schulz.

Schulz Logistics has moved over 37,000 loads of cargo over the years, but fined its carriers just a handful of times, which encourages them to work with Schulz Logistics without hesitation.

Schulz Logistics adopts the same hands-on approach while catering to shippers. If there’s a problem with a lane or a specific load, it works with the customer to quickly resolve the issue and suggests possible solutions to move the freight faster. In some instances, Schulz Logistics informs shippers of the inefficiencies in their processes and provides viable solutions, which promotes trust and transparency.

“Honesty, trust, and transparency are our biggest currencies. We act in the best interest of our customers at all times and believe that by working with us, they can improve their operations, even if it means growing through pain,” says Schulz.

At times, Schulz Logistics comes across situations where it’s difficult to maintain on-time service on a particular route due to routing or pick-up issues. The team clearly communicates the problems to the shippers and recommends changes that can be made to efficiently move the freight. If the delay is caused by the carrier, the team informs the shipper of the expected delay in delivery and provides them with the option to switch to another carrier. Whatever the case, Schulz Logistics strives to deliver the best value to its customers.

Driving Growth through All Adversities

Labor shortages have caused significant shipper and receiver delays in the past year. Schulz Logistics takes a two-sided approach to solve this issue, keeping in touch with carriers who are affected by the delays and constantly communicating with the shipper to know when the freight will be ready. When there is a significant problem, it works with a customer’s market logistics team to resolve it quickly. The team also recommends a change of supplier if the issue is not resolved.

At Schulz Logistics, saving customers money is the priority. Shippers sometimes have multiple loads transported via a particular route, which is more profitable for Schulz Logistics. However, it informs the client that there are many loads on the same route, and they might consider rerouting some of it to save money.

In certain instances where a shipper might need to move two small loads on two different days, the team explains how they can reduce their costs by combining the two loads on a particular date.

The team also works with shippers to select the best route and move freight as early as possible. It adopts an open consultation approach to assist customers with any help, advice, or insight at no charge.

Schulz Logistics ensures the integrity of its carriers by onboarding only Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration-registered carriers. It also requires them to complete at least three inspections at Department of Transportation weigh stations. This helps the team weed out fraudulent brokers involved in double brokerage and validate carrier equipment.

“Double brokering has become a serious issue in the industry, and it has become a bigger problem over the last year. We take stringent measures to overcome this,” says Schulz.

Performance at Schulz Logistics is measured based on repeat businesses on contract lanes. The team has achieved continued business with shippers and carriers by implementing an agreement for compensation to carriers if they face problems with a particular load. These measures ensure carriers return to do business nine out of ten times.

Unlike most companies in the market, Schulz Logistics believes in building a deep connection with customers rather than automating processes by leveraging every technology in the market. However, it uses McLeod’s transportation management and trucking software solutions to ensure seamless logistics operations.

Striking the Right Chords for Successful Business

Schulz Logistics offers the right balance for carriers and shippers by building better relationships, taking care of drivers, and finding solutions that keep both sides happy. The team makes compromises whenever needed to ensure a winning situation on both ends of the spectrum.

Schulz Logistics’ success can be largely attributed to its team of hard-working, highly competent employees who speak freely and work together toward efficient solutions. Their background in assetbased companies and experiences with brokers allows them to be more empathetic to their customers and carriers. Registering remarkable year over- year growth, the team continues to deliver a seamless experience for both shippers and carriers.