How to Manage Middle Mile Shipping | Episode 25

The “middle mile” — a term that varies across the logistics industry — represents the crucial link between warehouses or distribution centers to a retail store, fulfillment center, or a local distribution point, but not directly to the final consumer. Often facing significant challenges with visibility and flexibility, middle mile shipping providers utilize technology to bridge the gap.

In episode 25 of Banyan Technology’s Tire Tracks® podcast, Chris Reeves, VP of Pricing and Network for WARP, shares valuable insights on how pairing proprietary technology with an extensive network of carriers and cross-docks effectively addresses the issues faced in middle mile shipping.

Moving away from traditional logistics approaches focused on docks, forklifts, and trucks, Reeves champions the use of cargo vans, straight trucks, and, most importantly, cutting-edge technology to enhance visibility and efficiency in logistics operations.

“Our founders, with a rich background in parcel delivery, recognized a critical gap in the industry: a lack of visibility that hindered planning and efficiency,” he said. “This insight led to the birth of WARP, aiming to tackle the middle-mile conundrums by offering unparalleled visibility and simplifying the pricing models.”

Middle Mile Shipping Episode Key Points

• About WARP, the inspiration behind the name, and what it does differently.
• How the company started and its focus on transparency and leveraging technology.
• Chris explains the term “middle mile” and how WARP is filling the market gap.
• How WARP is bringing transparency to middle mile shipping.
• A big-picture perspective on the benefits of increased visibility.
• Insights into the biggest obstacle to increasing visibility in the middle mile.
• Why drivers are hesitant to adopt transparency-centric approaches.
• Feedback received about shipments that have increased visibility.
• WARP’s future outlook and what it hopes to achieve.

Featured Episode Quotes

“I think some [drivers] don’t want to be tracked [but] there are some [drivers] out there that love it because they know we are not going to call them for updates.” —Chris Reeves [0:07:03]

“There are really great drivers out there that are doing things and helping us out with the technology and giving us feedback to make the technology better.” —Chris Reeves [0:07:29]

“[WARP] very much believes in technology.” —Chris Reeves [0:09:00]

“That is how [WARP] is different. We will look at [any cargo] and will figure it out, and work a plan out for customers.” —Chris Reeves [0:15:32]

To find out more about how middle mile shipping visibility can be enhanced with the right technology solution, click above to view Tire Tracks Episode 25.

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