Sulco Warehousing and Lancer Transportation

The freight market shifted in May, and it matters for New England shippers.

A few numbers worth knowing:

🔴 Van spot rates: $3.26/mi all-in — up from $2.79 in April
🔴 Flatbed spot rates: up 28% month-to-date in May, on top of +21% in April
🔴 Van load-to-truck ratio: 7.49 vs. 4.48 a year ago
🔴 Morgan Stanley's freight index: all-time high for this calendar period in 30 years of data

What drove the spike: CVSA Roadcheck Week (May 12–14) pulled capacity off the road, creating a backlog that's still clearing, right as summer produce season kicked off.

The outlook: no meaningful rate relief expected before July 4th. This is a structural problem, an aging fleet, a formally declared driver shortage, and freight volumes that aren't slowing down.

If your freight plan was built on last year's rates, it's worth a second look before Q3 repricing cycles hit.

Your product arrives at our dock at 8am. By 10am, it's already loaded for final delivery...

That's cross docking in action.

No warehouse storage. No extra handling. No delays.

Just seamless transfer from inbound to outbound trucks.

Result? 2-3 days faster delivery and 30% lower handling costs.

Perfect for high-velocity products that don't need storage.

Is your logistics operation holding back your growth?

Here are the key indicators it's time to switch to 3PL:
→ Your warehouse is at 85%+ capacity
→ Shipping costs consume 10%+ of revenue
→ Order fulfillment takes 3+ days
→ You're hiring logistics staff faster than sales staff
→ Peak seasons cause operational chaos
→ Technology upgrades keep getting delayed

These are growth problems, not logistics problems. The solution isn't bigger warehouses or more staff. It's partnering with experts who scale with you.

3PL or 4PL? Here's how to know which your business actually needs:

3PL = You need warehousing, shipping, fulfillment
4PL = You need someone to manage multiple 3PLs

Most manufacturers need 3PL first. 4PL makes sense when you're multi-regional with complex networks.