Flatbed OR Dry Van Multi-Drop options with PGT Services.
All across North America we have built a network of
dedicated, skilled carriers to tackle any customers multidrop
needs. With a focus on heavy machinery, a few of the
customers we service for multi-drop loads are Kubota, John
Deere, James Hardie, and Promet.
Container distribution greatly affects the U.S. supply chain. PGT Services’ flatbed solutions alleviates this pressure felt by the lack of dry capacity in the market.
From the start of our partnership to the completion of a shipment, explore our operations process.
CHICAGO – December 1, 2022 – North American Steel Alliance (NASA) announces the addition of our newest Operational Supplier, PGT Services to the Co-op as of December 1st, 2022.
“PGT Services is excited to be joining NASA and working with NASA Members. The metals sector is a critical component of our business and a key driver of the American economy. We are excited for this opportunity,” said Barret Rea, PGT Services President.
PGT Services, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, is a nationally recognized transportation brand with over 40 years of history. Flatbed is and always will be their cornerstone of expertise, but over time PGT Services has evolved into a multi-modal transportation services provider. Their growth and expertise in the metals and building products industry have made them a reliable transportation expert to many high-profile customers across various industry verticals.
“As a flatbed specializing transportation partner with 40 years of steel hauling imbedded in our roots, we look forward to the opportunity to serve and grow with the partners of the North American Steel Alliance,” said Justin Burgh, PGT Services Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Pricing.
About North American Steel Alliance
The North American Steel Alliance is a Member-Owned, steel cooperative with the buying power of more than $9 billion. With the strength over 122 independently owned and operated Steel Service Centers and the reach of over 350 distribution and processing facilities throughout North America, we are the largest Service Center purchaser of carbon products in the industry. Learn more at steelalliance.com.
About PGT Services
PGT Services is a nationally recognized transportation brand with nearly 40 years of history and an industry expert in managing transportation solutions across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Headquartered just west of Pittsburgh, they serve the steel, pipe, building materials industries and more. PGT Services remains faithful to its fundamental values: personal customer service, relationships, employee professional development and profitability. They strive to build long-standing relationships through services that give their customers the assurance that PGT Services will handle their shipping needs with the utmost attention to detail. With solutions in all modes of transportation, their industry leading expertise in the steel, pipe, metals and retail supply chain gives customers the confidence that PGT Services will always uphold the integrity and quality of their brand.
Introducing the two faces that represent PGT Services’ Managed Transportation, these experienced professionals have a combined 27 years of working with Flatbed, Dry Van, LTL, Container, Air and Expedited freight management. Together they bring a wealth of connections and knowledge for Managed Services.
Managed Transportation Sales and Implementation Manager, Noelle Vaughan
Mark Miller has been with PGT for over two years and brings over 17 years of customer service centered transportation experience. After transitioning into third party logistics, Mark has found it easy to connect with companies in the metals, building materials, drayage and project logistics industries because he understands the frequent challenges that they are facing.
Mark’s favorite part of managed services is the ability to get out of day trading. “When I get the opportunity to get in front of a customer and have a strategic conversation that’s when I know we have the chance to form a lasting partnership. Together we will breakdown the time and money saved using managed transportation. It becomes a no-brainer- why work every day in transactional business when you can create something better, that is also a long term solution.”
When we asked Mark where his added confidence in Managed Services at PGT comes from he was quick to answer in reference to our foundation, “We are a full service transportation provider with a small company feel. We have less tape to jump through to make decisions and employees that really push the best decisions for our customers. We have always been and will always be a company based on relationships.”
Managed Transportation Sales and Implementation Manager, Noelle Vaughan
A newer face at PGT Services is Noelle Vaughan. Noelle comes to PGT Services after 10 years of working at one of the largest third party logistics companies in the nation.
“I think this position at PGT Services speaks to what I am most passionate about- which is holistically looking at the entire supply chain, not just transportation. My education is in data analytics, information security and supply chain/project management. It comes natural to me to incorporate every aspect of the puzzle. I especially love understanding procurement to production, the material management and working with different transportation modes to reach the end customer.”
Noelle spent time in both national and international freight management for companies in plastics, chemicals, packaging, building materials and manufacturing. With those companies, she has been able to watch many different production trends and pick out the best of the mix. Many of the conversations that she leads begins with visibility to spend, optimizing efficiency and mitigating risks.
Being new to PGT Services, we asked Noelle what her success story would be to make an impact here: “I plan on creating long-term meaningful relationships with organizations looking to work together to be profitable, continuously adapt to changes in the industry and consistently bring value to employees and the community.”
We would like to welcome Noelle to our team and we are so excited to have her. With the combination of education and professional experiences of Mark and Noelle and their ability to collaborate with the rest of PGT Services, we have no doubt in the exponential growth destined for our Managed Services Department.
Critical shipments deserve some VIP treatment. With careful coordination our project team will prepare all aspects that are required when shipping over dimension, heavy haul and specialized trucks. Our professionals understand the unique needs — legal dimensions, permit, escort, governmental costs and equipment requirement — when shipping specialized.
The legal requirements for oversize, overweight and super loads is crucial to having a successful shipment. We understand that, when meeting timelines, there is a personalized service of planning permits, routing and execution of over dimensional cargo. Because of this PGT Services will communicate how permits stipulate the route followed as well as specific dates and times for travel.
Committed to total satisfaction and the highest in safety standards, we continue to work together alongside other valued carriers, consistently getting your product from point A to point B. Our most valued assets come from our customers, carriers and valued partners. Our long-term partnership with our sister company, Southern Pines, has offered us guidance and support in our venture into specialized trucking.
Special Services:
Special Requirements:
Special Challenges:
Learn More About PGT Services Specialized and Heavy Haul Services
We are relationship-focused. We are safety experts. We are your trusted transportation partner.
FreightWaves — The outlook remains positive for both the housing and general construction markets. This market strength — paired with the relatively small number of flatbed carriers — means flatbed capacity is in high demand and difficult to secure. As shippers navigate this strained environment, they should consider whether their current 3PL partners are best suited for their needs.
“Flatbed shipping is specialized. There are many more variables in terms of types of trailers and the required securement equipment than other modes,” PGT Services President Barret Rea said. “A specialized flatbed broker like PGT Services will understand this and provide a much better experience for both shippers and carriers.”
By using a flatbed-specialized broker, shippers virtually eliminate the risk of their freight being matched with the wrong truck, causing unnecessary delays and damages. They also increase their chances of finding capacity quickly because, while generalized brokers may work with more carriers overall, a specialized broker will be able to offer access to a larger number of flatbed carriers.
Partnering with 3PLs that understand the nuances of flatbed — and the differences between the flatbed and dry van markets — can make all the difference when it comes to securing capacity and locking down competitive rates.
“Flatbed and dry van are similar only in that they both tend to be naturally affected by the economic freight environment as a whole. Otherwise they are driven by very different factors,” PGT Services Vice President Justin Burgh said. “Where dry van tends to be heavily driven by consumer spending, flatbed is heavily driven by infrastructure spending, the housing market, construction and the oil and gas market.”
Flatbed peak season tends to start early in the spring and last through the warm weather months, with a typical slowing during the peak dry van seasons. This is playing out now, as flatbed capacity continues to decrease and spot rates keep climbing despite recent dry van slowdowns.
Current conditions in the flatbed space reflect the sector’s typical peak season, but capacity constraints and rate hikes remain affected by the heavy impact the coronavirus pandemic had on the already-small existence of quality flatbed carriers, according to Burgh. Like other carriers across the industry, flatbed companies are also reeling from a lack of qualified drivers. This tends to be exaggerated in flatbed, as new drivers tend to prefer the simpler dry van operations and existing flatbed drivers often make the switch to dry van when the market is strong.
Navigating these conditions is difficult under the best of circumstances. It can be nearly impossible without the right 3PL partners.
Even the most proactive shippers find themselves needing to move a large quantity of freight on a time crunch occasionally. This is the nature of working in a changeable, reactionary industry. Shippers will want to make sure they are working with the best broker partner possible when the pressure is on.
“Aggregate flatbed data can be difficult to source so working with a trusted partner who understands the market and is buying large amounts of capacity is important,” Rea said. “We often see situations where shippers need to move large volumes in a short period of time. A specialized broker can spin up capacity quickly by aggregating the smaller carriers in our network.”
Shippers will likely need to rely on partners with specialized knowledge even more in the future, especially as they continue to move away from yearlong RFPs that have proven to be costly in light of recent freight market volatility.
Additionally, consolidation among flatbed carriers is expected to continue as larger companies work to expand their scale and smaller companies take advantage of the current seller’s market. This means shippers’ existing carrier relationships could be shaken up in the coming months.
Greater reliance on the spot market — coupled with changing carrier dynamics — will create a stronger need for deep industry insights. Specialized brokers are naturally more prepared to meet this need than their more generalized peers.
“PGT Services doesn’t look to be all things to all people,” Rea said. “With the tightness in supply chains and fast-moving developments in technology, the market needs specialization and real expertise.”
At PGT Services, relationships are at the center of what we do. From our carriers to our customers, we value those personal, long-lasting relationships.
At PGT, we pride ourselves on our dedication to forming long-term, lasting relationships with our customers. Providing an excellent customer experience is at the forefront of everything we do.
