Important Items Shipped During COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit the United States in March of 2020, there was a plethora of important items shipped. You’ve probably been to the store for groceries recently and noticed that things are flying off the shelves. While suppliers and shippers are working hard to keep shelves stocked, COVID-19 has certainly tested the strength and abilities of the American supply chain. And with this changing economic environment has come shifts in prioritizing certain types of items. Learn more about what the most important shipped items are and how shippers and carriers get these items to where they need to be here.

 

 

Everybody wants to stay healthy now more than ever, so the demand of over-the-counter medicines, supplements, vitamins, and more has greatly increased. The need for prescription drugs can also put many on edge out of fear they won’t be able to get their medicine due to restrictions. Luckily, nothing like that has gotten in the way of people getting their prescriptions, but nonetheless, the pharmaceutical supply chain needs to flow as smoothly as possible to meet increased demand.

Finding the right carrier and shipping solutions for these medical necessities is vital to successfully move good medicines. About 7 of 10 leading pharmaceutical products require temperature-controlled transportation. If you run a pharmaceutical supply chain, you need to know which carriers offer this transportation service and are licensed to move your products. It’s also important to develop relationships with them for effective, healthy shipping. Or even better, partnering with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) like FreightCenter can help you find these carriers easier and secure even better rates.

Non-perishables and canned goods are always go-to items during any sort of unexpected situation. They last a long time and can be stored easily. And there’s usually plenty in supply and a variety to choose from at the stores. When demand for these spikes, the food supply chain kicks into overdrive.

Food distributors need to have reliable partners in their global food supply chain network to get these items moving. Their partners must have attained milestones in safety, efficiency, productivity and innovation through the global food supply chain.

FreightCenter has recently been named to the 2020 Food Logistics’ Champions: Rock Stars of the Supply Chain recognition, making us the ideal shipping partner for anything food and beverage.

Sanitizing wipes and sprays are also in hot demand. People are going to great lengths to keep their homes as clean and healthy of a living space as possible. The CDC recommends cleaning everything we touch with disinfectants, such as Clorox and Lysol. This includes  doorknobs, keyboards, and cell phones.

It’s also important to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water. An easy way to reach that 20 seconds is to sing the ABC song or the birthday song in your head. If soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 70% alcohol and rub your hands together vigorously until dry.

The year 2020 will most likely infamously go down as the year of the “Great Toilet Paper Shortage” given the state of the paper products aisles in grocery and convenience stores everywhere. The run on paper products is so severe that even Amazon has run out of toilet paper to ship. But, there is a supply chain for everything, and the toilet paper supply chain has been tested more than most in these challenging times.

Luckily, the state of the toilet paper supply chain is actually very strong. 83 million rolls of toilet paper are made per day. That’s good news. Although their homes on the shelves in stores are almost always empty, new deliveries to the big retailers like Target and Walmart are made almost every day, only to be sold out well within the first hour of opening.

For toilet paper and paper towels, the perceived demand boost has ultimately not broken the supply chain.

Hand sanitizer led the pack by a wide margin in important items shipped during COVID-19. Much like toilet paper and paper towels, hand sanitizer has become a sort of new form of currency nowadays. With the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommending the use of hand sanitizer, in times like these, people are gladly heeding that advice. Most hand sanitizers contain alcohol and are flammable, designating them as a hazardous shipment when they need to get moving. That means shippers need to have a good partner that can handle this type of shipment and help get those needed items out.

Again, partnering with the right 3PL can help you navigate through any confusing restrictions when it comes to items to ship.

FreightCenter is designated as a critical infrastructure company, enabling logistics operations to keep America’s freight moving. Even in the most challenging of times, we are dedicated to servicing, supporting, and helping businesses everywhere with the best practices for navigating shipping during the pandemic. FreightCenter shipped a variety of vital items during COVID-19. No matter what items you need shipped, FreightCenter provides the safe and reliable service you need. Talk to one of our experts at 800.7167.608 or get your online quote today.