Roses are Red, C.L. Services is Blue

Roses are a Valentine’s Day staple, but not everyone knows what those beautiful flowers endure before meeting their enamored recipient. The roses that wind up on office desks and coffee tables across the U.S. likely didn’t come from a local flower shop down the road. These beautiful buds most likely have traveled thousands of miles, through various regions, borders, and temperature zones to reach their destination.

If you’re wondering where most Valentine’s Day flowers come from, look toward warmer climate countries, such as Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador. Every year it is estimated that Colombia exports about 80% of America’s imported flowers, coming in at about 1.1 billion roses each Valentine’s Day!

The shipper’s responsibilities regarding these flowers are enormous, including everything from precise timing, securing capacity, finding reliable transport, and being able to know where their precious cargo is at any given time. It takes a well-seasoned logistics expert to execute these steps seamlessly.

Finding Capacity

One of the most immediate challenges when shipping freight such as flowers is finding capacity, or available trucks with the right equipment, in such a short window of time. Many of these loads being shipped are less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments, which require more specialized handling and planning due to multiple stops, trailer doors opening and closing, and creating possible temperature variations.

Using Experienced Transportation

When you receive your flowers, what is the first thing you usually do? Feed them water! What many people don’t know is that fresh cut flowers don’t actually need to be in water all day, which certainly makes shipping a little easier. When it comes to shipping flowers, they actually need to be handled much like produce, in a temperature-controlled environment, or refrigerated van. Some growers even require the humidity to be kept at a certain level throughout the shipment’s route to keep the product as fresh as possible. Any deviation along the way could mean a truckload of spoiled flowers, and that can be an expensive mistake.

Tracking

Many shippers are delivering to a variety of distribution centers and chain stores, making tracking a vital part of the logistics equation. Many shippers can have a variety of trucks moving across the country at any given moment, so knowing where they are at all times is absolutely vital. Any delay or setback can be a huge problem when shipping a commodity such as flowers.

If you plan on shipping flowers for Valentine’s Day this year or ship produce regularly, be sure to select a top-tier transportation organization that understands the ins-and-outs of shipping these delicate items. Selecting an established, award-winning 3PL like C.L. Services, gives you the benefit of 24-hour coverage, real-time tracking, and the vast experience that comes from working with all the major retailers and wholesalers across the country. Submit the form below to learn more!

Written by:
Tim Griffin
Director of Marketing & Media, C.L. Services

Roses are Red, C.L. Services is Blue