If you've ever shipped a package across the country and quietly winced at the cost, zone skipping might be the strategy you didn't know you were missing. And no, you don't need to be an enterprise shipper to use it.

Most parcel carriers price shipments based on two things: density and distance. That distance is typically measured in zones, a numbering system that reflects how far a package travels from its origin point. The further it goes, the higher the zone number, and the more expensive the shipment. Basically, Zone 2 is practically your neighbour. Zone 8 is across the continent. Every zone in between has your shipping bill increasing.

A supply chain professional or sales person throws one of these terms at you and you nod along like you know exactly what they mean. Then you go home and google it and you’re still unsure. No judgement, half the industry uses them interchangeably and they're definitely not the same thing.

If you're an SMB shipper trying to figure out how to grow without your logistics completely unravelling, this is the breakdown you need. Let's go through each model, what it actually does, where it overlaps with the others, and, most importantly, which one fits where you are right now and how to know to switch to another.

FreightWaves has introduced a female AI-generated on-camera presenter into its content lineup. At the same time, visible female human representation on camera at FreightWaves appears limited. Those are observable facts.

And when a media outlet introduces a synthetic female presenter in an environment where real female on-camera representation is sparse, it creates a big optics issue, whether intentional or not.

Every time I turn on industry news, scroll through LinkedIn, or attend a conference, it’s the same faces (typically white males ones). The same CEOs running from appearance to appearance spouting the same talking points, occasionally calling each other out. 

Look, I get it. You’re the face of the company. But if you’re the only face, that’s a problem, not just for you, but for your business and the entire industry.