Quick insights on global forces impacting cost, supply, and operations
In today’s environment, rapid shifts in global markets, geopolitics, and supply chains are shaping our industry in real time.
The Global Market Drivers series is designed to make sense of these changes. Each update offers a brief, easy-to-understand look at external forces—such as raw material costs, transportation volatility, supplier dynamics, and global events—that influence our business every day.
By breaking down these complex topics, the series builds shared awareness across Mauser Packaging Solutions and supports more informed conversations and decisions.
Private Fleet vs. Commercial Carrier: What's the Difference?
At Mauser, we utilize both private fleet resources and commercial carriers to support our customers and strengthen our supply chain.
A private fleet consists of Mauser-owned trucked and dedicated drivers that move products within our network. Because these deliveries are typically planned, private fleets provide greater control over scheduling, service, and route optimization. They also create opportunities for roundtrip loads, helping reduce empty miles, improve asset utilization, and lower transportation costs. By operating our own fleet assets, Mauser has greater visibility and control over transportation performance while ensuring consistent service across the network.
A commercial carrier is a third-party transportation provider that moves freight for multiple customers. Commercial carriers give us additional flexibility and capacity, helping us respond to changing customer demand, unexpected needs, and volume fluctuations across our network. They also offer access to a broader transportation network and variable rate structures, allowing us to scale capacity up or down as needed and align transportation costs with changing market conditions and shipment volumes.
Both play an important role in supporting OTIF (On Time, In Full) performance. By maximizing the efficiency of private fleet operations while strategically leveraging commercial carriers, we can control costs, improve service, and deliver for our customers.
Why it matters: Smart transportation decisions help reduce costs, improve profitability, and keep Mauser competitive in an increasingly complex global marketplace.