By Chris Lantz

Wow! With June scaring us a little out of the gate it sure made a comeback and ended ahead of last June, which was great news and much needed after a very cold winter for most on the HHG side.

On  the USTRANSCOM call the last week of June, the services were pleased with the lift and smoothness of peak season so far. It doesn’t mean we are out of the woods yet though, because as agents we know just how important a strong July is to our companies as well.

With a potential slow down on the horizon (some thinking a 10-15% decrease in July), I’m not sure why some bookers are feeling the need to take more of a volume approach and buy their booking power by opening up SCACs that aren’t usually open until September.

I know on my side that doesn’t help me in my military only markets where diversification is limited, and the winters are cold. Know your numbers, as this is going to be a make-or-break month for a lot of us. It’s not a lie, shipments are being eaten up by those who may never have participated in the military program before. Here are my recommendations:

Know what you need. This winter doesn’t look bright again on the HHG side and July may be crucial to your business. Look at your future. Look at the remainder of 2023 and then decide who YOU are going to do work for. YOU own all the assets, YOU have a lot of office staff, YOU have loyal employees that bust their butts for you in 100-degree heat. They rely on summers months to get caught up and store enough “food” for hibernation when winter hits and they only are working 20 hours a week.

Do what’s right for YOU, not for someone who has no clue about your expenses. It isn’t your problem if their summer isn’t what they thought it would be.

I hope everyone has a strong summer and remembers to keep the quality up and help their partners meet the new BVS 2.0 goals by getting paperwork turned in in a timely manner. This may be our last, so we might as well make it our best.

On another note, voting for the DAB Management Board (DMB) Chair and Vice Chair will tentatively start in late August. The winners will be announced at the DAB Mover Group Meeting during the 61^st IAM Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ont.

More information is coming soon. In the meantime, please reach out to me or Daniel Bradley with any questions.