When shippers evaluate a 3PL, “how fast are you?” is one of the questions they ask. It’s also one of the hardest to answer with a single number, because speed isn’t really one thing. It’s three separate questions stacked on top of each other, and each one depends on different variables.
I’ve been in the logistics space for thirty years, and the shippers who end up frustrated with their 3PL are almost always the ones who assumed “fast” meant the same thing their old provider meant, without ever asking what it actually covers.
3PL turnaround times include three functions: receiving, processing, and delivery
Every order your 3PL handles moves through three stages: receiving your inventory, putting it away, processing the order once it’s placed, then shipping it to its final destination. Each one has its own timeline, and each one is affected by different things. If you’re trying to figure out what to expect from a 3PL, it helps to ask about these separately instead of asking one broad “how fast are you” question.
Receiving: what happens between “it arrived” and “it’s ready to ship”
When a container or truckload of your product shows up at a 3PL, there’s a process before any of it is ready to fulfill an order: unload, receipt, sort, count, label, and put away. How long that takes depends almost entirely on complexity. A container of a single SKU can move through that process quickly. A mixed shipment with multiple SKUs and irregular quantities takes longer.
For example, one of our clients is a tire manufacturer who stores raw materials with us. Those containers come in, and every pallet contains the same SKU which makes processing those shipments pretty simple. However, some of their material requires a special forklift and very precise handling guidelines, which takes more time. Every variable impacts timeline.
One thing worth knowing – your 3PL doesn’t control exactly when an inbound container or truck arrives. So, if you tell your own customers that an order will be ready to ship the same day your container lands, you’re making a promise your 3PL can’t guarantee on your behalf.
Ask your 3PL what their receiving turnaround looks like once product is actually on their dock, and build your own customer promises around that – not when the truck shows up with your container.
Processing: what’s a reasonable turnaround for an order once it’s placed
Once your inventory is in the warehouse and an order comes in, the question becomes how long it takes to pick, pack, and ship. For a straightforward order, 24 hours is a reasonable standard to expect. That’s not a same-day guarantee — it’s the baseline most 3PLs should be able to hit without charging extra.
Same-day service is available at many 3PLs, but it often comes with an upcharge. That’s worth asking about before you sign anything, not after you get your first invoice.
The timeline shifts depending on complexity: an order of individual eaches pulled from multiple boxes takes longer than an order of full cartons, and a multi-SKU pallet build takes longer than either of those.
For example – for one of our clients, we ship assorted items to a large box home improvement store. We “build” pallets of multiple SKUs, gather all the pallet dimensions, submit the order through the box store’s portal, and then wait for their confirmation with shipping instructions. Since there are stop points when we’re waiting to hear back from them, we have a several-day turnaround window.
Another client has odd-shaped pieces that require special cartons to be built prior to shipment. Those require a 48-hour turnaround to allow for the extra time needed to prep the cartons.
Those are just a couple of examples of specialty circumstances that impact processing time.
Delivery: small parcel, LTL, and full truckload all move at different speeds
Once an order leaves the warehouse, how fast it reaches its destination depends on how it’s shipped.
Small-parcel — UPS, FedEx, and similar carriers — is typically the fastest option for individual orders, especially if your 3PL’s location provides good national reach. For example, our Northeast Mississippi location, which is very close to Memphis, a regional shipping hub, the small parcels we ship can reach 80% of the U.S. within 2 days.
LTL, or less-than-truckload, moves differently. Your shipment gets picked up alongside other companies’ freight, taken to a terminal, sorted, and possibly moved through a second terminal before final delivery. That process can take several business days, even for a relatively short distance.
Full truckload — a dedicated truck carrying a single company’s freight — is often the fastest option end-to-end, but it only makes sense for large, simple loads.
None of these are better or worse than the others. They’re just different tools for different kinds of orders, and knowing which one applies to your shipment helps you set realistic expectations with your own customers.
The questions to ask your 3PL before you assume “fast” means what you think it means
If you’re evaluating a 3PL, or trying to understand why your current one operates the way it does, here’s what I’d ask:
- What’s your standard turnaround time for a simple pick-pack-ship order?
- Do you charge extra for same-day service, and what’s the cutoff time to qualify?
- How does order complexity — SKU count, eaches versus cartons versus pallets — affect your timeline?
- What’s your typical receiving turnaround once product is actually on your dock?
The answers will tell you a lot more than a generic “yes, we’re fast” ever could. Speed isn’t a marketing claim — it’s a set of specific commitments your 3PL should be able to walk you through clearly.
If you want to talk through what realistic turnaround times should look like for your business, I’m happy to walk you through it.
