As we all know, freight capacity throughout North America is tightening. A shortage of drivers, new government regulations and rising fleet costs are making it increasingly challenging for trucking companies to operate their fleets. As a result, carriers are being selective in terms of the shippers for whom they will offer their fleet capacity.
Smart carriers are ranking their customers on the basis of profitability and ease of serving. Shippers must now make their companies and their freight attractive to their carriers to secure the capacity they need. These are some things they can do.
Run a Clean Operation
Simply put, shippers need to be organized. As carriers enter their customers’ yards, they want to find an available dock door and they want the freight and paperwork to be ready for pick-up. They don’t want to have to wait as other carriers to block their way. They also don’t want their customers to call them back 30 minutes after they left the yard to pick up an extra skid or two. In other words, trucking companies want consistency, reliability and predictability. They want to work with shippers that are efficient and keep their costs down.
In addition, carriers want to work with shippers that have clean, well packaged freight. They want freight that is easy to load, can be double-stacked, not easily susceptible to damage and cubes out their trailers well. Freight packaging seems to fall into an organizational black hole in many companies. Packaging improvement is an area that is sometimes underappreciated and should receive more attention.
Work Collaboratively to Remove Obstacles
Motor carriers are seeking shippers that set reasonable expectations, communicate these expectations, and work collaboratively to remove hurdles. We are in a new era in shipper-carrier relations. Best in Class shippers get it. They know that their success and the satisfaction of their customers come from working together in a partnership rather than adversarial way. Don’t guess if your company is carrier friendly. Ask your carriers where your company stands in terms of profitability and collaboration. Make the time to meet with your carriers on an ongoing basis, listen to what they say and take action to remove inefficiencies and unnecessary costs from your freight operations.
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