Analyzing the Results of a Freight Bid – Part 2 – The Carrier Meeting

4 months ago

After analyzing the completed carrier questionnaires, and the bid rates, it is time to eliminate those carriers that don’t meet expectations in terms of service, coverage, rates, and other key variables. It is also the time to identify a short list of potential bid award winners to discuss their proposals in more detail. This blog […]

Analyzing the Results of a Freight Bid – Part 1

4 months ago

There comes a time during each freight bid when the full package (the shipping characteristics documents, fuel surcharge formulas, accessorial charge template, pricing instructions, carrier questionnaire, key milestone dates and data entry tools) is sent to a designated list of asset-based carriers and non-asset-based transportation providers. At this stage, it is valuable to arrange a […]

A Carrier Questionnaire is a Key Component of a Quality Freight Bid

4 months ago

A freight bid is not just a tool to negotiate competitive shipping rates; it is an opportunity to identify and assemble a group of supply chain partners, valued business partners, to strengthen a shipper’s business. These business partners interact with a shipper’s customers every day. Carriers with reliable service facilitate customer retention and revenue growth. […]

How to Select the Right Carriers for a Freight Bid

5 months ago

Selecting the right mix of carriers is a critical step in the execution of every freight bid. Creating a critical mass of carriers, in terms of quantity and quality, has several benefits. First, it ensures that the shipper is engaging with companies that can become strong business partners at the end of the process; these […]

Conducting a Freight Bid – Should We Do It Ourselves or Seek Outside Help?

5 months ago

As outlined in previous blogs, most companies conduct a freight bid to achieve certain objectives. These may include saving money on shipping costs, upgrading the quality of their carriers, and/or improving service. Success can be measured in terms of a reduction in freight expenses, higher on-time service, greater customer satisfaction, or other metrics. To achieve […]

New Pricing Processes Could Revolutionize the LTL Freight Industry

9 years ago

It was just a few years ago that the airline industry appeared to be teetering on the abyss. During this tumultuous period, many airlines merged or went out of business. Passengers had the upper hand and played one carrier off against another to their best advantage. One of the tools that helped salvage the industry […]

For Truckers, 2015 should be the Year of Yield Management

10 years ago

As we approach the end of February, most truckers would acknowledge that this is a good year for the North American motor carrier industry. Business volumes remain strong, in fact stronger than they have been during the first few months of prior years. Supply and demand remain in pretty good balance. Capacity is tight as […]

Shippers – “You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate”

10 years ago

This year, major freight carriers have been seeking general rate (GRI) increases, higher fuel surcharges (at a time when energy prices are at their lowest levels in years), accessorial charge rate hikes and the implementation of dimensional LTL pricing. In other words, shippers, particularly in the small parcel and LTL sectors are facing a barrage […]

A Shipper’s Guide to Preparing for Dimensional LTL Pricing

10 years ago

Freight costs have historically been calculated on the basis of gross weight in kilograms or pounds. By charging only by weight, lightweight, low density packages become unprofitable for freight carriers due to the amount of space they take up in a trailer or container in proportion to their actual weight. Dimensional weight is also known […]

FreightSnap – an exciting new visual tool to verify the density of LTL freight

11 years ago

A picture is worth a thousand words. This certainly applies to LTL freight. Shippers can be penalized financially if their LTL freight is priced incorrectly using the wrong class or density. LTL carrier margins suffer when their trailers contain freight that has been priced incorrectly due to inaccurate dimensions and weight. A new start-up venture […]