Becoming a Best in Class Shipper – 5. Process

Becoming a Best in Class Shipper – 5. Process

9 years ago

One can view a supply chain as a series of processes. From inbound freight management, the process of picking up raw materials, to last mile delivery, freight management is a group of practices and procedures that, when performed well, are seamlessly integrated to ensure a company’s goods, arrive on time, at the right place, damage […]

Becoming a Best in Class Shipper – 4. Freight Spend Management

9 years ago

In many firms, freight costs can be in the millions or tens of millions of dollars. This large expense can represent a significant percent of a company’s revenue. As a large expense item, it needs to be managed very skillfully. The first blog in this series (http://www.dantranscon.com/index.php/blog/entry/becoming-a-best-in-class-shipper-1-freight-data-management) looked at the need for detailed, accurate, freight […]

Becoming a Best in Class Shipper – 3. Leadership

9 years ago

It takes leadership and management skill to become a Best in Class shipper. One question many companies face is where should Transportation fit within the company’s organization structure? Clearly one size does not fit all since manufacturers may have freight budgets ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to tens of millions of dollars. The […]

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Becoming a Best in Class Shipper – 2. Knowledge

9 years ago

Best in Class shippers possess an understanding of the following subjects.  Modal options and trade-offs (e.g. Air, Road, Rail, Marine)  Carrier selection and management in each mode of transport  Routing guide preparation and compliance tracking  Best practices in border crossing and border security (e.g. C-TPAT, AMPS)  Freight rates and freight […]

Becoming a Best in Class Shipper – 1. Freight Data Management

9 years ago

Best in Class shippers have high quality, granular, historical freight data. They capture clean, accurate, complete data on all of their inbound, outbound and inter-branch transfers, across all modes. The most fundamental building blocks are the individual boxes, parcels, envelopes, cartons, drums or pallets. Capturing this data correctly and completely allows a shipper to address […]

Is your company a Best in Class Shipper? – Find out with a Transportation Audit

9 years ago

Many manufacturers and retailers throughout North America spend millions of dollars a year on freight transportation. Freight costs can represent between 1 and 10 percent of a company’s operating revenue, one of the largest cost items. They are often treated as a necessary evil. From time to time a shipper may try out […]

Final Reflections on Freight Bids

9 years ago

Freight bid projects have become one of the most commonly used methods of sourcing freight transportation services over the past two decades. They have become popular with shippers for obvious reasons. When done well, they produce good results. Manufacturers and distributors can strengthen their supply chains by selecting a dedicated group of professional transportation companies […]

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Freight Bid Tip # 11. Conduct Ongoing Performance Review Meetings with your Carriers

9 years ago

Monitoring carrier performance is an ongoing process. Some trucking companies will track performance for new shippers with a heightened level of intensity for a designated period of time and then revert back to old habits or standard service levels when the shipper’s focus is no longer there. Every shipper should understand that there is no […]

Freight Bid Tip # 10. Implement Robust Compliance Tracking Processes

9 years ago

Some shippers operate under the misconception that once the bid awards have been made, the RFP process has been completed. This is not the case. There is another critical step that can “make or break” the bid process. It is absolutely essential, particularly in multi-plant companies, to have a process in place, immediately upon implementation, […]

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Freight Bid Tip # 9. Sign Contracts with your Large Core Carriers

9 years ago

If your company provides hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in revenue to certain carriers, they are a critical part of your success, or failure and vice versa. While a rate quote may be a suitable form of agreement between shipper and carrier, for low volume service providers, it is not adequate for larger […]