Become a Shipper of Choice in Five Easy Steps
The freight market is tight. Consumer spending is relatively strong and the pandemic trend to purchase goods over services continues while a truck driver shortage adds to a lack of capacity. At the same time, freight spending is up and according to the most recent Cass report this will most likely continue into the next several months. Avery Vise, the vice president of trucking at FTR Transportation Intelligence, predicts that we won’t see “any noticeable easing of tight capacity until late this year.”
Being a Shipper of Choice helps manufacturers and distributors navigate this environment.
When capacity gets tight, shipper of choice talk increases. If you’re having trouble finding reliable trucks for reasonable rates, you might want to implement one or more of the following suggestions to boost your shipper of choice rating.
How to become a Shipper of Choice in a tight market.
In order to be a shipper of choice, you need to cultivate relationships with reliable carriers. When a carrier knows your lanes, preferences, and reliability, they are more likely to take your freight. But how do you cultivate long-term relationships that make the difference?
1. No one likes detention.
Drivers make money when they’re on the road, so they don’t want a lot of dwell time in your facility. If you consistently hold drivers up, you are going to get a bad reputation. And if you have to hold them up, don’t fight detention payments.
2. Pay quickly and accurately.
This seems like a no-brainer, and it should be, but you’d be surprised by how slowly some shippers pay. And carriers need those funds to pay upfront costs like driver wages and fuel costs. Here at AM Transport Services, we offer Quick Pay. Carriers receive quick access to their money, multiple methods of payment, and an easy-to-use mobile app.
3. Be flexible.
If you can offer a wide range of appointment times, you’ll get a better rating from carriers. At the same time if you offer overnight parking and weekend/or after hours pickup and delivery times, you’ll increase your capacity options.
4. Communicate.
If you can offer 24 or more hours advance notice, you’ll access better carriers. The more information you can offer, the better able drivers are to plan and create efficiencies. Communication helps everyone involved.
5. Work with a freight broker like AM Transport Services.
Here at AM Transport Services, we’ve been in the business for 30+ years. We have long-term relationships with the best carriers in the midwest. Carriers with long business records, high-safety ratings, superior on-time pickup and delivery percentages, and low driver turnover. We make the appointments, offer Quick Pay to carriers, and serve as a point of communication between shippers and carriers. When you work with a broker who’s got your back, you too become a shipper of choice.
You can be a shipper of choice!
The freight market is like a pendulum, and disruption is only one swing of the pendulum away. If you implement one or two of the above suggestions, you’ll be that much closer to building relationships that help you navigate any upheaval that comes your way.
If you’d like more information on how the team at AM Transport Services can help you be a shipper of choice, give us a call. We’d love to hear from you today!