Businesspeople frequently find themselves worrying about trucking: late pickups, late deliveries, damaged product, poor customer service and other concerns. An expert explains what to consider when outsourcing your trucking operations.
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Mainebiz and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Maine business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Mainebiz Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Fellow business owners can probably relate when I say I’ve had many long days and nights worrying about trucking companies arriving late for pickup, delivering late, delivering damaged product or having poor customer service while representing my business.
During my career running and owning a number of small- to mid-sized companies, I have overseen the logistics and transportation of more than $1 billion in products, and over this time, I’ve heard every imaginable excuse — but rarely a genuine apology.
In a few cases, the solution was to start our own trucking division, though not every business has that luxury or wants the added responsibility. For most, finding the right trucking and logistics partner comes down to a simple strategy.
1. Understand and communicate your customers’ delivery expectations. Most product buyers rarely see the supplier, but they always see the company delivering it. It’s important for suppliers to understand their buyers’ freight delivery needs and preferences before selecting a trucking partner.
This way, you can clearly communicate buyers’ expectations to trucking partners so they understand what success looks like for the customer. Your trucking company must be ready to accept responsibility for meeting those expectations.
2. Make sure your partner shares your values. Values are more than words. They clearly establish your priorities and allow those doing business with you to understand what you regard as most important. When your partner shares your same values, it makes it much easier for both parties to meet each other’s expectations. When seeking out a trucking partner, ask:
- How do they treat their team members?
- What is their adherence to strong safety protocols?
- How do they demonstrate being customer service-oriented?
- How are they involved in the communities where they live and work?
If a candidate can’t answer these questions to your satisfaction, move on.
3. Understand your partner’s reputation. You want to pick a trucking partner that has a proven reputation for top-level service and reliability when times are good, but also when times are not so good. Reputation is based on service, success and sustainability.
Do your research online, check with peers you trust, and ask owners questions to paint a full picture of their reputation. How are they capitalized? Do they have a proven track record and strong management expertise?
4. Make sure the pricing is right for your customer. When choosing a trucking partner, pricing is critical, although it shouldn’t be your sole criterion. It’s important to understand what makes up the full price, so you get what you are paying for and only pay for what will meet your end customer’s expectations. If the customer doesn’t need personalized “white glove” service then don’t pay for it.
If there are fuel surcharges or waiting fees, you need to know about those. Pricing is important to the bottom line, but it’s also wise not to chase the lowest rates. Unless you want the headaches of dropped orders, late deliveries or sudden rate hikes, don’t just go with the cheapest freight rate.
Your business needs and deserves more than a trucking vendor. You need a trucking partner. A partner will value constructive feedback just as much, if not more than, praise. A partner takes pride in relieving you of the stress that is inevitable in moving products around the country.
Darrell Pardy is director of strategic planning and business development at Brown Dog Carriers and Logistics, a Biddeford trucking company. He can be reached at dspardy@gmail.com.