For shippers, navigating today’s trucking market has never been more challenging. Demand for goods is soaring. Truck capacity is ultra-tight and will continue that way due to an acute shortage of commercial truck drivers. Spot-market rates have spiked, and are now being followed by double-digit increases in contract rates. In addition, properly vetting the available carriers--a process known as on-boarding--can be complex and time-consuming.
In these unprecedented times, an experienced freight broker is worth its weight in gold. A good broker works to develop relationships, not just push transactions. This relationship is based on understanding the long-term and evolving needs of shippers and their customers. Most importantly, brokers and shippers must have access to the best information technology tools that identify qualified carriers, identify capacity where and when the shipper needs it, and to book loads at the fairest possible rates, all the while providing shippers with real-time, clear status alerts that provide actionable information without wasting their time.
Yet even here there are challenges. Sifting through the growing number of vendors claiming they have the best load-booking technology can be confusing and, again, an enormous time drain on resources.
Load Connex suggests that shippers keep it simple and stick to the basics. Successful outcomes don’t require bells and whistles. We help you and your broker manage your carrier outreach programs. Our technology allows us to vet qualified, properly certificated and insured carriers even if we haven’t completed the on-boarding process. We know in advance if a truck is positioned in lanes that loads need to be covered on. We don’t spam carriers with useless e-mails; that just alienates fleets and drivers, a scenario that is not advisable in a seller’s market for capacity.
Put simply, if you or your broker posts a load, we will find a truck. And we will do it consistently. Every time. We augment what the broker does best, which is to locate capacity and negotiate fair rates. Once the capacity and the rates are confirmed, we send the carrier an email or a text message for the fleet or driver to accept the freight. Our system confirms the exchange, and the load is tendered.
There is much more to the process on our end. But for the shipper, it should be simple and transparent: Build a load, find a safe and qualified carrier, match the load with the lane and driver, agree on the price and tender the shipment. Anything more than that, from the shipper’s lens, is overkill.
When moving your freight, just keep it simple
For shippers, navigating today’s trucking market has never been more challenging. Demand for goods is soaring. Truck capacity is ultra-tight and will continue that way due to an acute shortage of commercial truck drivers. Spot-market rates have spiked, and are now being followed by double-digit increases in contract rates. In addition, properly vetting the available carriers--a process known as on-boarding--can be complex and time-consuming.
When building a freight strategy, put information technology first
It has long been said that the information about a shipment is just as important as the shipment itself. Technology plays a central role in everything. From planning the load, to booking the driver and truck, to monitoring the shipment’s status all the way to the end customer, to spotting and correcting unexpected problems (known in the trade as exceptions), and to tracing the source of persistent service issues, it is impossible to succeed in the 21st century freight business without robust information technology tools.
Boom or bust: why dynamic RFPs are better for shippers and carriers
As the last year has shown, the time gap between cycles of boom and bust in the freight market has narrowed. This reality has led shippers to find new strategies to stay current with market conditions to more effectively buy transportation services at the best possible rates. During 2020 and 2021, shippers had to pivot from traditional request for proposal (RFP) processes. Many have found success with a dynamic RFP that enables them to work more closely with a limited number of preferred carriers to obtain lower rates on a consistent basis.