As with any decision to partner with another business to ensure that your product arrives in the right place at the right time you don’t want to make an error when choosing between a shortlist. When we need to avail of trucking logistics or freight services, some of the qualities that you are looking for in a trucking company are reliability and speed.
The cost of the service is important too, but as with anything you often get what you pay for. To make sure that you have chosen the right trucking company to meet your needs you need to do your due diligence and make sure that they are up to the challenge.
1. It’s all about time
You have clients that are expecting a shipment, so you have to make sure that there are no delays in the delivery. When you are speaking with a potential trucking company, you need to make sure that they have a proven track record of delivering on their promises to clients.
2. Do they make promises
If the trucking company says they can do something, do they back that up with anything? You should ask the trucking company that you are speaking with if they offer any guarantees. What happens if there is a delay in delivery and it’s the driver’s fault? Will there be any discount? If the delay is out of the driver’s hands, what happens then.
3. What happens when an order is lost
You should make sure that you have an agreed upon process for when something like this happens. This allows a solution to be provided and a quick resolution without any back and forth and wasted time.
4. How far is their reach?
Even if you are not looking into offshore deliveries yet, could this trucking company provide you with the coverage that you need should you decide to take your business international? If so, how much are they changing and how long will such deliveries take? Are there any countries that they will not travel to?
If you have a country in mind then ask about their experience in shipping to this location. Perhaps there is no need for concern and they have dozens of local drivers and well-planned shipping routes that can make your international delivery worries a thing of the past.
5. Fully understand the rates
It’s always best to ask in advance of any formal agreement if there is ever the opportunity for a deal to be made around high-volume deliveries. What are the terms and conditions that may affect the service rates of the company?
6. How well trained are the drivers
Are the drivers well trained and how much experience do they have? If you are dealing with a well-established shipping company, they will probably have a great deal of knowledgeable people on their team who are more than happy to help you meet your goals in a number of ways. You should also ask about the turnover rate of the employees. This will give you some more information on how well the company is run.
7. What do their current customers say about them
You can find out a lot about a company by speaking to their existing clients. This can be a great way to establish if they are actually capable of delivering on their promises. You can also check out what people have said about their performance by simply googling the company name. This is a very important method of performing your due diligence, so make sure that you don’t skip it.
