How to choose a transport company is an important question for small businesses, large suppliers, and individuals. The safety of the cargo, prompt execution times, and the absence of large fines under supply contracts depend on the quality and level of services. You can’t always trust advertising and positive reviews on resources. It will take a long time to analyze and compare the work of carriers to understand the intricacies of logistics schemes.
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Possible problems when collaborating with a cargo carrier
When choosing a cargo carrier such as https://www.divinetrans.com/page/global, you cannot rely on unverified information. Low prices are not a decisive indicator when signing a partnership agreement. Perhaps the company has just entered the market is trying to win a client, but there is no experience, no vehicle fleet, or the ability to organize a complex delivery scheme.
Possible risks:
- The new company does not have the ability to use machines with the required carrying capacity.
- The choice of a transport company must be made taking into account the available transportation budget – correctly develop a logistics scheme that will reduce the supplier’s costs. New market participants cannot yet provide such guarantees.
- Lack of a license for transporting different types of cargo – fragile, oversized, specific, technical equipment, pharmaceutical goods.
- Failure to provide warehouse processing and storage on its premises.
- Comparing transport companies, it is easy to understand that it is new companies that miss deadlines.
- The client risks losing a large shipment due to the contractor’s lack of experience.
These are not all problems. It is worth choosing a cargo carrier, taking into account the following factors:
- Lack of professionalism of structure managers – incorrectly accepted orders, incorrectly recorded data, errors. The result is that the car can leave for its destination with a delay of several hours to a day, the transport will turn out to be small-tonnage, with inappropriate dimensions.
- Prices increase at the time the service is provided – this is excluded with a logistician, so costs can be calculated in advance, the tariff is fixed in the contract.
- Faulty, poor condition of the vehicle fleet – the fact will become known to the client late.
- Delaying deadlines – the contract specifies a performance date, but it does not correspond to reality.
Make sure that the carrier guarantees the safety of the cargo. If the forwarder refuses the obligation, there is a high risk of fraudulent schemes and irresponsible attitude towards order execution. Be sure to clarify how the tariff is formed, what is included in the price, and ask for reasons.
Main rules when choosing a transport company
The service of road transport of goods must be legally formalized. The terms of the contract should not infringe on the rights of the customer enterprise or private individual. The document reflects guarantees and compensation for losses incurred. When choosing a carrier you need to consider:
- Offering secure storage services and the availability of warehouses of various types is an important indicator that will reduce costs. There is no need to rent space or pay extra for the temporary placement of cargo.
- Geography of work – the more experienced and large the logistician, the more directions for transporting goods he offers. This can be either the delivery of groupage cargo across the world or the transportation of consignments to Europe and the USA.
- The presence of a large fleet of vehicles – not only vehicles of different tonnage, but also containers and rolling stock.
- Technical resources – a large carrier is able to track cargo, adjust the logistics scheme, and quickly solve non-standard problems along the way. Takes full charge of organizational issues.
- Checking reviews – market-leading organizations can provide not a message on the resource, but letters of gratitude from partners.
- Additional options – packaging, labeling, classification of goods for export abroad, customs clearance. The services save the customer’s budget; there is no need to involve intermediaries for unloading/loading or preparing accounting documentation.
- When choosing a transport company, the client has the right to request information about the serviceability of the vehicles that transport his cargo. Refused – a reason to break the contract.
- Communication with the manager before signing the contract – the professionalism of the employee indicates a deep knowledge of the delivery process and confirms that the organization attracts experienced workers. Ask questions and evaluate the completeness of the answers.
- Prices – compare competitors’ offers, clarify what the cost consists of, and whether it is possible to reduce it.
- Promotions and bonuses are important if long-term cooperation is planned.
If a client contacts a large logistics center, you can always ask about any details of the delivery – the route, possible overloads of the shipment, the location of the goods at the moment.
Logisticians, not forwarders
When choosing a transport company, make sure that it is a logistics carrier. He gives more guarantees to the partner and deals with organizational issues. Acts as a executor of the order, using its own resources, and takes responsibility for safety.
Freight forwarders often act as intermediaries, engaging small carrier companies to transport goods. The client loses the ability to control the delivery process. After all, a link appears in the supply chain that cannot guarantee high service.
Tender is a way to reduce costs
The supplier, when choosing a transport company, can announce a competition. Competition will save your budget and give you time to study the terms of the contract. Review additional guarantees. What can be provided:
- Volume of planned transportation.
- Announce a tender for a one-time or complex delivery – indicate all the inputs, and the carriers will offer terms of execution.
- Maximum tariff.
- Experience – check whether the carrier has worked with a specific type of goods, find out the driver’s qualifications.
Assess the logistician’s readiness to quickly solve problems and adapt to the client, taking into account the specifics of transportation and timing.
Logistician-generalist
It doesn’t matter whether you are ordering a small batch or transporting valuable cargo, you need to make sure that in the event of force majeure there will be no downtime in transit. This is possible if the company has a powerful fleet of vehicles and is ready to replace the one that was released and under construction.
Another option is to quickly adjust the logistics scheme. With the agreement of the supplier, the consignment can be reloaded, for example, onto a railway train. It is necessary to clarify what types of delivery the company provides:
- express;
- air;
- auto;
- container;
- prefabricated;
- movement of general shipments.
A variety of delivery types minimizes risks for the customer. You can always choose the type of service without turning to intermediaries.
Efficiency mark
It is difficult to understand that a carrier company is right for you without ordering transportation. But before signing the contract, you can conduct an independent performance audit:
- Are there individual conditions for a business or an individual? This will allow us to evaluate the approach to order execution. Their presence indicates that the logistician offers cost reduction systems in a particular case, which is beneficial to the client.
- The degree of participation of the supplier in the transportation process – an experienced contractor will take over the organization.
- The number of delays along the way, the reasons for downtime – evaluate how justified the missed deadlines are, how they are compensated.
- Availability of comprehensive information support at every stage.
- Willingness to take responsibility – they themselves offer to insure the cargo.
- The ability to move different groups of goods – single objects, bulk, valuable, from online stores.
- Can they offer transport that provides a special temperature regime?
