Shippers often ask us, “what’s the best way to reduce my bulk freight rates?” Our answer is best summed up in one word: flexibility. In this article, we’ll look at how flexibility helps your bulk transportation providers and tell you ways to make your operations more flexible.
The following tips can help you be seen as a ‘flexible shipper’ (and thus a ‘shipper of choice’) in the eyes of your bulk freight partners.
Give lead time. Plan ahead to the extent possible and give your carrier as much lead time as possible for loading and/or unloading. The more lead time you can give, the more your transportation providers can optimize their routes and loads. This allows them to plan more efficient delivery schedules or take advantage of less busy traffic times, which can reduce fuel costs and improve overall efficiency. This is especially true in and around New Jersey, Chicago, Texas and other major hubs. Such forward planning will also plant you firmly in the “easy to work with” category, which will go a long way in strengthening your relationship with your carrier.
Open on nights and weekends, when necessary. We get it, no one wants to open up a facility and bring in staff during hours the facility is normally closed. However, accommodating your 3PL partners’ needs to this extent can pay serious dividends when it comes to pricing. Remember, carriers are operating around the clock. If you can make your facilities available at the times that are most convenient for them, you stand to reap the benefits.
Inspect trailers quickly. Once you pin a carrier down for a loading or unloading time slot, do your best to make the experience a breeze for the driver(s). This includes inspecting the tank or trailer quickly prior to loading so that the driver isn’t waiting around for long periods of time and wasting his or her valuable hours of service (HOS).
Know and communicate your facility details and potential issues. How many trailers can your facility load or unload in a day? Are there appointments or is it first-come, first-served? If the latter, are trucks backed up as soon as the facility opens? These are the types of things your carrier needs to know so that it can better plan its visit and schedule its day. The more information you communicate at the outset, the more prepared (and appreciative) the carrier will be.
Make sure your tanks or silos have room. This should go without saying, but our experience is that it needs to be said. Perhaps the quickest way to make an unfavorable impression with a transportation provider is to have its driver arrive at the unloading site before you realize that the tank, silo or railcar he or she needs to unload into is already full. When this happens, the driver is typically stuck at the facility for several days, tying up valuable equipment and driver HOS in the process. This is going to be extremely costly for your transportation provider – and is a surefire way to rack up a big detention charge. It may also lead the carrier to turn down all future loads.
If you’re unsure how to be flexible enough in the eyes of a carrier to make a difference in your bulk freight rates, one call to Bulk Connection can clear things up for you quickly. We’re a North American bulk transportation 3PL with one of the largest carrier networks in existence. We can help identify opportunities for flexibility that will truly matter to these carriers. We can also help you source the freight you need in your chosen lane(s), and guide you through every step of the process before, during, and after your load is delivered to the final destination.
Contact us today to learn how Bulk Connection can boost the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your liquid and dry bulk freight operations.