Safe, reliable, and on-time.
Top trucking companies understand that their success is always a product of doing things that make their clients more successful. Handling and delivering freight to the right place in perfect condition and on-time means a job well done. Disruptions resulting from mishandling cargo, overly aggressive promises, breaches in safety, or avoidable delays affect the clients’ performance and cause headaches and additional expense.
Top trucking companies carefully track and measure each element of their operations to find ways to continually improve. High-tech devices are installed in trucks that measure on-time performance and monitor safety practices. GPS systems allow top freight companies to identify the location of every shipment at any time.
Frequent and routine scheduled service of vehicles and trailers is an integral part of keeping a fleet operational and avoiding time-consuming breakdowns that affect delivery times.
Integrity: Delivering on the Promise
In some instances, trucking companies will bid a low price to capture a specific client. After a short time, the trucking company may find that they do not have the resources or drivers to handle the client’s demands. Or, they did not consider every factor in the proposal. The result is an unfulfilled and unhappy client whose shipments are late, and the costs of the out-of-stock situation are mounting. Invariably, the client must source expensive emergency shipping elsewhere and suffer the consequences of a poor initial decision.
“Delivering on the promise” is the most important underlying principle of all top trucking companies. Reliability is keeping a promise and doing what you have said you will do. Top trucking companies will attempt to perform the impossible for their dedicated clients, yet will make sure that the client understands the realities of an emergency.
On-Time Deliveries
On-time deliveries are a direct result of keeping a promise and practicing safety in every aspect of their business.
In our age of just-in-time logistics, clients, whether in manufacturing or retail, prefer to maintain the smallest possible inventory in their facility. Not only does this reduce the expense of inventory exposure, but many customers do not have the storage to accommodate safety stock levels that erratic deliveries require. Therefore, top trucking companies must commit to on-time, reliable deliveries.
Deliveries that are late (or even too early) can be very problematic for many clients. In manufacturing, not having even the smallest component on hand can freeze an entire production line.
Safety
Keeping promises and delivering on-time is dependent upon a third essential component of top trucking companies’ performance: safety. Reliability and on-time deliveries can be disrupted when safety concerns are compromised.
Poorly maintained equipment and improper operation of vehicles and warehouse equipment can have disastrous results. The safety of personnel and other individuals is the most crucial element of the supply chain. Injuries and damage caused by negligence can permanently affect a company and its employees. Top trucking companies must continually track their safety record and hours works to minimize the potential for an accident. Companies should also monitor employee health concerns to ensure that individuals are not asked to perform when not feeling well.
Procedures and training must never be shortchanged.
Becoming the “Go-To” Trucking Company
There is no higher endorsement of a trucking company’s standing than when a client calls on a freight supplier to handle unexpected emergencies. While solving client problems is not always easy, making a committed effort to do so can pay dividends in the future.
The key, of course, is to set realistic expectations by not promising the impossible. All safety procedures must still be maintained in order to deliver on the promise of an on-time emergency delivery.
