How Do Successful Companies Choose Their Transport Partners?

Transportation played a much larger role in the creation of first-world western societies than many us may realize or appreciate. We’re not speaking about the ability to ship out a product, like you just ordered something online and it shows up to your door in three days. While that’s undoubtedly a convenience, what we’re speaking about is the necessity of freight shipping across North America. It’s really what turned nations like Canada and the US into industrialized, powerhouse nations. Without the ability to ship legitimate freight, we likely would have never modernized at all. Even though we live in a digital age, freight shipping is still very crucial to the success of many industries, and to the economy itself. This is why the most successful companies out there deal only with qualified transport partners.

Though that leaves a burning question for many: How do successful companies select the best transportation companies? After all, it’s a market like most others, in that there is a ton of competition. So, how does a company go about selecting the right transport partner for a lucrative, long-term relationship that’s mutually beneficial? Here are some things that successful companies look for in their transport partners.

Things Successful Companies Look For in Transport Companies

Trust

The first thing that any company is looking for in a transport partner is trust. You need to be able to trust that this company is going to be able to handle your level of freight, deliver it on time, and deliver it all safely. This sort of enterprise must run like a well-oiled machine. Orders are placed and created, and then freight is packed up and hauled to a location. Everything here has to be done on a time crunch, and the ability to trust that a transport company is holding up their end is paramount to a successful business relationship.

Certification

There are all sorts of different independent certifications, though there’s also a national certification, the CIFFA. While transportation companies are technically not supposed to be operating without that government certification, you might be shocked to learn just how many are, and how many have let that certification lapse without renewal. So successful companies find partners whose certification is current and valid, and who also have other certifications to go along with, like the AMTA, the TIA, the ComplyWorks, and other certifications that signal to interested companies that the transporter in question is more than qualified and certified to get the job done.

Reputation

Another great thing to look at here is reputation. Just because a transport company is certified in no way means that they’ve built up a good brand. Therefore it stands to reason that you would want to look into their reputation with other companies that have tried to partner with them in the past. If there are issues with trust, time delays, services, equipment, etc, then this is knowledge that’s going to spread around the proverbial grapevine. You will be able to look into this brand within your genre and find out everything you need to know about their reputation.

Price

This is another important issue with which a company must contend when seeking out a good transport partner. The idea here in a fruitful business relationship should be that both parties are able to profit. If the business in question is charging too much and it cuts into your bottom line, then it’s a relationship that’s not going to work. The company in question needs to offer you affordable services, so that it’s worth actually forming the partnership. To that end, make sure you look closely at the pricing options to ensure that prices don’t skyrocket on you after forming a partnership.

Services

What kind of services does the transport company offer up? Of course, if you’re in the business of freight, then you obviously need someone to haul freight. Though look closely to see how much can be hauled, and what sort of materials will be transported. Look for other services too, such as freight management and logistics. Remember, the idea here is that you’re forming a partnership, not just hiring a transportation service, so a good partner is going to have a lot of services that help you manage your freight and also other logistics of the shipping.

In such a competitive industry, you cannot settle for anything less than the best possible partnership you can find with a transportation company.