How to Pick the Right Refrigerated Trucking Services Company
How to Pick the Right Refrigerated Trucking Services Company
Today hiring a trucking company is not easy. With so many trucking providers and truckers providing shipping services it could be a daunting task to find the right refrigerated trucking services company to assist you with your time-sensitive shipment.
Listed below are a number of ways you are able to narrow down your list of trucking service providers:
Start using a Load Board
If you prefer the trucking community to bid on your own refrigerated trucking needs drop your shipment on lots board and have the trucking community bid on your own project. It could be quick and effective and help you find the right company that can satisfy your shipping needs.
Search Online
Extremely easy and the alternative of time-consuming searching online for a trucking services company can be extremely easy and quick. Keep in mind that the search results could render heaping levels of data but when you have had the time and energy to sift through the search results you are able to narrow down some companies to contact about your shipping request. Search industry and federal databases such as for instance Transcore CarrierWatch® or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to make certain motor carriers are deemed fit to do transport services.
You'll find so many trucking magazines (online & offline) to assist you identify your refrigerated trucking source. If you're not new to the trucking industry you probably are already knowledgeable about most of the trucking industry magazines. Use their offline version or hop online to get additional information regarding reputable trucking service providers.
Industry Associations
Listen to your peers! Contact trucking industry sources and see if you can locate different refrigerated trucking companies in your area. You might over hear a scenario where someone worked with a motor carrier that executed the task accessible perfectly, or in some instances, you may hear about a carrier's service failures. For example, the Transportation Intermediaries Association offers a Watchdog service where intermediaries report negligent carriers that double-broker, back-solicit or cancel on loads at the past minute. This serves as an excellent tool to prevent reporting a site failure to your customer.
Implement a Carrier Qualification System
Particularly for refrigerated carriers, a carrier qualification team is essential to prevent cargo claims and service failures. That said, not all service failures are within your control. For example, your carrier setup team usually takes measures to make sure that your refrigerated motor carrier has enough cargo insurance to cover your load along with "reefer breakdown" coverage. However it will be extremely hard to pour through the pages of each carrier's insurance policy to master their policy exclusions and still cover your customer's shipment in a timely manner. Calculated risk is always a part of our industry, but necessary nonetheless. The Transportation Intermediaries Association offers template contracts and carrier qualification guidelines to make certain you have practiced due diligence in selecting your refrigerated carrier, or any carrier for that matter.