Shipper of Preference – Be Attractive to Carriers and Drivers

In November 2015, the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), working in concert with the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) published a long awaited “Voluntary Guide to Good Business Relations for Shippers, Receivers, Carriers and Drivers.” The document responds to the rising chorus of many of the nation’s largest shippers seeking to become “shippers of preference.”  A shipper of preference is one that attracts and inspires loyalty from carriers and drivers, even as capacity slowly and steadily tighten, leaving less attractive shippers without trusted partners on troubled lanes.

Shipper practices significantly impact the movement of cargo, the positioning of equipment, and ensure safe practices are followed.  The best practices impact these things in a positive manner, and also foster honesty, fairness and openness in business dealings with carriers and drivers. Good carrier and driver practices, in turn, promote fair business dealings, increase compliance with shipper protocols, provide safe services, and ensure drivers conduct themselves professionally and responsibly. The four page NITL-TCA document contains many excellent ideas to help shippers position themselves for success in an increasingly challenging environment. Please ask your Tucker sales representative for more information.

Tucker Enhances Secured Carrier Program - Serving High Security Freight

Many of our customers ship high value and high security cargo, like pharmaceuticals, energy industry items, military materials, electronics and the like. Standards of care, or standard operating procedures, 20, 50, 70+ pages long, accompany contracts that are just as specific. The majority of those customers consider Tucker as the only broker or

3PL they trust with their freight, because we get it right.

In addition to our experience in carrier selection, enhanced by our CEO’s chairing TIA’s Carrier Selection Committee,

we collaborate with the best minds in the business, and utilize the best carriers, too. Smart people wrote our customers’ SOCs, so we take great pains to understand them, and build our system to handle them from a service standpoint. Then we find highly performing, trusted carriers to execute the transportation. Today, we have 52 of our highest performing

and customer focused carriers as part of our Secured Carrier Program™.

We have never lost a load, and we want to keep it that way. Do you have theft, service or performance problems with your freight carriers? Please call us: 800.229.7780.

Truckload Capacity Tightens; Drivers Flee to Owner - Operators

Capacity is reaching its boiling point— well maybe it’s more of a simmer. Nevertheless, large truckload fleets are awash in loads, and short on drivers. They’re shedding shippers for better volumes, better freight, better lanes and higher pay. Large carriers are increasingly investing in their dedicated fleets (turning over truck and driver to shipper for set fees and costs), since it’s more profitable and more predictable than spot market, or retail freight.

Since early spring, carriers have been seeing higher turnover, and driver loss. Some large carriers have hundreds of

trucks parked, wishing they had drivers to drive them. Where are the drivers going? Two places: they’re getting better jobs, where they are home more, or get more miles and more pay; or they’re going into business for themselves. According to our affiliate. QualifiedCarriers.com, 11,570 new trucking companies entered the marketplace since February 2011, for a 7.5% increase. 


So what’s the trick for shippers? Stick with your most trusted providers and treat them well. Remember who stuck by you in the tough times and forget the ones who did not. Shippers and brokers who chase the low rates are the first ones left holding the bag, chasing new “friends” when the going gets tough. Low price providers have no problem leaving shippers the minute they find better freight. Capacity is predicted to remain tight in 2012 and 2013.

Tucker's Managed LTL Program Hugely Popular

Our fastest growing and most popular service for shippers is what we call our “Managed LTL Program.” Many of our customers and prospective customers have grown weary of dealing with LTL discounts, general rate increases, comparing discounts and net costs between companies, comparing routings, and dealing with claims. In short, they’re looking for simplicity and savings, and we’re delivering.

One customer recently told us that one particular LTL carrier damages about 10-20% of the product they receive, so they scrap the freight, don’t file a claim, and get a credit from their supplier. Our Managed LTL Program folks are working with this customer to (a) identify its true costs, including freight, time, resources, disposal and loss of sale; and (b) establish pricing with carrier(s) that value its freight, and can handle it without damage; and (c) establish customer service procedures that save the customer time, but more closely monitor performance; and (d) save money. 

Do you ship $100,000 to $1,000,000 of LTL freight? Do you experience any of the issues above? Please call us and ask to speak with a sales representative about our Managed LTL Programs.