Four ways to navigate your way to becoming shipper of choice.

With capacity at a premium, carriers are in the driver’s seat.

As much as things change in today’s transportation space, there’s one constant: the growing shortage of capacity and drivers. According to recent TransCore Freight Index data, the available load-to-truck ratios for dry vans, flatbed and temperature-controlled have reached unprecedented proportions.

With capacity at a premium and carriers becoming more selective about whose freight they’ll transport, how do you become a shipper of choice? Here are a few tips ...

What truck-load (TL) carriers look for when transporting full truck loads:

1. Consistent year-round volume
2. Favorable origins and destinations
3. Compensatory fuel program
4. Flexible, fair contracts
5. Favorable payment terms

What less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers want when moving partial truck loads:

1. Compensatory fuel program
2. Compensation for idle time
3. Flexible, fair contracts

Becoming a shipper of choice can help you secure more favorable rates …

Whether you’re shipping TL or LTL, becoming a shipper of choice helps you steer clear of paying higher rates in the spot market. The key to being selected is offering consistent volumes, fair compensation for fuel, desirable origins/destinations and flexible contracts.

Meeting all these criteria can be tough if you ship seasonal freight/products. However, you can still offer fair compensation for fuel, a flexible contracting process and pay competitive rates. Together these factors can still help you become a shipper of choice.

To learn more, read the full article here.