When choosing a trucking company for your freight, there are many options available. Making an informed decision can be challenging, let’s ensure you are making the right choice by considering the following factors.
Experience
The first step when researching a trucking company is to verify how long a given company has been in business. Delivering cargo in a safe and efficient manner is an ongoing process, and a learning curve is inevitable. New trucking companies are still discovering how to provide the highest level of service, and it is understandable if there are some missteps during their early years.
Established companies, on the other hand, have perfected their process and can be relied upon to deliver your freight without setbacks. You can rest assured that when using a veteran trucking company, your freight will arrive in a timely manner, completely undamaged.
Always ensure that the founders and employees of the FTL, or full truckload, trucking company you employ have a stellar track record. It is crucial that the team you rely on have many years of experience in the industry and can be trusted.
Resources
Next, ensure that the FTL trucking company you are considering has the manpower and equipment required to do the job.
They must have sufficient staff and trucks on hand to carry your cargo in a safe and timely manner. Trucking companies with a bounty of resources are able to charge less than ill-equipped outfits that require more time to perform their tasks.
Customer Service
When you turn your cargo over to a trucking company, you hand them the ball. Although the cargo is no longer in your possession, you still need to maintain a degree of control over it. Strong customer service makes this possible.
Ensure that a trucking company you are considering offers online tracking and order entry. This way, you can receive status updates about your cargo at any time, at your convenience.
At times, the information provided to you online may not suffice. In this case, it is essential that you be able to reach a customer service representative who can assist you. Shipments suffer delays for a variety of reasons, and you need to make sure that an explanation and guidance can be provided in a timely fashion.
Load Size
Load size is yet another crucial factor to consider when choosing a trucking company. Some companies only offer partial load shipments, while others allow for full loads, or FTL.
If you have a FTL shipment to move, ensure the company you are considering has the capability to offer that service.
Better yet, choose a reliable company that offers both load sizes. That way, going forward, you can ship any size of shipment without having to bounce from one company to another.
Cost
Ensure that the trucking company you are considering offers competitive rates. Inquiring on the rates is especially important for small or medium-size businesses who must adhere to a strict budget. You do not have to trade quality of service for a more affordable rate; both are attainable.
Conclusion
When choosing a freight trucking company for FTL shipments, consider the factors outlined in this article and make an informed decision.
