7 Important Questions You Need to Answer Before Choosing a Trucking Company
Choosing a trucking company is far more important than many businesses realize. Too often, the choice is based only on quoted transportation charges, with the lowest price usually winning out because of the perceived cost savings.But, considering the importance of your trucking company as a crucial link in getting your products to market, the cost of choosing a cut-rate operator can be far higher than the fees they charge.By getting the right answers to the following questions, you will be better able to choose a trucking company that, while they may not have the lowest fees, will reduce your overall costs, enhance your company’s reputation and improve its bottom line.
- What transportation services do you offer?This might seem like an obvious question, but the right answers are not easy to identify. That’s because many choose their trucking company according to current or near-future requirements.That works in the short-term, but it gets costly when, sometime in the future, as your transportation requirements change, you are forced to source and contract an entirely new trucking company because the old one cannot meet your needs.Look for the following services as an indication that a trucking company is capable of meeting a variety of transportation needs:
- FTL (Full-Truckload) and LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) Shipments
- Team Trucking Services
- Vented Dry Van, Flatbed and Curtain Side Shipping Options
- What are your transit times?Ask about two types of service here. First, ask about scheduled delivery times. You can save money by using a scheduled delivery, but make sure the trucking company’s schedule fits yours.Second, ask about what happens when you require unscheduled deliveries. When you do, you’ll quickly start noticing a difference between trucking companies.
- Where is the Trucking Company Located? You should consider the answers to this question carefully. First, it’s important that the company be located close to your business. This may not make a big difference for scheduled deliveries, but it can make a huge difference for all other shipments, including off-hours, rush and different types of cargo. In addition to head office location, be sure to check for satellite offices and/or affiliated networks to know that they can respond quickly whenever and wherever needed.
- What specialty transportation services are offered?You might think your freight is relatively ‘average’, but it would be a big mistake to opt for average transportation services. In addition to the potential for needing expanded services as your company grows, you never know what demands your customer will put on you to deliver. If you don’t want to lose business because you weren’t able to meet a customer’s requirements, look for a trucking company that offers, among others the following specialized services among others:
- Reefer Units
- Conestoga/Roll Tite Trailers
- Straight Trucks
- Lift Gate Services
- Does the company offer team and expedited services? Never underestimate the possibility that you will be required to meet a seemingly impossible delivery deadline at the worst possible time. Making sure your transport company can offer driver teams and other expedited services will help avoid missing a critical deadline.
- What are the fee structures? Another reason to stay away from low-ball offers is that they are usually made at the sacrifice of other deal points, like a transparent fee structure that meets your requirements. Double-check for potential extra and/or hidden charges and make sure the company is willing to offer fees and billing that suits your budget and schedule.
- Is the company available 24/7/365? This one is easy. A trucking company must be available any time you need them, day or night, with a live voice who can answer your questions promptly.
Why You Should Choose Precision Truck Lines – In addition to meeting and exceeding all the factors listed above, Precision Truck Lines offers a long list of features and benefits that are simply unmatched by the competition:
- Over 50 years combined trucking experience
- Qualified, knowledgeable and courteous staff
- 24/7 availability – your call is always answered by someone who can help
- Online shipment tracking
- A fleet of state-of-the-art vehicles
- Freight staging services
- Climate-controlled warehousing
- Honest, reliable, innovative
- An enviable record of customer satisfaction. Check out our customer reviews.
We are Precision – it’s what we do … it’s who we are