Truckload
"Make them a part of your team, not an excuse for your team" —Jocko Willink
A healthy supply chain has healthy Broker and Carrier partnerships where all parties grow and are profitable.
01
Challenge One
No System/Process, No Trust
Many Shippers don’t have a TMS system telling them what they need to know, preventing implementation of better processes and standards, while current Carrier/Broker relationships lack trust.
02
Challenge Two
Vendorships not Partnerships
Many Shippers don’t know how to maximize their leverage in the marketplace, frequently under or over-leveraging their buying power, leading to Vendorships instead of Partnerships.
03
Challenge Three
Lead Time
Most Shippers aren’t aware of the average Lead Time in their market and overlook the impact of only giving 1-2 days when other Shippers in that market are averaging 3.5 days Lead Time prior to pick up.
04
Challenge Four
Crazy Spot Market Pricing
Spot Market volatility is a frequent challenge our Partners experience, and although the market is the market, not having a clear plan you can learn from will make it crazy and unmanageable.
The Concept Approach
Start with a TMS.
You can’t fix a problem you can’t see, and most Shippers don’t capture important shipping data because the lack of a TMS. Concept can fill in the gaps to conduct an analysis of your shipping profile in many cases, but in some we start by implementing our TMS so we capture the important data needed to develop a plan and a process to streamline your supply chain.
Accountability
Some Shippers don’t have clear standards they hold ALL of their Carrier and Broker partners to, therefore deal with the Brokers and Dispatchers that update the Shipper when they feel like it, or only if delayed. This is just one of the areas where Concept helps our Shippers develop a clear standard to hold your partners to, and can implement Full Management of your supply chain where Concept enforces your standards and gives you our TMS for full visibility.
Be first.
It isn’t always feasible for SOME Shippers to provide more Lead Time when their customers need next day pick up, but most of the time we find that Shippers are behind on production and aren’t aware that getting ahead of production can save Tens or even Hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. If you are first to the market with 5 days Lead Time in a market that averages 3.5, and you have good freight and a good reputation, you can typically save around $300 per shipment. If you ship 30 Truckloads per month and are getting beat to the market by a day or more, you are likely costing yourself an extra $100K per year. (360 loads x $300 = $108,000)
Stop dating everyone.
Concept isn’t looking for more Shippers to quote, in fact, we are advising many of our clients that if we aren’t covering 25% of your loads through spot quoting, you are better off not having another Broker posting your loads on the boards. Truckload Brokers post your loads on the board, and right now most markets will see anywhere from 3-1 Load-Truck ratios to 10-1 Load-Truck ratios, which means that there could be 300 loads in your market with only 100 trucks to move them, or there could be 1,000 loads in your market with only 100 trucks to move them. You don’t need 12 Brokers posting your loads and emboldening the Carriers to negotiate your rate up.
Stuck is a mindset.
Data has proven time and time again that most Shippers that feel stuck in the Spot Market aren’t actually stuck. Concept will constantly monitor your freight volumes to certain markets and regions to identify if those volumes can be consolidated and packaged as a regional or lane volume to get more dedicated Carriers and rates, while taking portions of your Truckloads out of the Spot Market.
Results delivered
Savings
Concept has helped a few clients save Tens of thousands of dollars by helping them get ahead of the market their are competing for trucks in. Ask us for references.
Spot to Dedicated
We’ve helped many Partners transition portions of their Truckload volumes out of the Spot Market and into a dedicated scenario, giving them more cost stability and better performance on those lanes.
A Quality TMS
Concept’s partnership with Tai Software, a leading TMS, has allowed us to give our clients a TMS for better visibility and management of their freight, which leads to better decision making. Our Diamond and Platinum partners have a plan with a partner they trust.
Accountability
Improving performance starts with clear standards and accountability. Our Diamond and Platinum partners have a clear plan to improve overall performance of their supply chain that evolves through monthly and quarterly reviews of performance to constantly improve.
Honest Analytics
Concept wants our Partners to succeed, so we analyze their shipping profile to determine if there are too many cooks in the kitchen, and will be the first to tell a Shipper if we aren’t doing them any good or if we aren’t a good fit. For Partners with too many cooks in the kitchen that we can help, we become trusted advisors helping them reduce their Broker list to get the most out of it, even bringing in Broker Partners of our own if we know someone better than Concept in a specific market.
