Big Ideas, Beautiful Facts and Brave Journeys: A Transportation Blog

A Few Questions to Ask a Potential Freight Transport Services Company

A freight transport services company is very important for the overall success of your business; your products will do nothing if they cannot arrive to your customer's or client's location in a timely fashion and in good condition. A transport company should be seen as a partner in your business, and it's good to ask questions of any potential company so you know you'll hire the right one. Note a few of those questions here and why they're so important.

1. Ask them to explain their software to you

Many freight transport companies will have software designed especially for them, so they can personalize its features and create processes that are good for how they run their business, and they can ensure it ties into their accounting and other such programs. However, you may also need access to certain features in order to ensure your freight is being weighed properly, arriving on time, being rerouted as necessary due to weather and so on. You should be able to easily navigate their software and whatever programs they use to keep track of your freight, billing and the like, so always ask them to explain it to you before you make a hiring decision.

2. Ask if they use their own drivers or subcontract to carriers

When a company subcontracts to other carriers or freight forwarding services, this can allow them to have a larger available fleet that can more readily get your freight to its destination, especially if you ship all over the country. However, this can also bring up issues with payment; if your freight company doesn't pay their subcontracted carriers quickly, they can stop their services. Ask if they subcontract, and if they do, ask about their payment schedule. Make sure they consistently pay their subcontracted carriers on time.

3. Ask about their capacity

Along with asking about their drivers versus carriers, ask about their actual capacity. This will tell you if they have the trucks needed to handle your goods and if they would be able to more readily and easily handle last-minute shipments, oversized shipments and the like. Their capacity may also need to encompass various modes of freight, such as railway lines or air transport services. This will ensure you can easily reroute your freight if there are logistical problems on the road, such as storms that have made roads impassable, or if you need a faster mode of transport than standard trucking.


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