Shipping & Freight News

For shippers, your business is only as strong as the partners you surround yourself with. But all partnerships are not created equal. Depending on your shipping lanes, the frequency of shipments, and many other factors, certain carrier partners may offer a greater value than others. Carefully selecting the right organizations or owner/operators to partner with can mean the difference between success and failure.

Finding a carrier who can consistently provide service to your desired lane and accommodate your schedule is important for any shipper. Working with a partner who can take on your business on a routine basis helps to establish consistency and trust. Carriers also benefit from this repeat business, and a high level of service is typically achieved as both parties benefit from an established partnership.

What benefit does a consistent shipper/carrier relationship offer to each stakeholder? Find out in This week’s episode of the Stay In Your Lane Podcast.

“We want to build routine and consistency for our carriers,” explains John Mahle, Senior Sales Executive at Triple T. “That is more important than price or profit, because we get a higher commitment value from our carrier base and we’re able to provide an even higher level of service.”

The predictability that comes with consistent volume also helps to avoid some fluctuations in market price for shipping transactions. For infrequent delivery schedules, such as those occurring just once a month, are more likely to be addressed as spot market transactions. The relative infrequency of these deliveries makes building a consistent partner relationship more difficult, often resulting in higher costs, lower quality service, and increased vulnerability to market volatility.

Not all shippers will maintain the volume needed to require weekly shipments. For those who do, committing to a 50+ week per-year shipping schedule will help keep their business out of the spot market and create the conditions for a real partnership with the broker and carrier—along with all the associated perks.

What challenges will carriers in the spot market face going forward? Learn more in This week’s episode of the Stay In Your Lane Podcast.

Carriers in today’s tumultuous shipping market, such partnerships aren’t just a bonus, but a crucial part of maintaining business. Increased fuel costs, uncertain demand, and a pivot away from the established “just in time” inventory model have all contributed to lower shipping volumes. Carriers who have cultivated strong working relationships with shippers are better positioned to weather these uncertainties until market conditions normalize.

Carriers who turned to the spot market in recent years for most of their revenue face more dire realities. These operations will feel the squeeze more than anyone from the overall decrease in freight volumes. To make matters worse, expensive equipment is made even more unaffordable by rampant inflation. The price of fuel alone could be enough to make some owner operators consider a buyout from one of the larger carriers, if not an exit from the field entirely.

If you’re interested in building partner relationships that will strengthen your business, save you money and handle future challenges, Triple T Transport is here to help. Our award-winning third-party logistics services can help you forge the partnerships you’ll need to succeed in today’s unpredictable market. Learn More about how we support our partners.