What Makes a Perfect Shipment Perfect?

In an ideal world, you’d call a carrier to ship your load, they’d give you a price, you’d know it was fair, you’d give them the go-ahead, you’d get your perfect shipment delivered without giving it a second thought, your buyer would be happy, you’d get an invoice for what you agreed to, pay it, and be on to the next thing on your list.

Even though this may sound entirely do-able, perfect loads are far from guaranteed.

Transportation providers say they only meet shippers’ expectations 55% of the time, according to a survey published by The Trucker.

To see why that’s true, it’s important to ask what makes a load perfect in the first place. Here’s what makes for perfection in WSI’s book.

Request a Rate Quote Your Way

A perfect load begins with reaching out for a rate the way you want: by phone, email, an online form, or a combination of these. It should be an easy transfer of information that brings you the relief of a load being off your mind.

A perfect load begins with a broker getting the information they need without a lot of back and forth.

You Can Be Assured of the Absolute Best Rate

You want the best rate, and the added assurance that all options and avenues have been analyzed. It’s what you would do if you were doing it yourself, and of course, if you had the time to do it yourself.

Important point. Due diligence takes time and involves not just looking at rates, but at the service provided and the quality of the carrier. Decisions like that can be agonizing for someone who doesn’t do it every day for a living. Knowing a freight broker did that for you without you having to exert a millisecond of decision fatigue is nothing short of perfect.

Behind the scenes of perfection, a top flight broker is posting your shipment on load boards like DAT or TruckerPath to gain the best bids in the market for you. They know because the analytics tools they use tell them so.

It’s not all apps and automation, though. Comparing bids, negotiating terms and then choosing the ideal time and mode of shipping is brought to perfection by a broker’s judgement and experience.

Finally a broker assures you you’re scheduled, updates you of your shipment’s progress and keeps you in the loop without bogging you down in details.

You Get a Driver Who’s in Communication

Truckers have their own language. If you want to communicate with them in the clearest manner and receive the most direct answers, you need an interpreter, or rather an experienced dispatcher.

A freight broker is a dispatcher who knows the world of truck drivers and will keep you clear of confusion by dealing directly with the carrier to schedule, arrange services, and confirm drivers’ qualifications.

A load has a better chance of perfection with a high-quality carrier. An important role of brokers is to vet carriers who will be responsible for your shipments.

How A Broker Vets Carriers

• Confirms the driver has legal authority to operate on the FMCSA Safer System
• Checks FMCSA Safer System to make sure the driver’s had their authority a while
• Checks to see if the driver has sufficient cargo and liability insurance
• Checks the carrier’s safety and inspection record on the FMCSA SMS Website
• Reads carrier reviews on Google or paid sites like DAT, TIA Watchdog or Highway Carrier Identity
• Refers to their brokerage’s own TMS for notes on a carrier’s past performance
• Confirms directly with carrier if special equipment is required

Dispatching has to be hands-on and transparent. A perfect load brings peace of mind. At a minimum that means a phone call to the shipper confirming pick-up and delivery. As the load moves through the process, dispatch is the glue that holds it together through hands-on and transparent communication.

Behind the scenes, a broker is in contact with the driver at least twice a day and may receive continuous GPS tracking. It’s the broker’s job to handle communication and all the details with the driver. That includes providing essential information regarding the delivery window—if there is one—or special handling like liftgate service.

You Have Accountability and One Point of Contact

As a shipper, you need to know your load is rolling perfectly—as well as if it isn’t. But maintaining constant control requires your attention as well as access to information regarding your load’s progress. There’s no way around this, however, a freight broker lightens the burden. First by keeping you informed in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you, and second by being the one with the answers when there are problems. Exceptions handled perfectly can still lead to perfect loads.

Freight brokers are used to rescheduling delivery windows with retailers or rerouting drivers in the event of delays. Having a broker advocating for your load and your interests gives you a better measure of control. Brokers have experience resolving issues with carriers and insight that enables them to turn a perfect mess into a perfect save.

Shippers benefit greatly not having to be involved in every setback, but for brokers it’s just part of the daily job of trucking.

You Get a Confirmed and Compliant Delivery

If it’s a perfect load, it will arrive on time and in full—and you’ll know it. That means you’ll have the assurance that everything was handled to the buyer’s satisfaction without penalties or surprise accessorial charges.

That can be easier said than done. Confirmations take different forms. For example, it can mean the truck carrying your shipment has been gated in, that GPS indicates the vehicle has reached the facility’s address, or that the vehicle has arrived at the loading dock during a delivery window. It’s up to the broker to know your load’s status and keep you in the loop.

Some buyers can have complicated delivery instructions. For example, retailers’ routing guides can be tricky and mistakes can rack up fines. A freight broker’s experience helps ensure compliance and relieves headaches for you as a shipper.

A perfect load provides you with the documented assurance your shipment arrived on time, in full, and in compliance. Your broker makes sure the trucker gets the proof of delivery (POD) document signed by the consignee and provides it to you. If there are any discrepancies regarding damage or shortage, the broker creates the claim and facilitates a resolution.

Perfect loads provide peace of mind.

Receive Fast, Accurate Paperwork

The glory of your shipment arriving on time in full and intact should be enough cause for celebration, but all that success can easily be erased by paperwork hassles. One of the main benefits a broker provides is enormous administrative time savings.

Good invoicing provides closure, but a bad billing buries your team and can ruin the whole shipping experience. Unexpected service fees, incomplete information, inaccuracies and simple sloppiness of misspelled customer names, can cause confusion and slow cash flow.

Freight brokers that pride themselves on transparency, honesty, accountability and timely billing keep perfect loads perfect simply by helping you get orders off your plate so you can get onto the next thing.

Plan for the Perfect Load

If your last load left you with the nagging feeling that you might not have gotten the best deal and that you spent way more time on it than you wanted to, it was not perfect. Talk to the WSI team about how our 3PL freight brokerage model and supportive customer service can help perfect your shipping.