Image by Ray Devlin via Flickr
The most important parts of any business are production and haulage. For the company who produces products it is essential to have a transport company that has the ability and willingness to provide prompt service once goods leave the production line and are packaged for shipping. While many people think of haulage providers in terms of trucking companies, sometimes the goods may be transported by train, especially for longer distances. International freight shipping will entail either air or water haulage. The important thing is to choose the shipping company that can guarantee reliable service and prompt delivery regardless of the distance the order has to travel.
Any company that expects to maintain a database of return customers must make sure to choose haulage providers that will adhere to their mission and requirements for order fulfillment. This also means the company must understand each haulage provider’s needs in terms of scheduling requirements. If you know a particular transport company needs 72 hours notice and you are not always able to schedule your deliveries that far in advance, you will need to choose another company to handle the haulage of orders to your customers.
One essential part of logistics management involves the ability to choose haulage providers that are reliable and quality-conscious. Remember, you want your customers to not only receive their orders in a timely fashion but also in good condition. I know there are times when accidents will occur, but these should be minimal. However, sometimes the drivers of haulage companies are in such a hurry to load their pickups that they fail to properly secure them inside, causing damage to the cargo. You can avoid this possibility if you take the time to secure the load before it is ever loaded onto the truck, train and other haulage vehicle.
Before you choose a haulage provider make sure you do some research on the company and even the driver if you are using a trucking company. Sometimes the company itself is highly recommended but you have a driver who is lackadaisical about the job and doesn’t take the time necessary to safely load the freight onto the truck. One of the main reasons this happens is because they are in a hurry to load the truck and get on the road to their destination–this won’t happen if you insist on having your own people to load the merchandise at the warehouse.
