By Fello Logistics
Carriers are not our clients. Shippers are. Carriers are the ones we hire on behalf of the shippers we represent, so the carriers in effect work for us.
That’s the case with every broker in the business, and carriers understand that they’re the ones who have to please the brokers and the shippers to keep getting loads.
But good relationships are critical in ours and every other industry, and it’s never made sense to us that some brokers treat carriers with a lack of respect and honesty. Yet we hear from carriers that this happens all the time.
Carriers tell us that brokers make assurances about the rate they’ll pay, then don’t follow suit. They tell them certain loads or agreements will be in place for them, only to see them yanked away or never materialize at all.
We’ve heard complaints about double-brokering. We’ve heard reports of brokers saying one thing to a carrier and something entirely different to a shipper. And of course, the ultimate problem for a carrier is when the broker doesn’t pay.
This simply should not be. The fact that it’s no way to treat people is all the reason we really need.
The Business Case for Respecting Carriers
But if someone needs a strategic business justification for brokers to treat carriers well, here it is: Our clients need the carriers to be committed and dependable in doing the work. The carriers are part of our team, no different than an employee or contractor is part of any other company’s team. If they don’t value the relationship with us, it’s going to come down to a hope and a prayer whether they will come through for us and our clients when we really need them to.
All the more so because, at Fello, we put so much emphasis on bending over backward when necessary to solve problems. There’s no way we can do that successfully if our carriers aren’t willing to join us in that effort. They’re the ones who are on site, not us. We’re in constant communication with them, and we make sure they understand what we need from them. But ultimately the carriers are the ones who have to do what’s necessary to satisfy the client.
If a carrier has been treated in any of the negative ways listed above, why should we think they will go the extra mile for us or our clients?
Building Strategic Partnerships with Carriers
We see our carrier relationships as strategic partnerships, and in any strategic partnership it’s critical that both parties (or all parties, since there are sometimes more than two) are committed to the success of the others involved. We want our carriers to love their partnerships with us, and to look forward to the opportunity to work with us.
How We Treat Our Carriers
To that end, there are certain key principles we simply won’t compromise when we deal with carriers:
- We always tell them the truth and keep the promises we make.
- We always pay them when we’re supposed to.
- We always respect the value of their work and, while we obviously try to get the best rate we can for our shippers, we won’t nickel-and-dime carriers below what’s fair.
- We always do whatever we can to put them in a position to succeed.
- We always listen to them, since we can learn a lot from their input and feedback.
Because we do this, the best carriers like working with us, and that benefits our client. That’s the best business rationale we can offer.
The Bottom Line: Treat Everyone with Respect
As we said above, we think these principles should be standard operating procedure for every broker in the freight-hauling industry. People should treat each other with respect and integrity in every industry on Earth.
By the way, it’s really not hard. You just make a decision that you’re going to do this consistently, and stick to it. Even when we have to give carriers bad news, they appreciate the straightforward honesty – especially since we’re always happy to help them solve the problem if there’s one to be solved. They do the same for us.
It’s just as easy to be honest and respectful as it is to do the opposite, and the ramifications of doing things the right way are always more beneficial to everyone.
Treating carriers right is the way to go. Who’s with us?
Fello Logistics is known for integrity, reliability, industry-leading customer service and genuine care for it’s clients. Learn more about our freight shipping services.
