Are you aware of all the areas that impact the cost when sourcing freight lanes?
Todays oldie but good post is from our SafeSourcing Archives.
You have to keep your eyes open in this category as there are many moving parts you might never anticipate, like are there actually enough drivers to fill the trucks.
Most people would guess that it is the cost of fuel, new regulations or the age of a providers fleet that keep adding costs for third party freight companies.
An area most buyers of these services might not think about is the cost of and need for qualified drivers. Most 3rd party freight companies are looking for drivers and there are not enough to go around.
Our economy rides on the wheels of the freight companies that ship our goods across the country, in fact all across North America.
So what happens when there is a shortage of drivers? It’s pretty simple, prices go up. Why? Because freight companies have to compete for qualified drivers and when there are not enough to go around, the price for these services go up. It’s a pretty simple supply and demand equation.
In an interesting and related article in the June 25th edition of USA TODAY titled Trucker jobs go unfilled, leading to delayed deliveries by Paul Davidson of USA TODAY indicates that the annual driver turnover rate at large carriers rose to a four-year high of 90%.
When you source your freight lanes make sure that you understand all of the dynamics that impact cost.
If you’d like help sourcing your freight lanes, contact a SafeSourcing customer services representative.
We look forward to and appreciate your comments.
