This is part 2 of a 2 part series written by Jack Holmes.
4. REPORT ACCESSORIALS IMMEDIATELY.
One of the most frustrating things for a broker is hearing that there are extra charges after something is delivered. Sometimes a broker isn’t going to have all the information about a delivery and may not know that the driver will need to help or if there is a lumper charge. They also have little control over how long it takes to deliver. If a driver arrives at a delivery and is told that he should unload the freight, it is his responsibility to make sure that he is allowed to unload it before he starts working on it. It is very difficult to get money from a customer after the work is preformed because sometime they aren’t even aware that driver assist is required. Also, if there is detention on a load, call the broker as soon as it starts. A lot of times they can have the customer call to get your freight unloaded quicker so they don’t have to pay the charges.
5. REPORT DAMAGES IMMEDIATELY.
This is make or break for me. If there are damages on a BOL report them ASAP and have your driver send you pictures of the damage. I will blacklist any carrier that doesn’t do this. If your driver doesn’t say anything then you must let the broker know as soon as you find out and send them a copy of the BOL. DO NOT send a BOL for invoicing with damages on them without reporting them.
6. DRIVERS ARE AN EXTENSTION OF YOU AND YOU ARE AN EXTENSION OF THE BROKER
Customers don’t always know who will be delivering their freight and they don’t often care as long and they know there aren’t any problems. Brokers consider themselves a division of these customers. So while your driver technically works for you, he also works for the broker and therefore he works for the customer. Drivers should always act in a professional manner even if the receivers are not. I will often judge the quality of a carrier by the way they handle issues or how their driver handles issues. If a driver is polite and courteous even when he isn’t being treated the same, I will want to work with the driver again and therefore I will want to work with that carrier again.
7. Finally… MAKE IT PERSONAL
Get to know the people you are doing business with. Ask them how their weekend was. Send them Holiday cards. Send their office lunch. Make sure they know who you are and that you care. I have bonded with carriers over sports teams and our favorite foods. It makes a lasting impression and makes me look forward to hearing from them.
These are just a few of the things that stand out to me when I am thinking about selling freight to someone. If you can apply these steps to what you already do, then you are setting yourself up for success. Good luck and thanks for reading.
Please keep an eye out for Jack’s new post next week: “Delivering bad news and putting out fires”.
Jack Holmes is the Operations Manager at Global Transport. He has been in the freight industry for over 15 years, covering all aspects of transportation from importing to freight brokerage.