The toughest thing for small carrier lines to do is to get their foot in the door of new customers.
If a broker or freight forwarder would just give them a try, they might be delighted. But many brokers think the risk of trying a “small guy” is too high and the work to vet them takes too much time. The issue is credibility.
How can small carriers win new customers if they are never given a chance? Al Lannelli, President and COO of Polaris Intermodal has this advice.
Automation
Automation can help even the playing field between big and small trucking companies. You can access Brokers, forwarders and 3PLs who are looking for new capacity without having to do extra leg-work. Best of all, you can save time and effort responding to rate requests.
“If you’re a small carrier company that runs one location, you’ve got 25 or 30 trucks. Using the DrayMaster system to quote new work will give you the appearance of a larger more sophisticated operation. You’ll look like you’ve got 500 trucks.” said Al.
Professional quoting
When customers receive a DrayMaster quote, it’s an professionally formatted document with applicable DOE PADD fuel prices, a map where it’s going, a detailed rate quote including all applicable accessorial charges , a quote date, and effective date. It looks like it came from a big, professional operation.
“The value and the credibility it gives to your customer and to your company, it’s amazing. I’ve never gotten one negative comment on my quotes from DrayMaster,” Al reported.
