Is a cheap carrier always cheap?
You have never used services of a carrier and you have little experience in the sector? Quality and reliability always cost money. The principle is especially true in the transport sector.
If you own a company you must know that outsourcing generates significant savings. If you need to transport your goods only every so often then instead of employing drivers and purchasing vehicles it would be more economical to establish cooperation with a carrier. However, do not let the prices trick you – a cheap carrier does not have to be… cheap. Why?
Is price a determinant of quality?
If you run a business you must be aware of the costs you incur every month. In addition to tax, social and health contributions, you need to pay remuneration, ensure the invoices are paid for in time and provide legal software… In order to earn for all this, you must carefully calculate the prices of products and services offered. It is no different in case of carriers.
Running a transport company constitutes a great challenge. They have to remember of both, costs and seasonality. A carrier cannot expect the same number of clients every month of the year and thus, the same number of trips. In practice, the cheapest offers should arouse suspicion. You may even assume that establishing cooperation with cheap carriers will cost you much more than concluding a contract with a carrier whose price offer does not differ from market prices.
Be wise before the event…
Imagine that you got tempted by attractive prices and you sign a contract with a cheap carrier. Will a small income allow them to take proper care of vehicles? If the vehicles do not have valid inspection certificates or their owner tries to save up on a policy, you risk not having your goods delivered to the address indicated by you on time. Is your company prepared for a scenario like this? Would not losing the cargo adversely affect your competitiveness?
When using services of a cheap carrier, you also risk not having your goods delivered on time. Why? Because you cannot be sure that the carrier cares about your opinion. Therefore, they do not have to demonstrate flexibility or guarantee that the products will be delivered within a given time limit. As a result, you may lose your client.
Chose the reliable ones
A list of problems named by those who were tempted by offers of cheap carriers is very long – it is not limited to the above. There may occur additional costs, e.g., a charge for holding cargo, exchange of pallets or assisting a driver with unloading. Such issues do not take place in case of reliable carriers who value their employees and set higher prices.
If you decide to use services of reliable carriers you can only gain. Besides the guarantee that your products will be delivered to a specified address on time, you can also be sure that the costs associated with transport will not change – the best companies operating in the sector, e.g. M&W Spedition sp. z o.o. sp. k. (more at: www.mw-spedition.com/en/), do not collect charges for driving up to 30 km. Also, in case there occur any problems en route, a forwarder will quickly provide a replacement vehicle. However, this is very uncommon because reliable carriers maintain good condition of their vehicles, thus guaranteeing safety of drivers.
Answer to the question which carrier is worth establishing cooperation with is obvious, right?