4 Ways a Freight Exchange Ensures Efficiency

The concept of a freight exchange is nothing new. For centuries, the sharing of haulage needs and demands have brought transport firms, independent contractors, those with cargo and import/ exporters together.

With this kind of network now available online, there are fresh and intelligent means to streamline your business, regardless of your role in haulage.

Fill Your Empty Capacity

The spectre of dead mileage has long been a feature of inefficiency for this industry. For both firms and independent contractors, the idea of an empty route draining time and fuel from a business is not an attractive one. Likewise, import/exporters and clients have long been resigned to negotiating prices that compensate for dead mileage.
The great benefit of a freight exchange is that it can cut this dead mileage, by introducing and optimising the key factor of managing constant and effective return loads. Instant, fast communication with an online community allows even small operators to attract cargo for last minute routes that may otherwise lead to dead mileage.

Find Solid Subbies

No one likes to turn down work. But the perils of success lie in the inefficiencies of managing contracts beyond your capacity. In transportation, import/exporters, firms, and owner operators with a single van dread having to turn down clients when demand exceeds their capacity. But a freight exchange can undercut this problem; quality, effective subcontractors give you the opportunity to take on work beyond your limits. The benefit of online marketplaces is that they allow you to make contracts with reliable subbies ad hoc.

Build a Strong Reputation

Reputation and word-of-mouth cannot be discounted in any B2B environment, even against the strong tide of the online marketing revolution. In haulage, no matter how solid or attractive your brand may seem, your competitors, clients, and subcontractors can pierce the veil of marketing and see the actual quality of service you have demonstrated in the past. A freight exchange helps your efficiency by allowing you to broadcast a solid reputation in a feedback-driven online environment. The best forums are built on legitimacy, user-feedback, and verified profiles. Hence you save time and money on marketing and still get your good name out there simply by engaging with the online community and doing standout work.

Follow Online Trends

The business of a freight exchange is, the proliferation of business for companies who join to quickly and efficiently find the services and work that they need. There is another avenue for improving the efficiency of your business, one that is not immediately recognised but is immediately recognisable as being vital. Information collected about how cargo is being connected to routes gives you a great snapshot of the industry and market. Being part of this online meeting place is an efficient way of understanding the realities of your immediate market.