Strategies to Improve Carrier Relationships- Guide

One of the best ways to ensure success as a shipper is to focus on building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with carriers. Good partnerships can help you mitigate risk, lower costs, and secure more reliable and higher-performing capacity on an ongoing basis.

Sourcing truckload capacity is a never-ending and ever-evolving cycle, which makes the job of managing carrier relations one of the toughest skills in the transportation industry. Especially in a turbulent freight market, shippers must prioritize building and maintaining solid carrier relationships. Failure to do so can strain these partnerships, potentially resulting in routing guide failures, overrun budgets, and even empty store shelves or manufacturing delays. 

The best managers frequently analyze carrier relationships and proactively make improvements. Rather than work in isolation, collaborate with team members and distribute information to help everyone — from the dock to the C-suite — create stronger bonds. Carriers prefer to work with shippers that are transparent, incorporate carrier feedback, and use data-driven methods for building trusted relationships. Download this quick guide to the key strategies shippers can employ to improve carrier relations and create enduring value in three areas that matter most.