The movement of freight shouldn’t be an us-versus-them type of transaction. Shippers and carriers need to build relationships for the betterment of both businesses. Transparency is key.
“Transparency in business can be a great thing,” Patriot Software founder Mike Kappel wrote in a Forbes article, adding that transparency leads to trust, which is equally as important in business relationships.
“In this Information Age, customers demand stronger communication and transparency. If you don’t provide it, they’ll move on to a business who can.”
Lack of Transparency Can Kill a Business Relationship
Kappel said hiding or manipulating pricing is “a huge no-no” in the quest for transparency and trust. He advised disclosing “everything you can about your prices. Avoid using confusing language or a complicated system to withhold price information. If your prices are higher than other businesses in your industry, be upfront about your pricing. Explain what is included in your pricing.”
Freightwalla also paired trust with transparency. “When there’s no transparency in supply chains, there can’t be any trust among the supply chain partners, either. And as you already know, trust is a critical contributor to supply chain collaboration and performance.”
Transparency Makes for Happy Customers and Providers
SupplyChainBrain said transparent data puts shippers and carriers on equal footing and “allows them to meet expectations around price, service, volume tendered, and freight accepted. A relationship based on trust and transparency allows both parties to elevate their operations and explore new ways to create value together.”
Test Drive Enables Transparency Between Shippers and Carriers
Test Drive is completely transparent in our business model. We operate with a fixed margin, using advanced technology to match shippers and carriers and facilitating seamless transitions to direct contracts, ensuring fairness, efficiency, and transparency for all parties in the logistics process.
We are a platform where shippers can test carrier performance on actual shipments moving under our brokerage authority. With our carrier testing, Test Drive serves as a strategic resource for shippers to vet and onboard transportation providers. The goal is for carriers to be awarded contracts, but there is no fixed timetable for onboarding.
Test Drive Ushers in New Era in Shipper-Carrier Relationships
With our transparent business model, we empower our shipping partners to build direct, profitable and trusted relationships with carriers. We help hundreds of companies move thousands of loads monthly, enabling shippers to save money and time by connecting them to reliable trucking partners.
We are an anti-broker. We don’t charge high fees like traditional freight brokerages do. We don’t have hidden margins like traditional freight brokerages do. Test Drive instead promotes transparency and fosters open and honest relationships between shippers and freight carriers.
Join us in our mission to build transparent relationships between shippers and carriers. Request a Test Drive quote today.