Finding, vetting, and onboarding carriers can be a time-consuming process. Why not streamline carrier onboarding by allocating the task to a company that does the matching and vetting for you — and enables you to test the carrier without a long-term commitment?
Onboarding Carriers Can Be Risky Business
Onboarding untested carriers can be painstakingly slow — and risky. Here are just three reasons why it’s not a good idea for shippers to directly contract with carriers that have not been vetted by a trusted third party.
Traditional Freight Brokers May Not Deliver
For years, shippers have taken carrier selection off their plates and delegated the process to freight brokers. But brokers may not have shippers’ best interests in mind.
“If you’re looking for the right trucking company, you’ll want to make sure that you’re working with professionals you can trust,” a JRC blog said. “While many turn to brokers to utilize a network of carriers and equipment, it may be best to work with a trucking company or carrier that’s capable of providing the resources and communication you need for a more direct relationship.”
Lack of Load Visibility
The growing number of companies that have joined the U.S. Department of Transportation’s data-sharing platform, the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program, demonstrates shippers’ requirement for greater visibility.
Untrustworthy Carriers Are On the Roads
Your freight could even be locked up in a law enforcement investigation if a trucking company is part of a criminal enterprise. Federal prosecutors said in July that a California trucking company that gave “the appearance of being a legitimate transportation business” actually was in the drug trafficking business, often hiding meth in boxes of vegetables.
Trusted Carriers Are Out There
With Test Drive, shippers can find trustworthy partners to haul their freight. We do exactly what we say we do — we facilitate shipper tests of carriers. Here are just three ways onboarding carriers with Test Drive maximizes efficiency.
Advanced Technology
Test Drive’s advanced technology ensures optimal carrier matching and facilitates seamless transitions to direct shipping contracts, ensuring fairness and efficiency for all parties in the logistics process.
Ensured Compatibility
We enable shippers to “test drive” carriers before long-term commitments are drawn up. This testing process allows shippers to evaluate carrier performance and ensure compatibility before directly contracting.
Complete Transparency
The Test Drive model removes the middleman, empowering long-term, direct relationships between shippers and carriers. Complete transparency allows shippers to know who is hauling their freight and where that freight is, and it gives carriers the power to build direct relationships.
Test Drive Expedites Onboarding of Carrier Partners
With Test Drive, shippers don’t have to go through the painstaking process of finding carriers. We lay the groundwork for them, expediting the onboarding process by matching carriers with shippers.
Test Drive is the industry’s first anti-broker. We don’t charge broker fees — we operate with a fixed margin. That transparency extends to the honest and open relationships we facilitate between shippers and carriers.
We are a platform where shippers can test carrier performance with actual shipments moving under our authority. With our carrier testing, Test Drive is a strategic resource for shippers to procure trusted transportation providers.
The goal is for shippers to onboard tested carriers to their permanent rosters. Test Drive has no timetable for onboarding to contracts. We leave that to shippers to decide when contracting makes sense.
With Test Drive, the long road ahead just got shorter. Request a quote from Test Drive today.