Cheap Freight Doesn't Exist

Just cheap capacity.

The carrier is selling the product and setting the price. The customer, the person with the freight, determines what they are willing to pay for that capacity.

Are you a premium carrier providing service that others can't seem to provide? Are you the Nordstroms of trucking? Then why do you care when a swap meet customer thinks you are too expensive. They are not in the market for the level of service and quality that you provide. Let them move on to a "swap meet" carrier.

"Say No To Cheap Freight" has done more damage to the independent O/O than anyone can imagine. It changed their mindset from that of the provider to that of the customer and gave the upper hand to the actual customer in negotiations.

 

If you are only finding people wanting to offer you swap meet prices for you product you need to stop and ask why? Is it a value issue? Are you marketing your product in the wrong markets? Do you have a good value propositions and know the markets but you are having trouble marketing your product?

There are plenty of customers that are willing to pay for a premium product. The challenge is figuring out what you need to do to attract that customer.

I can't say what will work for you but can say focusing on the priced focused customer doesn't work.

 

Agree, and what I am saying is the driver that is grinding a way with the price focused customer has put themselves in the customer mindset rather the seller mindset.

We are in a market where the carrier has to understand that you are providing more than moving freight. Plenty of customers that are only willing to pay for this service. To get away from those customer the carrier needs to understand what services other customers are willing to pay for and making sure that you are marketing and providing that. Often, those extra service really don't cost anything extra but pay considerably better.

 

Thanks, stalled a little bit recently with moving to new house, launching a new business and the weather. But now that we are getting into fixing up the house I will get plenty of exercise.