8 Tips for Working with Shippers

TORONTO — A recent meeting between the Canadian Industrial Transportation Association (CITA) and the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) had shippers and carriers talking through their shared problems and challenges.

And while they didn’t solve all the issues after one meeting, the two groups did create a “Best Practices Guide” with advice for each other.

Here are the 8 Pieces of Advice Shippers Gave to Carriers:

1. Educate yourself on the bid/tender process and analyze all data in the tender to quote an appropriate price.

2. Your payment terms: put them in writing.

3. Faster invoicing helps with faster payment.

4. Re-evaluate your sales approach: Shippers are increasingly implementing policies that restrict them from accepting tickets to games, trips or gifts.

5. Get ready for a more formal evaluation process of your safety record, hiring practices and sustainability programs. You may also want to sweep the floors as site visits are becoming more frequent.

6. Be aggressive when communicating with shippers. And where procurement and transportation are separated, communicate with both and bring data/analysis.

7. Hold regular meetings and business reviews with your shipper — but bring your operation people, not your sales people.

8. Drivers being treated badly by the shipper? Prepare a list of the five things you would like to see the shipper (or their third party service provider) do for your drivers when they check-in.

You can see what carriers told shippers here.