Thursday, March 25, 2021
by Drew Jackson
Lost freight. Ruined shipments. No-shows. Lapsed insurance. Loads held hostage. In-transit traffic violations.
These are nightmare scenarios for any independent freight broker agent, and with good reason. In a business that’s built on relationships, trust is a form of currency that takes time to accumulate. It can vanish the moment your customers are exposed to liability or loss.
Freight agents can mitigate at least some of this risk by
conducting due diligence on carriers before booking them with freight. Yet that doesn’t always happen. While speed fuels growth in this industry, carrier vetting should always be given careful consideration.
At US Logistics, due diligence is built into our carrier onboarding process. But we know a one-time check isn’t enough. Insurance can lapse during a shipment; safety records can change virtually overnight; performance can erode over time. That’s why we offer our agents and their customers extra protection with daily vetting procedures. Here’s how.
Safety Records Kept up to Date
Basic risk management calls for reviewing a carrier’s safety rating before putting them on a load for the first time. What happens after they’ve been vetted? How can you be sure that their safety record has remained clean? At USL, carrier safety ratings and insurance requirements are kept up to date using a third-party monitoring system.
Insurance Certification Verified Automatically
Shipments sometimes get damaged; that’s what insurance is for. But what if a shipment is destroyed due to driver error, the carrier’s insurance has been discontinued, and the carrier can’t cover the cost of the damages? In that scenario, you might not just lose a customer; you could be accountable for the loss, too.
Like safety record checks, insurance certification is automatically folded into our onboarding process. If a carrier’s insurance expires, the system will flag it. Freight agents will be unable to use the carrier until proof of recertification is provided to our team.
Real-Time Performance Insights
No due diligence process is fool-proof. Safety scores and insurance records won’t reveal a history of spotty performance. Likewise, a carrier may get off to a promising start, only to become unreliable over time.
Our system enables agents to flag issues or share concerns about carriers for other USL agents to see. Based on these notes, agents can make an informed decision about all of our carriers before tendering a load. As a matter of accountability, our team also reviews all notes. Based on the volume and severity of the complaints, we will remove carriers from our system.
Unparalleled Support, from Onboarding Through Claims
No matter what carrier you use, getting a signed rate confirmation is key to securing as much protection as possible.
Getting ahead in the logistics industry doesn’t provide much time to spare. That’s why we designed our onboarding process to be convenient. However, we know that safety and risk mitigation are paramount, which is why we take time to conduct thorough due diligence.
We also know that even with all of the best planning in the world, disaster can strike. When that occurs, our claims department team members will roll up their sleeves and get to work on your behalf. Our team of real people is always on it, responding to your needs in real time so you can keep moving ahead.
To learn more about how US Logistics keeps your business moving,
visit our website or follow us on social media.