This is a follow up to my previous blog regarding “problem solving and creating value for your customer.”
When we think of being a problem solver, this can come in the basic sense that you have a truck/trailer and your customer has freight which needs to be transported to a particular location. If you want to be proactive and thus create additional value, you can take it a step farther and identify/respond to the needs or problems which can arise in the shipping process.
If you work in the transportation industry on a daily basis, you’ve definitely observed the many different methods to package and ship various types of products and materials. Many times a variation of what you’ve experienced can be used to assist one of your customers in a more efficient or damage free manner.
Several years ago, I had a customer who was new to the shipping business. When asked, I answered their questions and tried to assist them with ideas and suggestions to make their operation run smoothly. The company implemented many of my recommendations. One day they shared with me about a new product they had developed but weren’t quite sure how they were going to have it shipped. They offered to pay me to do trial and error in regards to load/unload procedures to see what worked and didn’t work. During that time, the company also practiced various packaging methods. It took several long days which included videotaping, test drives, heavy brake testing, experiments with uneven surfaces and in short we tried to do everything to damage the loads. I found this process quite interesting and had never been involved in anything like this before. A few months later, when the product was ready to be launched, they called me to deliver the first load. Needless to say, many shipments followed. The company paid me to train other carriers on how to handle and transport the product.
This is just one example of how you can create added value as a carrier. You want to be recognized by your customer in order to be the one selected to handle their shipping needs.


Comments (2)

Henry Albert

Henry Albert is the owner of Albert Transport, Inc., based in Statesville, NC. Before participating in the "Slice of Life" program, Albert drove a 2001 Freightliner Century Class S/T™, and will use his Cascadia for general freight and a dry van trailer. Albert, who has been a trucker since 1983, was recognized by Overdrive as its 2007 Trucker of the Year.

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Hello Henry,
Your "destructive" testing phase sounds like a fun thing to have been a part of. Given the various new challenges we have to adapt to in our line of work, it is important not to forget that our customers face their own sets of challenges from time to time as well. Given the fact that most general freight haulers see a broad spectrum of freight, we learn tricks with each new product we haul.
The ability to problem-solve and solve these problems with critical thinking makes us much more than just "drivers". I often refer back to a lesson I was taught when first starting out in the industry, which is that we are the face of customer service. Our customers may have many other dealings when it comes to arranging their freight needs, whether it be by fax, phone, or email. When it comes down to it though, the driver is often the the true face of customer service. To be truly successful, we must always be willing to think outside the box of traditional customer service and be willing to go the extra mile.

November 18, 2012 19:50:57 PM

Linda Caffee

In our line of business we often have to "solve problems" the shipper or receiver fails to mention there are steps into their business, that there is not enough room to get a truck close to their business or sometimes even into their driveway. Other times we have to deck a floor to move a computer as the floor surface cannot handle the weight of the main frame being moved. The driver has to look over the problem and decide what the best way is to get the freight either away from the customer or to the customer and sometimes this can be time consuming. The one we dislike the most is decking a floor as it is labor intensive. This is added value to our customer and to who we are leased to. The next question is do we get paid for this service? Yes and it is enough we look forward to these challenges.

November 18, 2012 4:58:53 AM