Reducing freight rates is a key way of saving money in the industry. We are going to look at the top ten ways to accomplish this goal. In part 1 of a two part series, we will look at this specific concern in the shipping industry and find the best way to reduce freight rates.
1. By eliminating costs for the carrier you can share the savings. Procter and Gamble implemented this concept with the end result of reducing freight rates. P & G eliminated long unloading times by providing its customers an incentive if truck unloading was turned around in two hours. They did and it was a win-win for everyone. They shared the cost savings and everyone benefited.
2. Xerox eliminated deadhead miles and carriers rewarded them with low per-mile rates. How did they do it? They used an old trick started in the 1980′s called continuous moves.
3. Because most fuel surcharges favor the carrier, in the long run, work to get as close as possible to the carriers’ actual fuel consumption and real cost of fuel. It will save you money.
4. Use software technology whenever possible. It can do away with the administrative work that takes a lot of time. And administrative time is a hidden part of the total freight rate. Eliminating administration can therefore reduce freight rates.
5. Another software technology can handle things such as routing and consolidation. Better routing and consolidation is a major contributor to savings for LTL shippers. Time and time again, it has been shown that doing routing and consolidation manually is far from optimal. Better routing and consolidation can save costs and typically reduce freight rates.
Transportation | Warehouse Optimization has worked with the best of the best. Procter & Gamble, and other Fortune 50 companies are among their client list. More importantly, P & G is a long-term client (since 1992). Transportation | Warehouse Optimization has saved them millions of dollars with expert transportation consulting solutions. Taking a long-term view, they understand the industry, the market place and like good consultants do, keep the client as the top priority. Contact them at www.TransportationOptimization.com today. Also TEST YOUR SKILLS and see how well you manage your costs. Load a truck and see how efficient you are.