When you’re choosing a trucking company to handle your logistics needs, have you considered looking at their damage claim records? Though it seems like an obvious thing to check, many companies contract with a trucking company without truly understanding the importance of this part of the process. Filed when there is damage to freight during the transit process, damage claim records give you a good idea of the care that is being taken with your products as they are being moved across town or across the country.
Here’s a quick look at why this is a vital step in the overall process of selecting a trucking company.
Why are Damage Claim Records Important When Selecting a Trucking Company?
We’ve all been on the receiving end of a damaged shipment at one point or another, whether in your personal life or with your business. The disappointment of realizing that the shipment you were waiting for has been damaged, rendering the product inside unusable or defective, can cause you to reconsider whether you want to continue doing business with that company, even though it’s not the company’s fault. You’re ready to leave bad reviews and get upset with the person in customer service who answered your call.
Unfortunately, damage claims in the trucking industry are far too common, costing you customer goodwill and causing disappointment for your clients. Whether it’s caused by careless driving, poor loading or other issues, these are simply symptoms of a far bigger problem – a trucking company that doesn’t care about how the damage can impact its shipping partners.
Damage claims can cost your company a lot of money. When freight arrives damaged, your customers are unhappy, often requiring a replacement product to be shipped out at your own expense, often using expedited services. You may have to offer the customer a coupon code or special promotion to help alleviate their unhappiness, which eats into your future profitability. If you have insured your shipments, your insurance rates may rise as you make an excessive number of claims. None of this is your company’s fault, but you’ll still end up bearing the cost of keeping your customers happy with your services.
This is one of the most important reasons why you need to choose the right carrier. When company culture expects that drivers and handers treat your products with as much respect as they do their own, trailers will be packed with greater care and driven much more carefully to minimize any potential damage. When a trucking company invests in technology that delivers a smoother ride and fewer accidents, you’ll have fewer products damaged in the shipping process.
When you’re ready to hire a quality trucking company that will take care of your products to ensure that your shipments arrive intact and in good order, Road Scholar can help. We have a very low damage claim record of 0.0003%, use air-ride equipment for a smoother ride and include anti-crash technology to prevent us from hitting a forward vehicle. At Road Scholar Transport, we know it’s important to stay on top of the latest trends in our industry to ensure our customer’s expectations are not only met, but exceeded. Are you ready to discover what we can do to handle your special logistics needs? If so, please feel free to contact us today to learn more.
