Given the complexity of today’s trucking environment, moving to dedicated contract carriage makes sense for many fleets. However, before making the decision, it is important to carefully vet potential dedicated contract carriers to ensure they will be a good fit for you.
Here are some important areas you need to explore during your search:
1. Financial viability: You need to have confidence that they have the financial strength to purchase new vehicles and to invest in needed technology.
2. Longevity: How long have they been in business? You want to partner with someone that has experienced the ups-and-downs of trucking and knows how to navigate through trying times.
3. OEM connections: Ask about their relationships with various truck manufacturers. This can be very important especially during times of allocation of new assets from manufacturers.
4. Fleet optimization: What is the process they use to make sure you have not only the right number of trucks but also the right kinds of trucks? What is involved in their analysis of your fleet and its equipment needs so that you can continue to provide the same level of service to your customers?
5. Technology investments: This encompasses everything from telematics to routing, driver interface to maintenance management and reporting capabilities. The dedicated contract carrier should be using various technologies as tools to improve operating efficiency.
