Got Goods? Hug A Trucker

According to a study by logistics company C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., rig counts in 2011 are down by as much as 15% to 20% from their 2006 peaks, meaning carriers possess greater bargaining leverage over customers due to limited trucking capacity and rebounding orders. The company suggests shippers make the best of the limitations and dampen the rate hikes by thinking about the long-term rather than only about short-term rates. It starts with being truthful about the freight and availability, and continues with spreading shipments over the entire month rather than into a one-week period, relaxing pickup and delivery rules to accommodate drivers if necessary, and implementing a transportation management system. Shippers may find using pool distribution services benefit them with reduced rates as carriers reduce empty miles, or -- gasp -- collaborating with other shippers to create round trips out of one-way hauls and combine freight in 'continuous move' truckloads rather than settling for more costly less-than-truckload movements.