LTL 101:Damaged Freight

LTL 101: Damaged Freight

Damaged freight is an unavoidable part of transporting freight, and while frustrating and challenging, there are things you can do to help mitigate the loss. Check out our tips on dealing with damaged freight below.

1: What do I do when I receive damaged freight?

Sign the delivery receipt as damaged… I repeat, SIGN THE DELIVERY RECEIPT AS DAMAGED!  If the receipt is signed as “clear”, it is almost guaranteed that your freight claim amount will be reduced to a settlement, or worse, denied altogether.

Below are a couple things to remember when signing for damages:

settlement, or worse, denied altogether.

Below are a couple things to remember when signing for damages:

  • Notate all damages – If only one item is notated damaged, more than likely the carrier will only refund that one item
  • Subject to Inspection” is NOT a valid notation – This notation is not enough to hold the carrier liable. When in doubt, notate “Damaged.”
  • If you must, refuse the freight – In cases where the driver will not let you sign or check for damages, refuse the freight.

2: Does the carrier need to be notified?

In short, yes, the carrier needs to be notified. Proper notations on the delivery receipt constitute as notifying the carrier.  If damages are noticed after the delivery, the carrier should be notified ASAP, and MUST be within 15 days of the delivery.  In most cases, any damaged shipment where the carrier was notified later than 15 days after delivery will be immediately denied by the carrier.

3: What do I need to file a damage freight claim?

When filing a freight claim, the more documentation, the better.  However, there are a few key documents that you should include with every freight claim.

  • Completed freight claim form
  • Product invoice/sales invoice
  • Proof of delivery/delivery receipt
  • Original Bill of Lading
  • Carrier freight bill (for freight charges)
  • Repair cost invoice (if applicable)

4: What should I do with the damaged freight?

Through every freight claims process, the freight needs to be available for the carrier, usually for inspection or salvage pickup.  This means the freight needs to be held onto until the freight claim is resolved.  DO NOT throw away the freight, including the packaging as this could result in the carrier denying the freight claim.

Your options are as follows:

  • The consignee can accept the freight and sign the POD as damaged/short and hold the freight until the freight claim is resolved.
  • The consignee can refuse the freight and have it shipped back to the shipper (usually Free Astray) where the shipper will hold the freight until the freight claim is resolved.
  • In some rare cases, carriers will dispose of the freight themselves if given the okay by the customer due to a complete loss of the product.
  • The carrier WILL NOT hold onto the damaged freight during the freight claims process and storage charges will accrue if disposition is not given to the carrier in a timely manner.

 

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LTL 101:Delivery Appointments versus Notifications

LTL 101: Delivery Appointments versus Notify Before Delivery

Last post continued discussion on the importance of freight classifications when shipping LTL. This week we want to switch gears and discuss the difference between an appointment and a notify before delivery.

Delivery Appointments:

  • Appointments cannot be set until the freight arrives at the destination terminal.
  • Contact must be made with the consignee to deliver.
    • LTL Carriers will always make appointments, we cannot make the appointments for them. However, if they cannot get a hold of the consignee we may assist them.
    • We can’t stress enough how important it is to contact the consignee even if they are not your customer in order to understand their appointment process.
    • It is best practice to then get with the carrier to insure they are not having trouble setting up an appointment and causing further delays.
      • It is not the carrier’s responsibility to understand every consignee’s appointment process.

A great example of the above is Grocery Warehouses: If the carrier needs to book an appointment online or reference PO#s in order to get the freight delivered then we need to put this info as clear and concise as possible on the BOL. This info must be entered on the “special instructions” section under the carrier tab in BTMS.

  • Appointments can sometimes delay transit by 1-2 days with the freight sitting on the dock.
    • Don’t forget that LTL drivers depart from their terminals early in the morning and if an appointment cannot be set prior to their trailers being loaded, your freight will be left behind.
    • Regardless if “THE FREIGHT MUST DELIVER TODAY” the drivers will not go back to the terminal once they have dispatched for the day.
  • A few things to keep in mind with appointments:
    • Specific delivery windows can cause a driver to take an inefficient route which has a domino effect on all shipments for that day.
    • Some consignees may have Drop Trailer schedules set up with certain carriers.
    • Some consignees may have standing appointments set up with certain carriers.

Notify Before Delivery:

  • Your shipment does not have to deliver at a specified time and may arrive any time between the standard LTL hours of 8am and 5pm local time.
  • This is typically used when shipping to residences, storage facilities, or even businesses with limited dock space.
  • Drivers do not call ahead to the shipping location. This is done by a dispatcher or clerk at the destination terminal and sometimes even at the corporate offices of the LTL carrier.
  • This can cause a delay in transit while the freight sits on the dock until the consignee can be notified.
    • Due to the high amount of volume in LTL and depending on the size of the terminal, there could be multiple, even hundreds of shipments that need to be notified for the day.
    • If the consignee cannot be reached on the due date of delivery after multiple attempts, it is highly possible that the freight will be held at the terminal until contact can be made.

Remember: If you’re looking to set up a Delivery Appointment you’ll need to select that particular service. But if you’re just looking for a “head’s up,” then Notify Consignee is the accessorial you’re looking for.

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Intermodal 101:Commitment Pricing

Intermodal 101: Advantages of Commitment Pricing

Use of the Door to Door, transactional programs from the railroads might seem like the best way to take advantage of pricing that may go down at any given time.  Locking in at a rate for a year’s commitment might not seem like a promising idea when the rates could drop next week.

However, it is important for the shipper to remember, what goes down will eventually come back up.  Rates in intermodal have not fluctuated a lot in recent years, but the trend is to take them higher.  Locking in your rate for the next year will enable a level of certainty for the shipper.

Due to its transactional basis, Door to Door pricing typically does not include capacity commitments between the shipper and the railroad.  Locking in with certain programs will allow all parties to commit to each other.  The Shipper commits a certain number of loads on a scheduled basis, the railroad commits to providing capacity to move those shipments.  With expectations set, it is easier for both parties to perform their part of the commitment.

Budgeting is simplified for the shipper when they know the rate they will be paying to move freight in each lane.  When the shipper is creating the budget for the next fiscal year, if they know they have to move 100 shipments from point A to point B, and the rate for the year will be $1,000 per move, they must budget $100,000.  Doing this against all lanes is the best way for the shipper to accurately calculate their transportation spend for the year.

Finally, the operations within the shipper as a company are simplified.  Each person in payables will know the rate they need to pay, which could allow a level of automation.  The personnel in the order tendering department will know who the order is going to, which allows them to focus on shipments that aren’t committed and locked in.

Understanding the two different approaches will enable the shipper to maximize shipping dollars and get product delivered to the customer.  Typically, though, the shipper is not in the transportation business, so their focus is not on minimizing rates.  Use of a 3PL or even a 4PL will allow the shipper to focus their attentions on their core business and leave the program selections to the experts.

In the next update, we will discuss the advantage of bringing in a 3PL to assist with shipping.

 

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Training Tuesday:Managing Stress

Training Tuesday: Stress Management to Improve Success

Selling offers more highs and lows than most other professions. Most salespeople suffer through periods of stress that are direct results of their sales jobs, but salespeople who succeed in the long run never let disappointments get the best of them. They know rejection goes with the territory and learn not to take it personally and instead, they view mistakes and failures as lessons that will help them improve. On the other hand, some very promising sales careers have died premature deaths due to stress. Stress sometimes causes sales people to lose confidence and then fill their day with nonessential activities and hide from their customers or prospects. We’re also faced with lots of rejection on our daily search for success. If you dwell on the negatives, they’ll bury you. You have to lighten up and look for ways to lessen the stress caused by your job.

Below are our top 10 tips to reduce stress:

1. Focus. Focus on what’s truly stressful to you about a situation and why – the idea being that understanding the stress lessens it and gives you some control over it.

2. Put stressful situations in perspective.

3. Postpone thinking about problems until an appropriate time. Successful people learn how to compartmentalize their thinking.

4. Take a deep breath. Size up stressful situations and decide which are worth worrying about.

5. Take vacations and occasional time off. 

6. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself.

7. Talk to others about job pressures.

8. Expect the unexpected. Allow time and reserve energy to deal with the inevitable stressful events that occur daily.

9. Do something for yourself.

10. Volunteer or do something in the community that is rewarding to you.

 

Check back next week for more sales training and tips.

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Intermodal 101:Mutual Commitment Pricing Programs

Intermodal 101: Mutual Commitment Pricing Programs

Rail controlled door to door shipping does have several advantages, as discussed in previous weeks, but it also has its drawbacks.

Many shippers have a transportation budget that gets created once per year.  This budget relies on some level of consistency when estimating pricing.  Utilizing the door to door pricing, which is subject to change on very short notice, does not afford them the opportunity to properly budget.

Shippers must be able to add in transportation charges to the cost of their products.  They are not typically able to change their pricing to their customers every time the railroad decides the balance of equipment in each location is out of kilter.

But perhaps the largest reason an intermodal shipper might want to avoid the transient pricing opportunities of door to door is the ability to lock in capacity at a given price.  Many of the equipment providers who offer the door to door service options will also commit to providing capacity if the shipper will commit to a price for year-round business.  They can execute a plan on capacity because they are able to plan based on the shipper’s commitment.

These mutual commitment programs (MCPs is a generic term as used here) provide the stability needed by the shipper for their long-term planning.  Getting a cheap price from spot-market rates is nice, but it does not provide the consistency needed by most shippers.

When should a shipper look to door to door and when should they look to MCPs?  In our next update, we will discuss how shippers should take advantage of one or both of these rate types.

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Training Tuesday:Asking Questions

Training Tuesday: Asking Questions

Asking good questions can make the difference between making a bad sales call and engaging the prospect in a worthwhile conversation. Here are some important tips to remember:

Use ‘assumptive problem’ open-ended questions
Instead of saying, “Do you have any problems with moving your product now?” say, “How are you handling problems that occur while transporting your product?” If you know your industry well enough, you’re aware of the problems that everyone seems to have. You are asking your prospects to quantify and explain the implications and consequences of those problems.

Use ‘instructional statements’
Don’t ask for information; tell them to give it to you. Use phrases like, “Tell me a little about……….”; “Share with me……….”; “Give me some idea of……….”; “Detail the way………” and, “Let’s talk about how you……….”

Ask yourself questions before you make the call
Think about the call before you make it. Ask, “What do I want them to do as a result of this call?” This will determine your primary objective. Then ask, “What information do I need from them?” This will provide whatever qualifying or information-gathering questions you must ask. Finally, ask, “What do I need them to think and believe in order to take the action I desire?” The answer to this question provides the points you’d ideally like to get across….without actually making the points yourself. They are ideas for them to discover through your questions. The reasoning is that people always believe more of what they say and think than of what you say. One of the surest ways to give yourself a fair chance at making a sale is to ask the right questions.

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Intermodal 101:Equipment Availability

Intermodal 101: Equipment Availability

In our last post, we discussed the impact long-term rates had on the railroads as a contributing factor to the creation of rail controlled, door to door product.  But there are other reasons the rails have created this service.

Equipment availability in a given area varies at different times of the year. There may be extreme variation in equipment that result in an area being completely out of equipment for some months and having an excess of equipment in other months. A good example of this would be the empty equipment supply in Los Angeles, CA.  During fall peak season, equipment is very tight out of California due to all the import freight coming in from Asian markets that must deliver in the interior of the country so it is available for the holiday shopping season.  During January and February, there has typically been a lull in shipping from the west coast, so they become over-supplied.

To take advantage of this fluctuation in equipment supply, the rails decided they needed to have more control. To do this, the rails had to begin offering a service that was more transactional in nature, something they could change to reflect more current flows and to have more control over the flow of the boxes.

Rails began taking on the operational requirements that had been the domain of the IMC.  By working with drayage carriers they were able to cobble together a complete door to door offering.  The rates put together are spot market rates, which allows the rails to consider their network and box supply to raise or lower prices based on a day by day rate basis.

There are other contributing factors to the rails deciding to offer door to door service, but rates and equipment supply are obviously at the top of the list.  The rails have come up with a way to maximize their revenue.  But the door to door offering doesn’t address every need, every day.  There are still opportunities for the shipper and the IMC to participate.  Next time, we will go over some of the advantages that can be realized by the shipping community.

Check in on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month for more information on intermodal and how it can benefit you!

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Training Tuesday:Addressing Problems

Training Tuesday: Handling Problems

It doesn’t take long for anyone in the transportation business to realize that occasionally bad things happen to good people. You name it, it can and occasionally will happen.

When customers aren’t happy, whether it’s because a shipment is late, damaged or lost, five things can happen—and four of them are bad:

THE CUSTOMER DOESN’T LET US KNOW THEY WERE UNHAPPY WITH SUNTECKTTS’ SERVICE. NOT GOOD.

THE CUSTOMER CHANGES CARRIERS IN SILENCE. NOT GOOD EITHER.

THE CUSTOMER TELLS HIS OR HER FRIENDS. WORSE.

THE CUSTOMER TALKS TO THIRD PARTIES. WORST OF ALL.

THE FIFTH OPTION IS COMMUNICATION.

The best possible outcome is that your unhappy customer talks to you.  This gives you a second chance to understand their needs, identify and correct problems, and convert your dissatisfied customer into a happy customer – one who’ll keep coming back.

Here are the proper procedures to best help your customer.

1.Inform the customer as soon as you can—they’re absolutely going to find out—no news travels more swiftly than bad news.

2.Get to the point quickly by saying something like, “You’re not going to like hearing this”

3.If your customer approaches you with a complaint, don’t interrupt.  Don’t become defensive.

4.Take complaints seriously, no matter how trivial the issue may seem to you.

5.Don’t create distance from SunteckTTS by referring to it as “they.”  Use “we” instead, and proudly stand behind our service without making excuses.

6.Apologize sincerely.

7.Avoid focusing on fixing the blame; instead focus on fixing the problem.

8.Let your customer suggest alternatives.  Every customer has some idea of what they want as a solution to every problem.

9.Do something extra. Correcting the problem isn’t always enough.

10.Trust the customer’s sincerity.  It’s better to err by believing too many people than by not believing enough people.

11.Never just say, “I don’t know.” When you don’t know an answer, simply say, “I’ll look into the matter,” and then look into it, soon.

12.Empathize with the customer.  If you can’t relate to the complaint itself, at least relate to the process of complaining.

13.If the timing is appropriate, ask for future business—let the customer know this does not represent SunteckTTS’s usual high quality of service.

14.Follow-up.   Make sure the customer is truly satisfied.

15.Don’t let it affect your interaction with the next customer. And most importantly:  Most customers will accept occasional mistakes.  How you deal with the problem and how you resolve it is what will distinguish you as a real professional.

16.Always remember that listening to your customer is the best way to help in an uncomfortable situation.  Some people want to be listened to even more than they want their problems solved.

Check back next Tuesday for more tips on Selling SunteckTTS. The full playlist of videos can be found on our YouTube channel.

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Training Tuesday:Delivering Great Customer Service

Training Tuesday: How to Deliver Great Customer Service

Many customers are suspicious of freight salesmen. They think that we’re there at the time of the sale but not when they need us if something goes wrong. Many people get buyer’s remorse. When they get that follow-up email or phone call, or they experience the other customer service techniques discussed here, it makes them think, “Yes, I made the right decision.”

Constant communication is the key to building a lasting relationship with customers and prospects.  You must stay in touch.

Let’s define SERVICE as anything that builds trust and confidence in the company and the services you provide to the customer.

Following is a list of services that are specific and measurable. You can use this checklist to make service a more specific part of your sales planning.

1.Write thank you notes as part of your service system. Carry cards in your car and fill them out at the end of the call while still in the customer’s parking lot.

2.Schedule a visit of upper management to your client. This is a symbolic and information gathering visit.

3.Conduct agency or corporate office tours on a regular basis. Clients need to see the agency or corporate office, especially large shippers, so that they can see the depth of the professionalism and dedication that goes into moving their freight.

4.Hold round table discussions about business trends and opportunities with key clients.

5.Throw a client appreciation party, cookout, or breakfast.

6.Invite your customer to accompany you to seminars, speeches, and functions.

7.Return all phone calls immediately. The simple act of returning a phone call can differentiate you from the competition.

8.Vary your modes of contact. A call, package, or email will have more impact if it’s reinforced with another form of contact.

9.Make buying fun. Selling doesn’t have to be all serious business. You don’t have to sacrifice professionalism to make buying an energizing, enjoyable experience that will keep your customers coming back.

10.Make sure internal employees are well-trained in good customer service techniques. 

11.Most importantly, do what you promised, do it when you promised, and do it more often than the competition.

 

Check back next Tuesday for more tips on Selling SunteckTTS. The full playlist of videos can be found on our YouTube channel.

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Intermodal 101:Rates

Intermodal 101: Rates

Use of rail controlled, door to door offerings have some positive and negative components to consider. It is important to contemplate them when trying to determine if this option for intermodal shipping fits your needs.  This product offering has been beneficial to the railroads and doesn’t show signs of changing, but to understand why it is good for the railroad, it is important to understand the dynamics that lead to this service.  This post will discuss one of the major contributing factors – rates.

Historically, the rails went to market through a controlled network of 3rd Party Logistics (3PL) companies who held contracts with the rails to sell their service in a ramp to ramp environment.  The 3PLs who held these contracts are known as Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMCs).

It was the job of the IMC to coordinate the origin drayage, rail linehaul and the destination drayage, to put together a complete move from origin to destination.  This allowed the IMC to consider different rails and different drayage firms to arrive at the solution the customer was looking for – whether that was speed, ride quality, lower rates, etc.

This method relied on contracted rates between the rail providers and the IMC’s.  It may be Freight All Kinds (FAK) rates that are basically the same across all IMCs or Special Pricing Quotes (SPQs) that are put in place for a specific Beneficial Cargo Owner (BCO).

As railroad consolidation began to pick up steam, the rails decided to limit the number of IMCs they would allow.  Each IMC that had a contract in place could continue moving freight with the rail on a ramp to ramp basis.   This was an advantage for the IMC community, but was a restrictor to the railroads and their efforts to grow.

Going hand in hand with rates is equipment supply, which we will discuss in our next post.

 

Check in on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month for more information on intermodal and how it can benefit you!

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