Getting multiple bids for a shipment is always encouraged, but it is important to have specific criteria on how you evaluate those bids to determine which the best value supplier is beyond just the price. If you only select your supplier based on price, you may select a supplier without experience, capabilities to handle the shipment, or financial backing to solve problems should they occur.
Case Study
The following is an example of what can go wrong if you choose a carrier or 3PL without experience.
In this case, an inexperienced carrier was contracted to handle the shipment because they gave the lowest price on a bid. The shipper quickly learned that experience matters just as much as price.
Incident
- Carrier did not properly secure the load for transit.
- Carrier had never handled a shipment of this size.
- Carrier was traveling at an excessive rate of speed in violation of the permit.
Outcome
- Tank was a total loss and scrapped.
- Carrier hauling this shipment is now out of business.
- Shipper incurred additional charges that they were not able to recoup from the carrier’s insurance company.
Shipper Hires KCC
After the shipper contracted KCC, the shipment was delivered without incident. That’s because we take every measure to ensure nothing will go wrong:
- We perform a 5-point check on each vendor every time we use them.
- We verify the driver hauling your shipment has the proper experience.
- We only use carriers that meet our strict standards.