Outsourcing transport is more the rule than the exception among shippers these days. By focusing on core processes and leaving the transport to specialists, a lot of money can be saved. Can, because even with outsourcing, it remains to think carefully about how best to design it.
For example, many companies choose to put together their own rides and hire only the wheels. A sensible choice because minimising transport deployment is a goal of the shipper rather than the carrier.
Read also: The transport planner anno 2025 wears a tie!
A next step is to pay the transporter based on its own calculated trips. In this case, the burden of proof that more kilometres and time were spent on exports is on the carrier. The latest trend is that shippers want to be able to monitor export progress themselves and actively notify customers if necessary. This ties in with a world where good information and service are increasingly important.
Are these developments at the expense of the carrier's position? At first glance, it sounds like so. Thinking further, I come to the conclusion that it is also in the carrier's interest for the shipper to actively monitor exports. Instead of having to defend afterwards as a carrier that more effort was needed, the shipper has now been able to see for himself. Instead of reporting afterwards, the shipper can monitor live that the carrier excels!
Curious about your vision!
Peter de Haan - Senior Solution Architect at Ortec
