It's a Team's Life

Are we a common Commodity?

A friend posted this article on the Team Run Smart web site and I found it intriguing and wondered what all do we do to keep from becoming a common commodity to our carrier? Is it possible while leased to a carrier to stand out?

When we made the decision to lease our truck to FedEx Custom Critical we were given a brochure on the average earnings for the past 2 years of a D unit surface truck.   We knew at that moment that we were not going to be “average”.     We took a close look at ourselves, at our truck, and our mode of operation to see what we could do better.

Our truck was a common D surface truck, no lift gate, minimum freight securement, and no pallet jacks or ways to move freight.   We looked at ourselves, we were not in the White Glove division and we did not have to wear a uniform.   We also knew we had a negative as we had a pet on board that we were not willing to give up.

We reinvented ourselves and our business as quickly as we could.   We purchased uniforms and always wore the uniforms while on duty not just on the customers property.   We purchased an Interlift lift gate with a large platform and also several safety features.   Next we slowly kept adding to our freight securement devices, we added blankets as could afford them, we purchased a pallet jack, and we became a fully equipped White Glove truck.

Next we looked at our qualifications and we found we were lacking in some areas.   We had HazMat but we did not have DoD clearances which we immediately applied for.   We found that in order to pickup and deliver Airport freight we had to take a few different tests which we quickly rectified.   We also realized in time we needed to put a speed limiter on the truck so we could easily go in and out of Canada.

We continue to learn ways to improve our imagine, increase the productivity of the truck, and to acquire new skills that will keep us from becoming a common commodity.

The article that was posted:

Common Commodity

Bob & Linda Caffee
Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters 5 years been out here on the road ten years
[email protected]

 

Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.