Thursday, March 25, 2021
by Tommy Key
Moving freight is not a leisurely business. This is an industry that runs fast and hard to meet business and consumer expectations for immediacy.
For independent freight broker agents, speed is key to building relationships and growing their business. The faster you can put loads on carriers, the more readily shippers will return with more jobs. But that should never be reason to skip carrier
due diligence.
At Nationwide Logistics, we conduct thorough due diligence of all of our carriers during the onboarding process. Then we take it a step further by reviewing carrier compliance with safety and insurance requirements on a daily basis. Here’s how.
Safety Verification Reduces Agents’ Risk
Checking a carrier’s safety rating before putting them on a load is risk management 101. But what about monitoring safety after they’ve been vetted? Our carrier onboarding team checks each carrier’s safety rating as well as potential complaints through a third-party monitoring service.
Insurance Verification is Kept on File
Imagine losing an entire shipment of produce because of a reefer malfunction. Now imagine discovering the carrier was operating with expired insurance and refuses to pay for the shipment. At best, you may end up losing a client. At worst, you could be responsible for thousands of dollars of damage.
At Nationwide, certification of insurance is part of our onboarding process. If the carrier’s insurance expires after they are uploaded into our database, the system prevents agents from using that carrier until we receive proof of recertification.
Agent Feedback Provides Real-Time Insights
Not all risk factors will surface during the due diligence process. A history of no-shows won’t be reflected in safety scores or proof of insurance. Likewise, a carrier may start out strong but later decline in performance.
Nationwide agents have the power to flag issues with carriers in our system. As a result, our agents can make the best, most informed decision about a carrier before trusting a load to them. Our team also reviews all notes to determine if we should continue to maintain a relationship with the carrier.
Real-Time Response, from Onboarding to Claims
We understand the need for speed. But above all, we want to be thorough. Our carrier onboarding process streamlines the application process while incorporating detailed vetting procedures.
Getting a signed rate confirmation back from the carrier is key getting as much protection as possible. But we also know that even when you do everything right, things can still go wrong. A shipment may be late. A carrier may not show. Cargo may be ruined. When that happens, our claims department steps in to back you up. We are here 24/7/365 to provide assistance when you need it, so you can keep your carriers rolling and your customers satisfied.
To learn more about how Nationwide Logistics keeps your business moving,
visit our website or follow us on social media.