Every transport company owner wishes to have their trucks running around the clock.
But in reality – this is hard to achieve. Why?
1. It is difficult to find customers who will allow deliveries or pickups after-hours – many business owners find that to grow and secure new contracts, they need to invest in more trucks to service them. This is because the trucks they already have, are fully committed during normal day-time operating hours. An alternative is to subcontract the work to third parties, but this means giving away margin and control which is not ideal.
2. Empty container parks are often closed at night – so how would the transport operator return containers when the container depots are closed?
3. Drivers – Business owners have found the right customers, but they just can’t find the drivers.
As far as the first two points are concerned, smart transport operators find customers that will provide night access and combine this with container re-use or exchange via the MB platform. This provides them with an instant approval, eliminating the need to engage with shipping lines that are closed. It also removes the need to return the container to the depot. It’s a great way to increase fleet utilization and service more contracts without having to buy more trucks!
As far as the driver shortage issue is concerned, please check out our article on the topic here
Carl Marchese
Founder and Managing Director, MatchBox Exchange