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For a variety of reasons, there is a driver shortage today. One reason is a shrinkage of truck capacity. During the great recession, the inventory of trucking equipment shrank by 15 to 20%. Truckers have not yet started to expand. The average age of drivers today is somewhat higher than other occupations, and employee turnover remains relatively high. Clearly, young people entering the workforce do not find that truck driving an attractive job.
Faced with the change in the balance of supply and demand, truckers will favor those who are preferred shippers. Before the recession, any shipper who had a lot of freight was considered to be a preferred client. Today, the rules are changing. A preferred shipper is one who never delays the carriers, whether on inbound deliveries or outbound shipments. Furthermore, a preferred shipper is a company that communicates well with its suppliers, and shares information about future planning. That shipper has good data, and the data is made available to truckers as well as other vendors.
The best shippers treat carrier drivers as friends and customers, providing comfortable places for them to wait while their vehicles are being unloaded or loaded. At a time when capacity is strained, your reputation as a preferred shipper will enable you to get better treatment than others. Furthermore, some of those "others" are probably your competitors!
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