Do you know who is pulling up to your dock to pick up your freight? Or do you know what company you can expect to deliver it? Better yet, can you guarantee that your freight will be delivered?
It is important to do your research when choosing what carrier to trust with your freight. Not doing so is bound to place your freight, as well as company’s reputation, at risk.
So was the case last Friday with Vitan Enterprises, whose shipment of king crab was stolen “without a trace.”
Nearly 25,000 pounds of king crab was to be delivered on Monday to International Seafoods Venture in Seattle from the L.A. cold-storage warehouse where it originated.
On Monday, the driver phoned in from Oregon to report mechanical difficulties, The Seattle Times explains, and the load, which was valued at over $400,000, never made it to its destination.
According to the article, Vitan Enterprises uses New Sound Transportation, a Washington company that uses truck contractors to fill lanes, for several of its shipments. The problem with this is that there is not a steady, single carrier transporting the company’s freight but rather various companies.
Wouldn’t you rather know that a distinguishable/recognizable company with uniformed drivers and reliable equipment is going to show up at you and your customer’s dock in a professional manner the way that Road Scholar Transport does?
New Sound Transportation acknowledged that although they post their lanes online for truck contractors, they do not list the contents of the cargo, and therefore, while king crab is currently a high valued target due to current price surges, there is doubt that thieves in this case knew exactly what they were stealing.
New Sound Transportation continued to explain that when they initially examined the truck contractor, “the trucker’s insurance, driver’s license and other documents appeared to be legitimate,” yet when the freight did not deliver, they reinvestigated the material and found it to be a case of fraud, stressing the importance of thoroughly checking a carrier before trusting them with your freight (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015168410_crabtheft28m.html).
According to The Seattle Times, Vitan Enterpises’ Andrew Feoktistov states, “No one knows where it went. Did it go south, north, east?” This brings up the issue of cargo security. If you are a company looking for the cheapest service, then you shouldn’t expect features such as satellite tracking or electronic door monitoring for when something goes wrong.
Road Scholar not only has independent tracking on both the tractor and trailer, quickly uncovering the precise location of your cargo, but navalock and seals preventing the tampering of your products.
Don’t leave it up to the broker to find the right person to transport your precious LTL and truckload freight. Do your research and choose Road Scholar Transport, an asset-based carrier ensuring quality service and security of your goods.
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