You get what you need, and you pay what you should
Experienced purchasers want a fair price, not a cheap price.
A Fair Price is a competitive price, but one that yields enough revenue to the broker / carrier combination to enable the transportation job to be done correctly and professionally, with a small contingency to deal with unforeseen events, and a with a fair return on investment.
A Fair Price is a price that enables and promotes stable service excellence, and at the same time is constrained by the intense competitive forces in the freight transportation marketplace.
A Fair Price is a price that allows the customer to ship and receive product at a cost and service level that has no impact, positively or negatively, on its relative competitive position in its marketplace.
And even with a fair price, there may still be unexpected operational hiccups. But, compared to the cheap price scenario, the likelihood and frequency of hiccups will be much, much lower. And more importantly, the broker’s and the carrier’s willingness and abilities to deal with hiccups will be much, much greater.
You’ll have your shipping needs met and, if there are problems, they’ll be addressed quickly and professionally. You’ll get credit for selecting a reliable transportation supplier at a fair price.
You really do get what you pay for – life’s like that.