What is the work of a freight Manager and how to start a business in this field from scratch
In the process of transportation of goods involved a lot of important links, one of which is the freight dispatcher.
What is the activity of the freight forwarder
The dispatcher is the production unit responsible for establishing the link between the cargo owner and the carrier. More specifically, it selects the appropriate transport for delivery, based on the requirements of the owner of the goods, and monitors its movement along the route up to the destination. In addition, the dispatcher is responsible for coordinating the interaction of several customers in the process of delivery of cargoes, or those goods that are transported by reloading.
As soon as the goods arrive at the appointed place, the work of the freight forwarder is considered completed, and he receives a pre-agreed percentage of the total amount of the contract (usually 10-15%). In order to find an option that suits the customer in a short time, the freight Manager must have sufficient experience and level of knowledge in the industry, be polite, sociable, always collected and stress-resistant. The latter component is particularly important because the freight forwarder, being a bridge between the customer and the contractor, is responsible to both of them — in some situations even financially.
Communication through a Manager, of transportation, of course, is a win-win for both customers and suppliers. Cargo owners save their time on searching for carriers, and thus, in turn, do not have to constantly scour in search of free and return cargo.
How to start your trucking business
Before starting a business in the field of transportation, carefully examine the current situation in this segment: how it is “Packed” by competitors, what methods they used to attract customers, their strengths and weaknesses. This information will help you to build your own strategy and avoid repeating other people's mistakes.
After that, decide on the scale of future activities and, accordingly, the legal form. If you plan to open a small company, it will be enough to have a home office and registration as an individual entrepreneur. Well, if the budget allows you to immediately deploy a wide range of activities throughout the range of services, then there can not do without renting premises and registration of LLC.
In the second case, you will have to equip the office with the necessary equipment and resort to hiring employees. With the economy version, a multi-channel phone, a reliable unlimited Internet and its own strength will be enough.
From your financial capacity depends on not only the size of the staff and premises for work, but also such an important issue as the availability of its own fleet. If funds abound, you can buy a certain number of cars in the property. If the budget is not so large, there is an option to rent vehicles. Well, those who decided not to spend immediately, there is only a mediation role between the shipper and the carrier.
For your business to be known, it needs to be heard. And how to achieve this? That's right, with advertising. We recommend using all possible sources: ads in Newspapers, video or running line on TV, boards at the roads (if funds allow) and, of course, the Internet. On the last way to promote make a special emphasis, because, according to statistics, 80% of all transactions in the transport of goods pass through the Internet. Visit popular resources, forums, communities in social networks, leave information about yourself, send letters about cooperation, arrange fan mailings. In the future, the expansion of the customer base of your company will be mainly due to word of mouth.
We also recommend you to run through the catalog of enterprises in your city to determine which of them, due to production activities, may need transportation of cargo. Once you have identified a list of these companies, let them know about your business by email or phone call. If there is an opportunity to pay a personal visit, it should not be neglected.
Your interaction with both carriers and cargo owners will be based on contracts under which you search for customers and suitable vehicles, respectively — this applies to both LLC and IP. In General, the documentary design should be taken very seriously. If you do not have the proper competencies, seek the help of a lawyer. Every detail should be taken into account in order to avoid possible misunderstandings and misunderstandings.
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