Driving Success: Choosing a Managed Transportation Provider with Expertise and Technology

By: Evan Laskaris, Vice President Managed Transportation

Efficient transportation management is crucial for companies striving to optimize their supply chains. Understanding the nuances of managed transportation (MT) can significantly impact an organization’s bottom line.  

Here are the top considerations when choosing an MT provider – and the things we hear every day from our customers looking to optimize their transportation solutions:

• Cost: Transportation and supply chain costs are often a large chunk of a shipper’s overall budget. MT providers can partner with customers to find ways to save across the business. Beyond lower freight costs, MT delivers improved KPIs, better customer service and access to the expertise of transportation specialists to make moving freight easier for customers.  

• Network Optimization: In the same light as cost savings, a good MT provider will produce network optimization studies that demonstrate how a company can take advantage of opportunities to increase throughput, increase efficiency and create value for their end customers.  By using digital twin technology to employ real-time scenarios within a customer’s network, an MT provider can identify a baseline for how their supply chain functions and then build out scenarios that optimize inventory flow, reduce total landed cost and enhance customer experience. 

• Visibility and Technology: Real-time tracking that provides a 360-degree view of where products are, allowing for proactive issue resolution, is vital. This also helps with efficient route planning and load consolidation to minimize transit time and save customers money. Data-driven insights offer ways to enhance performance, mitigate risk and drive continuous improvement. Working with an MT provider with innovative technology helps businesses automate processes and streamline workflows – all while providing the opportunity to adapt to the market quickly. 

• Long-Term Business Value: Partnering with an MT service isn’t about short-term wins. It is an investment in the business’s future. By offloading transportation management to an MT provider, leaders can focus on other strategic parts of the business. As the business grows, MT helps to scale seamlessly. The value of the relationship is also evident when it comes to risk mitigation. Experts will handle compliance, carrier relationships and unexpected challenges, reducing the time business leaders must focus on transportation, putting time and resources back into the business. 

At the end of the day, partnering with the right MT provider is a strategic investment that can set-up an organization for long term success if done in a thoughtful manner and focusing on the key complimentary elements to the business.