transportation
 After several customer-service lapses and a missing-freight debacle, I'm in the market for a new exhibit-transportation company. What are some key questions to ask to ensure that I don't end up with the same carrier-related problems next time?
 It doesn't matter if you've got a $200 tabletop exhibit or a $4 million double-deck booth, you need the right transportation carrier for the job - and failing to find a reliable carrier can mean the difference between a successful show and a no show. After all, you can score a home run with every other aspect of your exhibit, including your staffing, promotions, installation, lead tracking, etc., but if your freight shows up late or not at all, all of your home-run
efforts could be for naught.
So to help ensure that your next transportation company is a keeper, here are eight questions to ask potential providers - along with info about the answers you'll want to hear. Granted, they won't guarantee you'll find the perfect carrier, but they'll certainly increase your odds; plus, they'll show providers that you know your stuff and you're not about to settle for second-rate service.
1. Do you have a trade show division?
It's critical that your carrier understands the myriad nuances of trade show shipping, including marshalling yards, weight slips, wait time, and even the importance of punctual delivery and ongoing communication. Granted, it's not essential that the carrier have an entire trade show division, but it should have considerable experience in the industry and a solid understanding of our wacky world.
2. What are some of the most difficult shows or convention centers your company has encountered when it comes
to delivering and receiving freight?
This is a follow-up question to No. 1. The answer will help suss out firms that have overstated their experience levels. For example, answers often expose what this company considers
a "problem" worth noting. And if waiting in line at a convention center is a "problem" as opposed to a typical delivery situation, for example, it may indicate that the carrier's experience isn't as advanced as it might have suggested. Or, if the carrier can't expound upon the delivery/receiving
experience at various trade show locations and in various industries, it may have been blowing smoke in its answer to the first question.
3. Who will be my point of contact, and who else will I have access to within the company?
Once the carrier picks up your shipment, it's literally out of your hands until you reach the show. So it's crucial to know who you'll be working with on a regular basis and whether you will have access to
management if something goes awry. Ideally, you want to have one main point of contact for all shipments, along with easy access to management (and an understanding of the chain of command) if a problem pops up. You also want a 24/7 open-calling agreement with not only your carrier, but also your drivers. After all, if your shipment hits a pothole, you probably can't wait until office hours to start patching things up.
4. What methods will your company use to communicate with me?
Ensure that the carriers' methods and frequency of communication fit your needs. For example, you probably will prefer verbal communication for standard exchanges, and both verbal and written communication for important documents and critical matters. If your shipment is late, for instance, you'll need a paper trail to help collect any monetary losses incurred from the late shipment. Also, how will the carrier track your shipment and relay this information to you? Do all trucks have GPS tracking, and is there some way for you to monitor it online? There
isn't a "correct" set of communication
standards, but in order for you to build a long-term relationship with a freight carrier, its communication preferences must fit your needs.
5. Can you provide three to five
references?
Once the carrier gives
you a list of references, ask these exhibit managers general questions about the company's service, and ask about specific problems they've had and how these situations were resolved. Their answers can tell you a lot about the manner in which the carrier handles a crisis, which is when you need that carrier the most. Also inquire about timeliness and accuracy. Does it take the carrier hours or days to supply a rate quote, and are forms and rates always in need of verification? Try to track down some references that aren't on the carrier's official "reference list" by asking around with exhibitors in your industry or even your exhibit house or various other suppliers. The carrier is confident that the references on its list will shed a good light on the company. But companies not on this list may have valuable insights to offer - and stories of woe that the carrier didn't want you to hear.
6. How are costs determined?
The manner in which you are charged (dimensional weight versus truckload capacity versus overall weight, for example) and in which your shipment is loaded into the transport vehicle (stacked versus floor loaded, for instance) can have a significant impact on your costs. Before you sign on with a carrier, you need to know not only how you will be charged, but how you can incur savings. If the carrier isn't interested in helping you cut costs and avoid unnecessary charges, then it's probably more interested in its bottom line than in providing you with good service.
7. How much are add-ons?
Many companies tack on extra charges for blanket wrapping your freight, hotel versus show-hall delivery, extra pickups, wait times, additional drivers, special handling, etc. Try to get a list of each carrier's "extra" services and compare these lists to one another. A carrier with a higher standard price actually may be cheaper than a company with a ton of add-on fees. And don't use price as your sole determinant when selecting a carrier. You wouldn't want to purchase the cheapest car, shoes, or furniture, yet many people opt for the cheapest shipping company - which likely has the greatest risk of loss and late or damaged goods.
8. What happens if ... ?
Run a list of "what if" situations by your carrier and ask how it would handle each one. Let's say the tractor-trailer carrying your exhibit gets into an accident. What steps will your shipper take to get your exhibit to you as soon as possible?
What happens if the delivery is late? Who pays, and how much? Then, listen carefully to the answers. Many companies will say things like, "We'll give you 25 percent off your bill if your shipment arrives late." That sounds like a decent answer, but a 25-percent discount probably doesn't begin to account for the overtime I&D hours you'll incur, or the costs to create new graphics because your overhead signage arrives too late to be rigged prior to the show. No transportation company is immune to a service failure and unavoidable delays at some point. But it's how it deals with the failure that counts.
So when it's time to ship out your old transportation carrier and haul in a new one, these eight questions should help you narrow down your options. Carriers' answers will help you hone in on a company that'll not only transport your shipment to the show on time and in one piece - but that's also interested in providing quality service for the long haul.
- Carol Ziegler, independent sales agent, Airways Freight Corp., Fayetteville, AR
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