You know that feeling of suspense when you’re waiting for the customer’s email or phone call about a service failure that just happened? For me, that recently felt like looking at a meteorite falling from the sky, about to create a worldwide catastrophe.

We have all felt this way at some point in trucking. Things happen and it’s part of the business. But, have you ever asked yourself why that happened, in the first place? Trucking, being the industry of many variables, does make it hard. But, in most cases, it wasn’t just that flat tire that created the entire mess. More than often, it is us alone.

Why? How?

It is actually very simple. As simple as asking ourselves one question.

Now, before we get to it, let me share how I came to this conclusion.

The “AHA” Moment

It was a Friday night when we received a call from a customer. They needed a 53’ Van in Los Angeles to pick up a full trailer of rolling cases, as soon as possible. Naturally, we started looking for one right away. The catch is, that night all the truckers we discussed this shipment with, after our evaluation, did not seem to be a good fit for the job. Our client seemed desperate and kept calling us every few minutes, as they needed a truck urgently. So, on one side, we had a pool of unreliable carriers and, on the other, a demanding client who wanted the job done right away. What did we do? We closed our eyes and went for it, praying it would be okay.

It absolutely did not!

Let me tell you, whatever could go wrong with that shipment, did go wrong. From the trailer not being equipped with E tracks and the driver not having a single strap, to the shipment delivering late! It was a disaster. Our, and our client’s entire weekend was spent in a constant back and forth calls about the driver’s location, making sure he stopped at a truck stop to buy a few load locks to keep the freight in place and many other concerns. After it was delivered (2 days later than expected), I had that exact feeling of suspense. Waiting for the end of the world.

After all, this was over, and we sorted things out with the customer, it finally struck me. The conclusion was right there all the time, within my grasp. I just never realized it before. The one question that  always gives the right answer:

Would I do this if I were the client myself?

Questions, Questions, Questions

Doesn’t asking this question make you stop for a second and think? It should. What are we used to instead? Once we receive a request from a customer, we tend to rush and find an option as soon as possible. This way of handling shipments brings mistakes.

After we realized this, it changed everything for us. Instead of providing mediocre customer service, we became exceptionally good at it. Now, there will always be pressure from clients to act on the request and provide them an option, even though we wouldn’t do it if it was for ourselves. Instead of falling under the pressure and letting our principles go out the window, we should stand strong and explain it is in their best interest. They might decide to use someone else instead and that is okay.

In the end, if it was our own freight in question, would we rather hear the trucker’s sincere advice or work with someone who only sees us as a way of making money per each transaction?

After we officially started following this philosophy, we had a situation where a client needed some freight in Chicago picked up and delivered as soon as possible to Ohio. Again, all the carriers we found did not look promising. Now, with our old system of work, we would give them an option right away, without thinking too much of the possible consequences. This time, we suggested to find an outstanding carrier, but in order to do so, the freight would have to be picked later than they expected. Since the shipment was delicate in many ways (it was urgent, needed an inside delivery along with glove service), we explained that if we give it to someone we are not 100% sure about, it would be a gamble. So, the client agreed on the later pickup time and everything went smoothly.

Is The Answer in The Truth?

If everyone learned from their mistakes every time we made one, the trucking industry would be a much better place. It wouldn’t be so complicated. So fake. We have a feeling that everyone is pretending to be something they are not.

We can change this, but keep in mind that in order to change the world, we must start with ourselves first.