BETTING ON THE RIGHT TRANSPORTATION PROVIDER PROVIDER
should involve supply chain operations, IT, nance, customer service, and even sales and marketing,” he says. “A cross- functional team ensures carriers are evaluated not just on cost, but also on integration, risk, and brand impact.” In particular, operations stakeholders are key. “These stakeholders keep the warehouse budgets, on-time service metrics, and, in the instance of factory support, the lineup-time results,” Mitchell says. “Low-cost providers have their place, but when results matter, operations teams know the true cost of having a lower-quality service level in the yard or in their carrier base: it comes back in the form of nes, detention, overtime, and lagging equipment effectiveness.” Including a variety of voices not only helps shippers select a provider with the best t, but it also helps with the transition to new providers and reduces resistance to change. “You don’t want the relationship to get off on the wrong foot after you did all the work to transition to a new supplier,” Martinez says. “It makes a transition more dif cult when you don’t have all partners trying to reach the same objective. If people have a voice and are included in the process, it helps to make a smoother transition.”
differentiator between carriers—and shippers should proceed accordingly. “For companies evaluating carriers, the question isn’t whether technology matters, but whether you’re equipped to evaluate it effectively,” Axelrad says. “Request system demos, test integrations, review analytics dashboards and talk to current clients. “Carriers investing in modern technology are better at execution and can be reliable partners who help identify opportunities, solve problems proactively, and scale ef ciently,” he adds. “As we look ahead, transportation provider choice is multifaceted, delivering on the visibility, reliability, and agility your customers demand.” INCLUDE THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE PROCESS Shippers can avoid many problems with carriers if they include in the process relevant internal departments, such as nance and customer service, that might sometimes be overlooked. . “It bene ts logistics executives to have their input and buy-in in the selection process,” Martinez says. Axelrad agrees that selecting transportation providers should not live solely with logistics or procurement. “It
AVOID DICEY MOVES Red flags to watch out for when ve ing carriers.
With fraud and cargo theft on the rise—and safety as paramount a concern as ever—it is important when vetting carriers to validate their identities and ensure their paperwork is in order and “they are who they say they are,” notes Mike Hane of Descartes. Shippers also need to investigate a carrier’s safety history and drivers’ quali cations, including how drivers are vetted and trained. A lack of data transparency is one major red ag. “Providers should be focused not just on customer-facing metrics, but also internal metrics that can be used to inspire and motivate employees,” says YMX’s Erin Mitchell. “High driver turnover, limited training, or outdated equipment are others. And beware of ‘too-good-to-be-true’ rates; they usually mean corners are being cut somewhere.” Fraud risk is also frequently linked to a lack of visibility and manual process gaps, adds Arthur Axelrad of Dispatch Science. “Key prevention techniques require carriers to provide proof of delivery in digital form, ensure real-time location/ETA visibility to monitor extra stops and unauthorized detours, validate billing against route and load data, and establish rate contracts/lanes clearly in advance with audit trails,” he says. “A TMS can capture every touch, provide timestamped data, support electronic settlement and ag inconsistencies.”
When selecting a transportation provider, it’s important for shippers to fully understand what services they need—last-mile deliveries, for instance, require dierent capabilities and expertise than inventory management or cross-border transportation.
138 Inbound Logistics • January 2026
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