Why Belong to a Freight Exchange?

During difficult financial times, as well as when business is booming, there are still many great advantages to belonging to a freight exchange. However, it pays to find the best connections so that the deals are mutually beneficial, rather than being one-sided.

As any delivery driver knows, they are paid on the volume of goods they are able to move. Going out with a full load can become a well-paid journey, but returning to base with an empty or almost empty load is a waste of time, energy and money. A freight exchange is a great way of bringing together like-minded people and businesses to move goods more efficiently around the U.K.’s roads. But what do you look for to source the best exchange facility?

Register and research

By understanding how often you drive empty or part empty regularly, and the weight and size of your capacity, you will be able to provide a freight exchange with sufficient information so they can help fill your spare capacity by matching your requirements. On some occasions you may have more cargo than you can carry in a single journey, and this gives you the opportunity to place your overflow on an exchange so other people can benefit.

By providing your information companies will be able to offer work to you. If you are open to negotiation, it is better to move goods that are going to bring you even a small profit (rather than none at all) with an empty return load journey.

For the "green" side - environmental issues - it is always better that freight is carried efficiently and with less impact, which is why the more journeys that can be completed with a full load leads to less lorries running with empty loads across the country.

Being a member of a freight exchange will almost certainly increase your bottom line profits; you will be sharing the costs involved of fuel, congestion charges and any other expenses.

By offering your services to the register, you will also increase your client base. This will effectively help you build contacts and relationships with other hauliers as they get to know both you and the facilities that you have to offer. An increased client base will help you achieve a much higher amount of work, which increases your turnover and, therefore, your profits.

Your choice of network may come to you via word-of-mouth and testimonials from other drivers, and it helps if you can garner a range of opinions before making a decision about which one to work with.

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for haulage work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.