Return load check list
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• Check out the company offering the return load before you accept it. Ask for bank references, and the phone numbers of two or three hauliers it employs to see what their experience has been. Run a credit check.
O Make sure the backload won't disrupt your outgoing traffic. It may do if your driver has to pick up from several different places, and tip at hatf-a-doten destinations.
• Think about whether the rate is acceptable. Remember that a full load means your vehicle will use more diesel, and that could mean you make no profit at all out of the deal.
• Make it clear that you will levy a charge if your driver has to wait more than, say, an hour-and-ahaif to be loaded.
• Ensure that the consignor understands your terms and conditions, and when you expect to be paid for the job.
• Do a bit of forward planning and Incorporate backloads into your strategic thinking. Remember that a rate on an outbound load that seems poor can look a lot more appealing if you have a reliable and lucrative source of return loads from the area the cargo is going to. An inability to backload profitably may be a sound reason for rejecting outbound work at mediocre rates.
• If you run out of Ideas for sourcing loads, check out some of the electronic load matching services, including Teleroute (0500 006124) or websites. Try Roadrunnettuk.com; Load-link.com; or Freight-traders,pom.