How to Find the Right General Haulage Partner

Maybe your company has a one-time need for a general haulage company or needs container transport.  Perhaps you are looking for ongoing help with transport and haulage services as your business grows and expands.  Whatever the situation, how do you go about finding the right company among the many transport companies available?

Do some reputation research

You should always start by checking out the company’s website because this will tell you what they do and will usually contain case studies or client testimonials. These will inform you as to the type of transport services they offer and what past customers have to say about them.

You will also want to do some further research away from their website on independent review sites where people leave their experiences.  Remember, reviews are subjective but if there are lots of bad ones, this could be a sign of a problem. If you know anyone who has used haulage companies before, ask for their recommendations and what, if any, issues they encountered.

Talk to them about your requirements

Once you have a few names in the hat to consider, it is worth speaking to the company about the service you require.  Let’s say you need container transport and want to have a container moved to your new business premises.  You will have a few names of transport hauliers that specialise in container haulage and you can approach them with what you need.

Don’t just look at the cost of the service – consider the questions they ask and what information they need.  There should be questions about the location, the site, access and the container itself. If companies don’t ask questions or do some form of information gathering, this could mean that problems you and they aren’t aware of may surface during the move and slow the delivery down.

See what vehicles they have

Most haulage companies will have different vehicles to handle the different loads.  Look for companies that offer heavy or abnormal load haulage as well as shipping containers.  This means they have equipment for all kinds of loads and can definitely handle what you need. If you just need light haulage, look for vehicles that are easy to unload and won’t cause delays while you get access to your items.

Get the quote in writing

Continuing with the example, you have spoken to the container hauliers, they have taken your information and asked the right questions – next they will provide a quote.  You want to have this posted or emailed to you, so you have it in writing.  This lets you see what is in the quote and ensure it is comprehensive.

If there is anything on the quote you are uncertain about, don’t hesitate to go back and ask more questions. It is better to do this and make sure you and the company are clear on everything than to end up encountering problems on the day. If you are looking for repeat services, make sure you know things like payment terms and any cancellation processes if loads don’t need transporting when already arranged.