Importing: The Hidden Costs of Choosing the Cheapest Rates

Importers like to minimize their shipping costs, and that’s understandable. Companies expect their purchasing or logistics managers to find the best available rates. What’s often missed is the underlying value proposition behind any shipping quote. Choosing the cheapest rate usually means sacrificing efficient service. Savings get eaten up very quickly when problems start to arise.

Dedola Global Logistics (DGL) doesn’t sell rates. We deliver high-touch service competitively to importers who know how expensive mistakes and poor communication can be. Some clients learn this the hard way by switching to cheaper forwarders and getting burned. They return to our service once they realize that the hard and soft cost of inferior service erases any savings, often resulting in a significant hit to the bottom line.

What do you sacrifice for cheap rates?

Visibility

• Freight forwarders offering cheap rates don’t have systems that allow you to track your shipment in real time –usually because they don’t invest in the technology or the internal procedures to follow your shipments efficiently.
• Dedola Global Logistics values visibility as much as our clients do. Our staff monitor shipments from end to end. It’s efficient and proactive. We give our clients 24/7 access to our customer portal, TrakItPro, giving them end-to-end visibility and real-time insights.

Efficiency

• When a freight forwarder charges cheap rates, they do not allocate enough experienced staff, often leading to increased demurrage, detention, and other avoidable fees.
• DGL has experienced staff who know how to minimize or eliminate these costs. You shouldn’t pay more because your logistics provider wasn’t paying attention.

Dependability

• Cheap forwarders usually don’t have a deep bench on their team. They provide drayage, warehousing, long-haul trucking, and last mile distribution on an ad hoc basis. It’s not efficient, usually frustrating, and unpredictable. No one would choose this kind of system, but often it’s too late when you find out.
• At DGL, we’ve built our network over five decades. We optimized each phase for smooth delivery of our cargo as it passes from one provider to another. We value optimization, and that serves our clients.

Communication

• Inexpensive forwarders don’t communicate well with importers. They’ve delivered cheap rates, and that’s where their responsibility –and responsiveness –ends.
• Dedola assigns a dedicated service rep to your account. This person tracks your shipment, collates the essential documents, and keeps you in the loop throughout the life of your shipment. It’s the most important thing we do. It’s our value-add.

Efficiency

• How can they offer such cheap rates? They can’t provide priority service to their clients. Often cargo is rolled or moved on less than optimal carriers and routes.
• The DGL network is rock solid. Our carriers know that we consistently book cargo through their services. Our partners advocate for our clients in the ports of origin, ensuring that our shipments get the highest priority.

Consultation

• Cheap rates don’t build relationships. You won’t get proactive advice or innovation from a random provider.
• We see ourselves as partners to our clients. We’re always looking for ways to optimize their supply chain. We want to share the experience we’ve gained from our history in the industry. Our clients look to us to solve problems and make informed suggestions that lead to higher bottom line profits.

Service! 

• There’s an adage: “Fast, Cheap, or Good? Pick Two.” With a cheap forwarder, it’s hard to get even that much.
• Everyone talks about service, but DGL considers it foundational. If we’re not adding value, then we cease to exist. Our clients feel it in every aspect of our process. Service excellence is in our DNA.

Contact us today at (800) 561-0399 for a free consultation and a comprehensive quote!

READ: POPULAR BLOG – TrakItPRO – The Industry’s best real-time cargo visibility and tracking platform.