| With the price of fuel rising dramatically, the haulage | | | | cargo details of every job your company takes, this |
| industry faces some of its toughest years in recent | | | | is surprisingly straightforward; with each job your |
| memory. Owner operators and haulage companies | | | | company takes on, look out for any long return |
| are looking for ways to keep their businesses afloat | | | | journeys with empty loads, or any deliveries where |
| as running costs rise and the economy weakens. | | | | the vehicle that is likely to be used will not be filled to |
| There is nothing that can be done to halt the rising | | | | capacity. |
| cost of fuel - what matters is that you make the | | | | Once you have begun to keep track of opportunities, |
| highest return on every haulage job that your | | | | you need to find the loads to go with them! You can |
| company runs. Improving the efficiency of your | | | | start by making contacts with other haulage and |
| company can take many forms, but two of the | | | | delivery companies in your area, and seeing what the |
| most effective ways of increasing profit are through | | | | possibilities are for groupage with them. If you have |
| the careful use of groupage and return loads on as | | | | regular deliveries to a particular depot, try and make |
| many haulage jobs as possible. | | | | contacts there to see if they can link your drivers up |
| What is groupage? | | | | with return loads. |
| Groupage is the process of combining numerous | | | | Finding a return load or groupage opportunity for |
| smaller loads into a single shipment. The benefits are | | | | every job your company take on is a beyond the |
| obvious - more deliveries in a single journey gives the | | | | power of a single person, but luckily, you don't have |
| maximum return on investment on the fuel and the | | | | to do everything yourself. There are numerous online |
| man-hours that must be paid for that journey. | | | | networks that deal in groupage and return loads, |
| What is a return load? | | | | allowing companies around the country to register |
| A return load is an additional haulage job that is taken | | | | haulage jobs that need doing and scheduled deliveries |
| on the way back to the depot after the main job | | | | that could benefit from groupage or a return load. By |
| has finished. For example, if a haulier takes a delivery | | | | signing up to these, you can be connected to |
| from London to Manchester, rather than driving back | | | | numerous other haulage companies around the UK |
| empty to London once the job is done (leading to so | | | | (and in some networks, in Europe or worldwide). |
| called "dead miles") he can instead pick up a delivery | | | | It doesn't take a huge amount of effort to make |
| to take back to London. | | | | groupage and return loads a part of the day to day |
| How do I use groupage and return loads in my | | | | running of your business. It can have a significant |
| company? | | | | effect on your profits, and in today's challenging |
| First, make sure you spot every opportunity your | | | | marketplace, good use of return loads and groupage |
| company has to use groupage or pick up a return | | | | may soon be necessary for the survival of every |
| load. Since you will be logging the dates, locations and | | | | haulage company. |