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Got Questions? Winning Technologies for Carriers, Brokers and Shippers

Q. Transportation is still very price-driven, and transactional. How is strategy relevant?

A. Like most things there are a couple different ways of looking at this question. Let’s construct two sentences from it and see which one seems more plausible.

  1. Transportation is price-driven and transactional to the degree that strategy does not make a difference.
  2. In the absence of strategy, service providers often become indistinguishable, to the effect that customers default to transactional decisions based on price and availability.


  3. At EKA Solutions, here’s how we view strategy:

    1. In competitive situations, where people and/or companies are vying for anything which others also want, an effective strategy will increase their chances of success.
    2. Strategy does not need to be complex, elaborate, or expensive. It does need to be well-considered, well-communicated to your team, and put into action.
    3. This strategy should accomplish two things: (a)Capitalize on your strengths at the points and times to greatest impact (B)Exploit any weaknesses of your competition
    4. This need for information about your strengths and your competition’s weaknesses requires actionable intelligence, which you must be able to capture and control. For this reason, technology must be a part of any effective strategy.



    The frequent transactional climate of transportation reflects, in large part, the competition engendered by a lack of differentiation. This may be due to an inability of service providers to demonstrate how their service is different (ideally, better), or it could be that the purchasers of transportation service want to view capacity as a homogenous resource.

    However, a strategy to succeed does not need to be big, bold, or blaring. All you want to do is position your company in such a way that, when people are making purchase decisions, they choose to do business with you more often than they select another, all other things being equal. Success can be that simple. And technology can make it much easier.

    How can technology help? It will enable you to communicate more quickly and consistently, provide the visibility that supply chains expect, provide your drivers with safer routes, reduce paperwork delays, allow you to bill more accurately, in the manner your customers expect. Technology can help you be a much more effective supply chain participant, and elevate you from the perils of “death by a thousand price cuts”.

Expert Bio

Answered by : Jim Best from EKA Solutions, Inc.

Chief Growth Officer

As a Senior Executive, Jim Best has deep experience in the logistics and transportation business, including as CHRW executive team member. He was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing until 2012. In his senior leadership positions, he developed strategic account relationships and account and network management practices. He has a highly successful track record in rapidly growing revenue in technology-intensive logistics businesses. He is also an accomplished public speaker and frequent contributor to leading industry publications.

As a Senior Executive, Jim Best has deep experience in the logistics and transportation business, including as CHRW executive team member. He was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing until 2012. In his senior leadership positions, he developed strategic account relationships and account and network management practices. He has a highly successful track record in rapidly growing revenue in technology-intensive logistics businesses. He is also an accomplished public speaker and frequent contributor to leading industry publications.

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Got Questions? Winning Technologies for Carriers, Brokers and Shippers, Questions?

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Q. I manage a small trucking company. Most of our drivers use Smart-phones, but they’re not keen about load boards, and given a choice between more pay or more technology, I’m sure they’ll opt for cash. What’s the relevance of technology to me?

Pardon my phrase, but you sent me a truckload of things to unpack just now; much appreciated. But, here’s the funny thing: we all believe our situations are unique, but there are usually a lot of common themes, and we’re often just singing different variations. So, let’s take a look at where your shoes are pointing and see if we can find a clear path forward...

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