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In short, it’s a change from the traditional transportation model that focuses on point-to-point shipments. Dedicated transportation focuses more on the time, materials, equipment, drivers, and resources necessary to properly service your core customers. TQ is not a common carrier—we provide customized transportation services that vary by customer based upon each individual company’s needs.
TQ Logistics provides the perfect solution for companies that want all the benefits of having a private fleet without having to make ongoing capital investments in equipment or manage a staff of drivers. Our customized services remove the complexities of operating commercial motor vehicles, including the large exposure to liability when operating trucks in the public domain, the multifarious regulations and laws that require compliance, and the recruiting, hiring, training, disciplining, and management of professional truck drivers.
On the contrary, private fleet conversions are the perfect way to keep your loyal drivers and the wealth of knowledge they have about your routes and customers. In a true, dedicated arrangement, the truck and drivers are 100% committed to you – they provide consistent service in your sole direction through the dedicated partnership. TQ provides the management to transition your drivers to TQ employees which will be transparent to your end customers.
In most cases, no. The term “dedicated” has been popular and trendy in recent years as companies use “dedicated” to describe a commitment that is more focused on capacity than having a true, dedicated fleet. With dedicated capacity, you have a contract that specifies certain volume requirements on certain lanes, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same drivers or equipment over time to make those moves. TQ Logistics provides dedicated drivers and equipment assigned to your exact location(s). The specific trucks, tractors, and trailers are scheduled right in our contract – we don’t share your resources but focus on servicing your core customers.
Dedicated transportation can mean something different to every company and literally has hundreds of possibilities. In short, the best profiles of companies that may be a good fit for a dedicated fleet are to have one or more of the following:
- Consistent freight that keeps assets and drivers busy every day
- A set geographic area of customers centered around a manufacturing facility and/or distribution center
- Operations that have the ability to dual utilize equipment (i.e. slip seating trucks to maximize utilization)
- A large number of stops (whether TL or LTL) such that generally accepted common carrier rates would drive up cost
- Closed loop operations where freight is moving in two directions (with limited un-laden miles)
- Frequent local moves between production and/or distribution facilities
- The need for specialized equipment (i.e., flatbed trailers with rolling tarp systems, tankers, or industry-specific modification requirements)
- Yard operations that require daily services for moving and or spotting trailers.
Just about every company may have a need for dedicated transportation.
The transportation industry has been riding a giant wave of technological advancements fueled partly by regulations that require electronic logs to track and monitor driver hours of service but also by huge improvements in safety technology. Implementing technology can be daunting, but TQ Logistics simplifies the process as it’s part of our dedicated service to our customers. Routing and optimization software, GPS visibility, Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), and the use of onboard cameras provide our customers with a complete technology offering critical to operating a fleet in today’s day and age.
Absolutely! Many of our dedicated fleet customers have utilized the equipment to promote their company’s brand and messaging by putting company colors, logos, taglines, and graphics on the equipment. It has been said that trucks rolling down the road are “rolling billboards” – we couldn’t agree more. The feedback we get from customers with a private label dedicated fleet is that their customers recognize the equipment and connect with the dedicated truck driver. The combination contributes to happier customers, better CSI, and more loyal clients who order consistently.