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What value do you
bring to the transportation community?
We provide shippers and carriers access
to each other not previously available.Shippers
have information on a wide variety of high quality, small and mid-sized
carriers, and their rates. This provides the shipper with better
service, more competitive freight prices, and lowers administrative
costs. Carriers are provided with a new source of information on
available loads. This allows them to increase asset utilization,
lower cost of acquiring new business, making them competitive. Fast,
reliable payments speed collection, eliminate bad debts, and improve
cash flow.
How are you different
from other services?
We do not place ourselves between the shipper
and carrier. Rather, we provide an environment in which shippers
and carriers are communicating directly with each other to transact
business. Our fee structure is simple and straightforward; there
are no variable components such as distance, commodity, or trade
lane.
Can a company join
the network as both a shipper and carrier?
No. A company joins the network either as
a "pure shipper" or a "pure carrier".
Is there a membership
fee to join the Bid Freight Network?
Not for initial members.
What is the criteria
for joining?
Shippers must be credit worthy and carriers
must be of high quality.
How do you ensure that
members meet your criteria?
We conduct an evaluation
process to ensure that our criteria are met.
How are you compensated
for operating the network?
We receive an all-inclusive flat fee (i.e. regardless
of the cost of the freight) per consummated transaction. If a load
is posted but not consummated, there is no fee. Our members only
pay when the system works for them.
Is your fee paid by the
shipper, the carrier, or both?
We are a service to both shippers and carriers,
but the fee is only paid once per transaction. The shipper is charged
3 % of the freight bill or, in the case of financial settlement,
5%. There is no cost to the carrier member.
How do I reach you to
transact business?
We are accessible via the internet. If you have
a laptop or desktop computer, a modem, and access to the internet
via an internet service provider, you can reach us. We are in the
process of enabling access via mobile phones and Personal Digital
Assistants (PDA's).
As a shipper, who sees
the bids that come to me from carriers to move my loads?
Only you see the bids for moving your loads.
As a carrier, who sees
the bids that I send to shippers?
Only you and the shippers to whom you sent bids.
The system is "computerized".
Does this mean that shippers and carriers are locked in by a rigid
set of rules in order to use the system?
Not at all. The system supports bidding and negotiation
by shippers and carriers.
As a shipper, I have
many loads that I would like to put on the system, but it is very
time consuming to do this. Is it possible to enter data, which is
already captured in my internal information system, without rekeying?
Yes. We can configure your gateway to Bid Freight
from your internal systems so that you avoid manual entry of load
information.
As shipper, I need the
ability to manage my contract carriers in addition to putting loads
out for bid in the "public" arena. Do you have the ability to manage
contract carriers as well?
Yes. Bid Freight's "Core Carrier" service allows
you to manage contract carriers.
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