6 Tips for Moving More Freight During Peak Season
Peak Season fully kicks off in November and lasts through the holiday shopping season.
Carriers like you know that this time of year offers a heavy and steady flow of freight loads to move. In fact, during Peak months, Coyote typically helps move 12,200 loads per day — up from our normal average of about 10,000 loads per day.
Many of you have asked us how to get access to as many available truckloads as possible during Peak.
While we cannot guarantee load availability, we recommend following these six tips to get more capacity on demand.
6 Ways to Access More Peak Freight
1. Opt-In to Electronic Tracking
We aim to make every load delivery experience you make as seamless and as easy as possible for you, while also providing complete transparency and accountability.
No one likes routing tracking calls, and with the four free and easy tracking options we provide for carriers, we can help you streamline driver visibility and reduce unnecessary check calls at the same time.
Setup is fast and simple, and providing automated location updates will make you more appealing to shippers who now view freight tracking as a requirement.
Choose your preferred method of digital tracking.
2. Be Flexible
With a 22% spike in available truckloads from the over 14,000 shippers who trust Coyote to move freight, finding the perfect one can feel daunting.
You can always browse all available loads on the load board in CoyoteGO®, where you can see load details up front and submit offers on them easily if they’re a good fit.
Your rep can also work with you to identify loads, negotiate rates and develop a selection strategy to help maximize your potential revenue during Peak Season.
No matter how you go about choosing loads, it’s important to keep an open mind about what is available.
3. Provide Excellent Service
Shippers expect carriers moving their freight to provide excellent service.
At Coyote, we reward carriers who rise to the occasion with early access to more freight opportunities, faster payments and more.
Focusing on providing excellent service consistently is a winning strategy during Peak Season and beyond.
4. Be On Time
Timeliness always matters, but it is especially important during Peak months when so much freight is being moved around to meet tight holiday schedules.
When you consistently meet delivery deadlines, you position yourself as a carrier that shippers can trust as a reliable and crucial link in their supply chain.
As a precaution, make sure you (or your drivers) have enough time to meet pick-up and delivery windows or appointment times.
While timetables can sometimes be tight, safety is always first. It’s important to comply with all applicable regulations including traffic laws and hours of service.
5. Communicate
When it comes to load deliveries, no one likes surprises. We understand that unexpected delays and bumps in the road happen. You are not always in control of time while you’re on the road — especially when it comes to battling holiday traffic.
Reach out to your Coyote rep as fast as possible if you run into any problems. We will work with you to resolve them, helping avoid more surprises and better plan for everyone involved.
On the flip side of that, make sure you or other drivers are responsive to Coyote when one of our reps reaches out.
6. Take Advantage of Power-Only Opportunities
Want to get in and out as quickly as possible? Hate dealing with long load and unload times?
You aren’t alone.
In a survey of over 3,000 carriers where they rated shipper facilities on a scale of 1 to 5, 51% of 1-star ratings were because of timeliness, long loading or unloading times.
But we have some good news! Coyote offers power-only freight solutions where you can drop your trailer at its destination, get a new full trailer attached to your power unit and then hit the open road for your next delivery.
Power-only freight helps carriers move more freight faster, empowering them to keep their drivers happier and get more business.
Read more about how Luis Meija grew Coria Trucking from 8 to 40 trucks moving power-only loads with Coyote.
Get Ready for Peak Season
Our shippers look for timely, responsible and flexible carriers to be reliable links in their supply chain.
Following the steps outlined above will help shippers view you as a more reliable carrier, giving them the confidence to entrust you with time sensitive and expedited shipments during Peak Season (and beyond).