To use a non-asset logistics provider or not to use a non-asset logistics provider – that is the question!
Dealers, OEMs, upfitters and other companies looking to move multiple vehicles on a regular basis have many different available options when it comes to transportation providers. Typically, companies needing to move vehicles traditionally work with asset-based carriers, which own their own car haul trucks and employ their own drivers. But there are also benefits when it comes to working with a non-asset logistics provider – one that does not own its car haul trucks, but rather has a vast network of assets and drivers it works with on a contractual basis – or even in working with a combination of both provider types.
Companies that have never partnered with a non-asset logistics provider may have concerns over whether such a provider provides the safety, reliability, flexibility, tech-enabled solutions and competitive value they want. Yet many non-asset providers have thorough and well-organized processes for vetting the carriers and drivers they work with, ensuring all those they establish contracts with meet a high standard of safety, driver training and proper certifications.
Inherent to the very setup of a non-asset provider is the built-in flexibility to focus on customers’ concerns, not simply concerns related to their own carriers or filling up their own trucks with inventory. If any issues arise with a particular carrier or driver, non-asset providers have the ability to pivot and work with more efficient and organized carriers and drivers in their networks. And because non-asset logistics providers have such a wide variety of carrier types to pull from for customer requests, they can also offer customers the ability to scale up or scale down in volume, according to each customer’s specific business needs.
Beyond these capabilities, a professional non-asset provider can also simplify and streamline the entire vehicle-transportation process for the customer with tech-enabled solutions that mitigate unnecessary risks, allow for transparency, reduce paperwork and increase overall speed and efficiency.
Prioritization of Vehicle Safety, Driver Training and Secure, Timely Deliveries
Any vehicle-transportation provider a company chooses to partner with should be able to show how they prioritize and ensure vehicle safety, driver training and excellence and secure, timely deliveries. Many times, because non-asset providers don’t own their own trucks or have their own carriers, they have a much more robust process for vetting all carriers and drivers in their network and a particularly thorough process for training said carriers and drivers. This establishes a sure way to hold those in their carrier networks accountable, prevent unnecessary risks and ensure an excellent experience for their customers.
ACERTUS has a dedicated compliance team, responsible for building and maintaining its highly selective, well-vetted network of more than 6,800 carriers that represent over 18,000 different power units. All carriers and drivers have to meet high standards of safety and compliance, with confirmed cargo liability insurance up to $500k in coverage, verified auto liability insurance with a minimum of $1M in coverage, additional umbrella coverage, confirmed legal and DOT operating authority, pre-approved equipment and accessories and more.
In addition, ACERTUS also conducts regular and mandatory driver-training workshops, with its compliance team overseeing and maintaining detailed and up-to-date Driver Qualification (DQ) files on each respective carrier and driver in the larger network.
Many non-asset logistics providers also have a form of measurement or grading it utilizes to hold contracted carriers and drivers accountable to their records. ACERTUS uses a system of carrier scorecards, which ensures high standards for FMCSA safety ratings, pickup and delivery on-time percentages, claims ratios and timely event updates. Because of this system, ACERTUS has been able to consistently mitigate customers’ risks, provide safe and on-time vehicle deliveries and maintain a 99.5% damage-free delivery rate. These measures help to keep its carrier-and-driver network accountable and successful, and they allow ACERTUS to commit to secure, timely and delay- and damage-free transports for its auto-partner customers.
Flexibility and the Ability to Scale as Needed
A business’s needs aren’t simply static – they fluctuate and evolve as changes occur in a particular industry, market, locality or company setting. Because of this reality, a company looking to partner with an outside vehicle-logistics provider need assurance that the provider can pivot or adapt regularly to align with the company’s unique needs or concerns at any given time.
Flexibility and scalability are both crucial for achieving fast, efficient and successful vehicle transports. While traditional asset-based providers often have access to larger carriers, non-asset logistics companies more frequently work with a broad range of carriers, including those that are smaller– operating with 20 or fewer units.
ACERTUS’ own network of carriers is carefully vetted and contains a wide variety of carrier sizes that it can pull from, depending on the customer’s specific needs or request. Dealers, OEMs and other companies then have access to broader and more flexible capacity, which can accommodate many different types of vehicle hauls. This range of carrier sizes also gives ACERTUS and its customers scalability, with the ability to quickly ramp up or ramp down in scale, according to the business demands at any point in time. And unlike many asset-based carriers, non-asset logistics providers like ACERTUS face no real constraints or caps on units, allowing them to easily pull from additional carrier capacity whenever needed.
Technology for Additional Speed, Risk Mitigation and Efficiency
When it comes to transporting vehicles with speed, efficiency and as few risks as possible, technology plays a key role. While both asset-based providers and non-asset logistics providers employ different types of technology to improve the overall vehicle-transport process for their customers, many non-asset providers have taken steps to truly invest in tech-enabled solutions – especially because it’s even more crucial for those providers to have a means of quickly and directly connecting with the many different carriers and drivers they have under contract.
As an example, ACERTUS has chosen to invest significantly in its own unique proprietary technology to benefit both its customers and the carriers in its network. Its mobile-app technology simplifies and streamlines the entire vehicle-transportation process for both entities, as it reduces the need for unnecessary paperwork, digitizes many process steps and allows carriers to send order updates immediately to the customer via the app. Customers also benefit by having access to all service orders, updates, reporting and important notifications via one easy-to-use platform. Whenever they need to check on the current status of a particular order, need to give approval on certain paperwork or want to go over reporting data on their recent vehicle moves with ACERTUS, they can simply log on to the mobile app and instantly do so.
To stay on top of all deliveries, ensure inventory security and establish the best speed to market and efficiency as possible, many non-asset providers have also chosen to utilize ePOD (Electronic Proof of Delivery) technology recently, providing each of the carriers and drivers they employ an ePOD device. Over the last year, ACERTUS has established its own ePOD technology, allowing its carriers and drivers to instantly send notifications about vehicle deliveries or any potential incidents to customers. This technology helps to give customers full access and visibility into their assets, ensuring they have the information they need to make crucial business decisions and largely mitigating any unnecessary risks or unnecessary delays in the vehicle-delivery timeline.
Wide Volume Range with Competitive Value
Companies working to establish an efficient and productive vehicle-transportation process must prioritize overall value for their investment. Thanks to the advantages non-asset logistics providers bring about with their use of smaller carriers and flexible capacity, as well as their ability negotiate better rates and sometimes longer commitments with the carriers they work with, they can often step in here and be especially cost-competitive.
But price alone can’t be the only consideration for companies here. It’s crucial for dealers, OEMs and others looking to transport their vehicles to assess the pricing in terms of the overall value received – particularly in relation to quality, productivity, speed to market and more.
To add further value to the vehicle-shipping process, non-asset logistics providers like ACERTUS often have strategic bundling-order hierarchies in place, allowing them to sort inventory by lane and bundle orders whenever and wherever possible. This leads to even more efficiencies and overall cost-effectiveness for the customer, lowering the price tag and adding to the customer’s bottom line.
Beyond this, companies expect providers to commit to handling contractual volumes at the agreed-upon rates, regardless of whether demand fluctuates or how much it does so for a specific contractual period. Fortunately, many non-asset logistics providers can be just as competitive as more traditional asset carriers with such agreements. And because non-asset providers like ACERTUS have the capacity to quickly adapt to any volume spikes or lulls, any potential disruptions to the overall process or original agreement are largely prevented, with volumes able to shift as needed.
ACERTUS as Your Next Logistics Provider
As a non-asset provider, ACERTUS is committed to delivering the transport and vehicle-logistics services its customers need. By setting up contracts with and fully vetting multiple small to mid-size carriers, ACERTUS sets itself up to be able to address a wide variety of volumes and service requests.
ACERTUS’ established working partnerships with many different carriers – including those that best support their customers’ service needs –results in repeatability, increased familiarity with each customer’s unique process and an especially high-quality process from beginning to end. ACERTUS is agile enough to scale up or scale down quickly, adjusting capacity as necessary, so it can meet each respective customer’s unique business demands.
Tech-enabled and focused on constantly increasing its efficiencies, ACERTUS streamlines its customers’ work through its own proprietary software, granting customers full transparency and access to their vehicle inventory at any given point in the process. ACERTUS’ easy-to-use ePOD mobile app tracks all drivers in real-time, sending proofs of delivery instantly and removing the need for unnecessary paperwork or risk. Companies it partners with have complete visibility into their assets and can use the regularly updated data they receive to determine what next steps they should take.
With services extending far beyond vehicle transport, ACERTUS offers complete solutions throughout the lifecycle of a vehicle, including title and registration, care and maintenance, storage, compliance services and vehicle home deliveries.
Learn even more about ACERTUS’ vehicle-transport solutions, as well as its full range of logistics services across the United States and Canada, at https://acertusdelivers.com. To connect with one of our team members or receive a quick quote, contact us here or call us at this phone number: 855-ACERTUS (855-223-7887).
