Fear of loss of control was found to be the largest obstacle to outsourcing, and this fear existed to a much greater degree than in the O'Laughlin logistics study. However, the experiences of those companies currently outsourcing transportation functions indicate that the logistics managers should not allow the perception of loss of control to deter outsourcing activities.
Many of the firms supplying transportation outsourcing services are relatively small. Although many large firms are entering this arena and given the overall high levels of outsourcing satisfaction, companies should not reject the services of a third party provider strictly on the basis of its comparatively small size.
The important problem areas of service level consistency and management control indicate that firms contemplating outsourcing transportation functions need to focus control efforts to managing service levels, not managing employees and physical assets. Management training may be required with the implementation of outsourcing.