10. Be open to change carriers.
which carriers should get my business? If you follow steps 1 through 9 delineated above, it may be possible to reduce your LTL costs and maintain your current carrier base. However, based on our experience negotiating billions of dollars in transportation contracts, we believe that to maximize your savings, your carriers must understand that they risk losing your business unless they positively meet your requirements.
You may think that is an elementary component of negotiation. However, you would be surprised at the number of shippers who enter their annual carrier negotiations with the expectation, or hope, that they won't have to change their carrier base.