Nibletz Staff
When starting a business, you can grow to rely on the national postal service to get your products to your clients and suppliers. However, as demand grows, you will begin to feel the strain of delivering multiple items. It will become excessively costly and time-consuming. Once larger orders start rolling in, it’s time that you start taking product delivery into your own hands. However, this doesn’t mean personally delivering items in bulk. You will have to invest in a truck of your own and a driver or team of drivers, depending on how much stock you are intending to deliver from your storerooms to alternative locations. Here’s a complete guide to getting your products from A to B in the most professional manner possible.
Transport
he first thing to focus on is the vehicle you are going to need to invest in. Find something that has sufficient space for the deliveries you intend it to undertake, plus a little more. This means that this vehicle will last as your business grows: you don’t want to have to trade it in for a larger model in a matter of months. This could vary dramatically, from a pickup truck to a small delivery van to an articulated lorry. It will be a large investment but will save you a fortune in standard postage and will also ensure that you have confidence in your products arriving in the designated time slot. Ensure that you have backup parts, such as tyres. This means that if there are any problems en route, your driver will already have the spare parts at hand, ready for road side assistance to use. Take a look at truck wheels canada: they have a whole host of spares at affordable prices.
Packaging
When products are being shipped long distance, they can go through a little wear and tear. There are likely to be potholes in the roads and hills that will see stock sliding back and forth. You need to ensure that everything is sufficiently protected. The best way to do this is packing your items in boxes with plenty of bubble wrap and labels indicating the way they should be stored (allowing staff to keep the products upright until they make their way onto store shelves). You should then pack these boxes into crates. This keeps them compact and also allows you to easily monitor how much stock you have packed onto the vehicle.
Drivers
Ensure that you employ professional drivers to undertake deliveries. Drivers with experience will have a good working knowledge of routes to the destination and will be able to bypass roadblocks and road works with diversions, rather than getting stuck in traffic. This will ensure that your products will reach their destination in good time and without delay. They will also drive safely and carefully. This is extremely important, as they represent your brand on the roads. You don’t want poor driving to reflect badly on your company to other road users.
If you follow all of this advice, your products will make their way to your suppliers and clients without trouble. They will be on time, in perfect condition and easy to unload from the other end. This will encourage others to do business with you again and recommend your company to others.
