Opinion: Working Together to Elevate 3PL Industry

This Opinion piece appears in the April 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.

By Jason Beardall

President

England Logistics

Beardall

As I prepare to serve as chairman of the Transportation Intermediaries Association for the next two years, I reflect on my experience with the association. Throughout the past 13 years of attending TIA events, participating on various committees and investing time as a board member and executive committee member, I have experienced firsthand the benefits that come from associating with and investing in TIA.

I have built valuable professional relationships and friendships that continue to serve me on a weekly basis. In very few weeks over the past few years have I not been in contact with one of my industry friends and colleagues to compare notes on one professional matter or another. Utilizing these relationships has provided me with guidance on topics such as adopting and leveraging technology, protecting against fraud or steering new regulations and leveraging their effects on the industry.

It is certainly unique to have competitors working together to better serve customers, but that is indeed what TIA does. This nonprofit association consists of top-tier third-party logistics, or 3PL, professionals who work together to offer shippers the best services available. They are driven toward maintaining and expanding ethical 3PL business practices throughout North America to improve service and the industry.

Attending my first TIA conference as a newcomer to the industry, I remember being shocked at this approach. That competitors come together to discuss best practices, share ideas and invest in one another, rather than simply compete against one another, is truly amazing. This is all done with one goal in mind: to better the industry as a whole and enhance the way we service our customers. TIA has understood from the beginning that building a customer-centered network provides quality businesses with the resources needed to excel.

What does this mean for shippers? Shippers in each industry have three complications in common with carriers and 3PLs: limited capacity, transportation risks and variations in the quality of customer service. Fortunately, selecting a TIA member as your logistics provider can provide shippers with first-in-class solutions to each of these challenges.

TIA members are recognized by carriers as companies that operate their businesses with integrity. Carriers trust TIA members to pay on time and behave ethically. As a result, members have access to increased capacity due to the wide network of quality carriers that simply is not available to nonmembers of TIA. That means your shipments get where they need to be in a timely, safe, efficient and ethical manner.

TIA members also utilize industry best practices to protect your shipment. TIA provides its members with availability to extensive carrier selection suggestions, model contracts, comprehensive insurance coverage and a watchdog reporting system. These are just a few of the tools and methods implemented by TIA members to safeguard shippers and their products. That means less risk for you and your shipment, and more time to focus on growing your company.

TIA members are committed to the highest standards of conduct. We are bound to a code of ethics and have access to the highest level of broker education. These standards increase professionalism and integrity of the industry.

TIA’s Certified Transportation Broker, or CTB, program is the highest broker certification that exists and the most widely recognized distinction in the transportation industry. Broker education and professionalism are strongly promoted throughout the association to provide quality service. That means you’ll get the great customer service and industry knowledge you deserve when you need it.

Utilizing a TIA member may be exactly what your company needs to reach its full potential. By choosing a TIA member to arrange transportation of your products, you can enjoy a smooth shipment process by a reputable and vetted carrier that will deliver your product in the timeframe needed for the price agreed upon, with the least amount of risk.

Among more than 1,600 TIA members is the 3PL that can best meet your needs. Enjoy your company’s success with a team of quality industry specialists by your side.

Beardall is the president of England Logistics, a Salt Lake City-based third-party logistics company, and chairman of TIA, a professional organization representing the $160.2 billion third-party logistics industry.