What matters most to shippers when they choose an ocean carrier?
By Bill Armbruster
Below is a list of 10 criteria, in no particular order, that may affect a shipper’s choice of ocean carrier.
I would like to know which you think are most important. So, please, scroll down to the quick survey below and pick the THREE CRITERIA YOU THINK ARE MOST IMPORTANT to shippers.
Here’s the list of criteria:
Vessel space
Equipment availability
Reliability
Rates
Customer service
Transparency
Value-added logistics
Routes
Ports
Frequency
You don’t have to be a shipper to participate. In fact, in addition to hearing from companies that ship commodities or goods overseas, I would like to hear from carriers – and forwarders, customs brokers, port authorities, and any interested observers. It will be interesting to compare results: please remember to check off the role you play in moving cargo.
Please feel free to leave comments. I would love to see some. (If you wish, you can also leave your name, company and title, though that’s entirely optional.)
I’ll report on the final results next month. In the meantime, you can keep track of the current tally here.
About Bill Armbruster
Bill Armbruster, the anchor for the Datamyne Blog has covered shipping and trade for 30 years as a reporter and editor with The Journal of Commerce and Shipping Digest. “I’ll be blogging on headline news and current issues in oceangoing commerce, trying to shed some light on the backstories and, wherever I can, supply some sound advice for shippers.” Write to [email protected]
The opinions expressed in this article are those of its author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views or Descartes Datamyne. In addition, this article is for general information purposes only and it’s not intended to provide legal advice or opinions of any kind and my not be used for professional or commercial purposes. No one should act, or refrain from acting, based solely on this article without first seeking appropriate legal or other professional advice.