How do you know when a purchase or activity you’re considering is high quality?
You usually consider two things: First, what does the company say about the product or activity? Does it sound good? Is it what you’re looking for?
Secondly, what are the reviews? What do the customers say about the value they got from it?
In other words, you need both sides of the story. And the same is true when you’re talking about the reputation of a shipping facility. It’s important to know what the facility has to say and what the driver experience actually is.
Getting Both Sides of a Facility Story
Facilities share specific information about their warehouses so that drivers know what to expect. This is the “official word” about what you will experience during a delivery. However, sometimes, the details are lacking.
For example, a facility might say, “We’re open until 4 pm,” but then you discover that they stop taking delivery check-ins at 3:30 pm. That can be extremely frustrating when you’re using the facility’s official information to plan your day.
That’s where getting driver reviews is important. Another driver might post when check-ins end, or let you know that the shipper’s yard tends to be very full, and you can expect a 30-minute wait. Having this additional information makes a huge difference.
Increasing Transparency
For decades, both drivers and facilities have suffered due to a lack of transparency. Drivers didn’t know what to expect outside of a shipper’s official information, which might be hard to come by.
At the same time, facilities were at the mercy of the unofficial word-of-mouth network among drivers, which could completely ruin their reputation and decrease access to high-quality drivers. Facilities had no way to respond to these stories or make improvements that drivers could see.
A big part of our mission at Dock411 is to change that. Our platform allows shippers to post official information about their facilities and allows drivers to share reviews. By allowing both sides of the story to be shared, we can not only get accurate information, but we can learn from each other and make improvements.
More Information Leads to Better Shipping
The more information you have about any situation, the better your decision-making will be. As a driver, you want to have as much information as possible about facilities and what to expect there. Is there a bathroom? Can you access a vending machine? Is there a long wait in the yard? How does the shipper treat drivers?
At the same time, shippers want to understand what concerns drivers have so they can be addressed. If someone had a poor experience, that can lead to a conversation with a dock worker, a process improvement, or better information sharing (like posting the fact that you stop taking check-ins at 3:30 pm!)
When both sides come together, shipping improves, and everyone benefits from faster, more efficient, and better shipping practices.
Get Started With Dock411
If you haven’t claimed your facility yet, now is the time! You can share official information about your facility so drivers won’t have to rely on hearsay and stories from disgruntled truckers. You can also update any incidents, road closures, and more so that deliveries are on-time and efficient.
As a driver, it’s time to use your voice to help other truckers understand the landscape. Are there warehouses you love going to? Share it on Dock411 and say why! If you encounter problems, share those on the app as well so other drivers know and the warehouse can address the issue.
When everyone shares their perspective, we’ll always have both sides of the story.
