In the market today, more and more companies in freight are turning to brokerage companies for help. Based in both the U.S. and Canada, Varstar Alliance is a freight brokerage company dedicated to keeping America rolling, even in the midst of truck and driver shortages across the industry.
“These [shortages] are issues that the trucking industry has been facing for quite a few years, and being on both sides of the border we get to see these issues on both sides. Luckily, this is where companies like Varstar come into effect,” said Radu Bogdanel, president of Varstar Alliance. “We’ve seen quite a bit of growth over the last few years, so we must be doing something right.”
As the intermediary between shippers and carriers, brokerage companies dedicate their time to studying the industry and market in order to best take care of shipper and carrier needs.
“The market is disorganized. We have had so many challenges and everybody is running to every helpline that they [shippers] can get,” Bogdanel said.
Regarding inflation, the U.S. is not the only country seeing outrageous shifts. According to Bogdanel, inflation is through the roof, including gas prices (up 32% for the month of February), in Canada. Interest rates are also continuing to climb in both Canada and the U.S. For both countries, this is expected after consumers have been, over the last couple of years, urged to pour money back into the economy by spending government stimulus checks.
As 2022 progresses and as more companies are paying more money for brokerage services, Varstar plans to improve its processes for better customer experience.
“We’re hoping to see a lot more transparency. I think the good brokers will last by being more transparent,” Bogdanel said. “We are also investing a lot more in technology to make sure that we are making our services as reliable and fast as possible, so the customer will continue to come back to us.”
Many companies across all industries are making a move toward automation. The freight industry is among those making the switch. It’s a given that automation saves time and improves accuracy, but there is the fear of losing the human relationship aspect of business, especially in that of brokerage services. Varstar plans to keep customer quality the top priority.
“The customer wants to eliminate the unnecessary interactions,” said Bogdanel. “It’s good to have initial personal interaction with the customer, but then the customer needs to focus on doing their business. We specialize in taking the pressure off our customers’ plate, and I think by investing in technology, that helps a lot.”
You can learn more about Varstar Alliance by visiting its website or finding it on Facebook.