‘I’ve got a lot of problems with you people!’

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. 

In an epic Seinfeld episode, Frank Costanza, the father of Jerry’s buddy George, gets fed up with the commercialization of the holidays and adopts a new celebration, “Festivus for the rest of us.” As he prepares to engage in one of the holiday’s primary rituals, the airing of grievances, Frank proclaims, “I’ve got a lot of problems with you people!” 

Frank’s words came to me as I reflected on the current state of relationships among shippers, truckers and brokers. While the issues are not new, the “bust to boom” pandemic-driven market fluctuations in recent months have amplified the concerns. It’s time we all paid attention.

While there is plenty of talk about the desire to be a shipper or trucker of choice, many do not walk the talk.  They are stuck in an old school, transactional way of thinking about the shipper-carrier dynamic. Short-term thinking contributes to an environment of distrust, frustration, and inefficiency up and down the supply chain. 

In contrast, I have seen time and time again the positive benefits for shippers and truckers who treat one another with transparency and respect and who are operationally aligned, especially in times of extreme excess or tight capacity, such as those we’ve experienced over the past six months. At the end of the day, the shipper who behaves fairly will get the trucks in tight times. And the trucker who behaves fairly will get the work in lean times.