Commoditizing trucks
Summary
Webster defines a commodity as “a good or service that is widely available, interchangeable and undifferentiated in terms of attributes or quality.” Brand loyalty aside, most of the features of various smartphones have become ubiquitous so there is not as much competition on capability. While they may want the simplicity of just paying another company to care about the shipping details, they can’t distance themselves from the reality that everything they do has ramifications to the environment and communities through which their products move. As we found in interviewing fleets, 3PLs and 4PLs for Run on Less – Electric DEPOT, many shippers now are differentiating services on the basis of whether the transportation is environmentally and socially responsible. The supply chain is no longer a mystery lost in paper forms spread across multiple isolated filing cabinets. Zero-emission vehicles, while slightly different fuel pumps, are not a free ride and the accountants know what it costs to power each truck.