Carrier scorecard

A carrier scorecard turns service into numbers both sides can see. The shipper or broker picks a short list of measures, defines them precisely (what counts as on time, which rejected tenders count against the carrier), weights them, and reports each carrier's results weekly, monthly, or at a quarterly business review. The most common measures are on-time pickup, on-time delivery, tender acceptance, claims and damage rate, tracking and status updates, and invoice accuracy, including whether accessorial charges were billed correctly.

On Mexico and Canada freight, a fair scorecard separates what the carrier controls from what the border controls. A load that went to secondary inspection or waited on a customs release was not late because of the carrier, and a scorecard that ignores that penalizes the wrong party. Some shippers score each leg separately when a transfer carrier moves the trailer across the bridge.

What this means when you move freight

A scorecard can weigh as much as the bid itself when next year's award is decided. Ask for the definitions in writing, check the data against your own timestamps and tracking, and dispute exceptions while they are fresh rather than at the review. When you are the one scoring, keep the list short, share results with carriers on a regular cadence, and tie the scores to volume; a scorecard that never moves freight stops changing behavior. An incumbent carrier with a strong scorecard can often hold a lane against a lower bid, and a mini-bid is where a weak one tends to lose it.