May
5
In addition to the variance in fuel costs, which can certainly be dramatic, the biggest factor in pricing is basic supply and demand. In any given week there may be more or less trucks available in a specific part of the country, and any glut or dearth of supply can really impact pricing. TMI Sales is in the marketplace every day for our clients, and this allows us to know the standard trends in seasonal supply and demand, as well as spotting sudden shifts caused by weather or other unique events. We use our understanding of our client’s needs and trends to spot important opportunities or challenges in supply or demand, so that we can recommend proactive actions to our clients to address these pricing variations whenever possible. The TMI pricing consortium allows us to sustain pricing levels for longer periods during peak seasons, due to our overall volume of shipments year round. This provides a safety net to our clients against some of the drastic price increases in tough markets. We are able to leverage our annual volumes against seasonal impacts and help our clients receive only marginal price increases throughout the year in tough seasonal markets.