RBT: Transporters associations’ representatives say that the oil shock is less damaging to larger companies, operating hundreds of trucks, than smaller ones. The reason for that would be additional services offered by large companies, including distribution, warehousing and others. Higher value added services are a viable solution for smaller companies?
Bogdan Manaila: Yes, if they ally themselves and try to share some costs. Some small transporters which on their own would not be able to offer logistics services might form a group and rent a warehouse, hire a logistician and achieve success by working together. Another option is to find partners in order to extend the geographical area they cover. Let’s say a transporter in Bucharest has a customer in Bacau who regularly requests trucks bound for Cluj, but rarely for Bucharest. Instead of losing money through long drives with empty trailers, it would be better for him to search a partner in Bacau. Ideally, that part- ner in Bacau would have a customer in Bucharest and would face the same problem of losing money by sending empty trucks for loading operations hundreds of kilometers away. Through such partnerships, vehicles parks currently underutilized may migrate to areas where there is enough demand.
