The unique collaborative working environment provided by the Transport Exchange Group is paying dividends, not only for its 2000 plus member companies, but also for the Exchange itself.
For the UK's largest freight exchange operating both the Courier and Haulage Exchanges has started the year with record year on year growth showing a 52% increase in the total number of loads posted in January '10 as compared with January '09.
Based on the same period last year, van loads were up by 46% and haulage by 96% which is clear evidence that the exchange concept is truly coming into its own.
Indeed this growth pattern is a trend which began to emerge in the middle of last year and is one which looks set to continue.
There have clearly been a number of influencing factors such as reducing fleet size, which has given rise to the need to outsource which in turn has been reflected in the level of growth experienced by the Exchange.
According to Lyall Cresswell, Managing Director of the Transport Exchange Group, there has been an increasing recognition that by working collaboratively clear benefits can be gained in terms of cost savings as well as improving working practices and the carbon footprint.
By using a freight exchange both operators and owner drivers have the ability to work together in a secure environment and share the cost burden of rising fuel prices, congestion charges, tolls and complying with onerous legislation all of which have taken their toll.
Lyall Cresswell sees that there are a number of parallels to be drawn between the exchange as being a worthwhile tool to aid growth in the same way that the pallet networks came to prominence some time ago.
He commented: "A neutral freight exchange mechansim such as ours not only offers better utilisation of vehicles but also enables our member companies through our secure trading platform to increase their own offering to their customers which can only be to the benefit of their business.
"It is a formula for success and one which we are confident will continue to grow as the message gets through and the exchange concept will progressively become an integral part of the part of the transport landscape."
The Transport Exchange Group, this year celebrates a decade in business in 2010, has more than 2000 member companies who use the company's secure, flexible, visible, real-time services every day to maximise the profitability of their supply chains.