EDITORIAL

Coast to coast: only one dollar

HE deregulation of trucking has brought vast changes in the rules, the players and the prices of moving goods. Yet too often now we seem to be in an era of false bargains. The kind that are best described by the old saw: "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

As deregulation brought its wrenching changes, rate setting often went from competitive to brutal to unrealistic. Newly minted trucking companies undercut established firms by offering "too good to be true" rates, coupled with promises of services that belonged in The Twilieht Zone. While some of the new firms soon failed for flaunting the basic laws of economics, they were often replaced by yet another over-promiser quoting fantastic rates. The effect upon established truckers has been tough to say the very least.

To those tempted by the siren song of the untried we say beware. Consider that the established trucker has far more going for him than rates. Remember that he is the proven factor in the equation. His know-how, experience and considerable investment in equipment means that if there is a problem, he'll likely be around to help you solve it. His background adds to what you don't know.

The established trucker often has invested in buildings, trained people, and a fleet of trucks costly enough to make the bankers blanch. His proven commitment means you're not out there alonei you and your firm have a supplier who is an asset, not someone who does a vanishing act just when you most need him.

We're not saylng rates don't count. Just that they are not the entire buy. The meaningful quality you seek when purchasing a service can take many forms. Just as surely, the money "saved" by using the new trucker operating out of his bedroom can be more than offset when his unmaintained andlor unsafe equipment, poorly trained and over worked drivers, etc. fail to deliver as promised. What kind of a "saving" did you make?

The established trucker is just that because he knows what needs to be done and has been fair to his customers. In the long haul, his "higher" prices may be the biggest bargain you find this year.