It is necessary to do a competitor analysis. Because you may use their data to define your goals, marketing plans, tactics, new product lines, pricing, and more. Use competitor analysis to:
- Identify the strength and weakness of your trucking business competition.
- Search for opportunities to distinguish your trucking company from competitors.
- Set your service’s price.
On the market, you will almost certainly discover some extremely powerful competitors, some of whom will be offering trucking services similar to yours at unbelievably low costs. However, not every competitor offer with low-cost, low-quality services.
The first step is to determine who your direct and indirect competitors are.
The direct competition consists of other trucking businesses that offer essentially the same services or to the same people as you do.
Your indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from you that aren’t direct competitors.
This includes hauling products, driveway services or other segments of the trucking industry.
Once you’ve identified the competition, concentrate on the direct, head-to-head competitors, since they are the most threatening to your trucking business— but keep an eye on the indirect competition as well, just in case.
Provide an overview of each direct competitor’s business and detail their strengths and weaknesses.
You will be able to position yourself competitively in the market if you perform proper competition research. Perform a SWOT Analysis to learn your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and competitive advantages in the following areas:
- Prices – Are they offer cheaper trucking services or more costly than you and other competitors, what value do buyers get for that price?
- Quality – Are they offer premium trucking services, the perceived worth in the eyes of the customers
- Customer service – How they respond to their consumers, whether they treat them poorly or well, and the degrees of satisfaction customers show
- Reputation — The sum of everything mentioned above: their credibility, how loved the brand is, and the loyalty of their customers
The final section of your competitive analysis should include a list of your areas of competitive advantage. for example: Are you going to offer premium t trucking services? Will you offer unique trucking services that your competitors don’t offer? Will you offer better pricing or will you offer greater customer support?
Consider how you will outperform your competitors and include them in this portion of your trucking business plan.