In the competitive world of chemical logistics, building strong carrier relationships is not merely a nice-to-have — it is a strategic imperative. Rob McCray, vice president of transportation at Univar Solutions — one of the world's largest chemical and ingredient distributors — explained how the company's "shipper of choice" mentality, particularly in the niche liquid bulk hazmat segment, helps secure capacity and navigate volatile markets.

The "shipper of choice" concept has gained traction across the broader freight industry as a response to cyclical capacity shortages. Carriers, especially smaller fleets, tend to prioritize shippers who offer efficient loading, predictable appointment times, reasonable detention windows, and consistent freight volumes. In specialized segments like liquid bulk hazmat — where the pool of eligible carriers is already constrained by DOT hazmat endorsement requirements and equipment costs — those relationships become even more critical.

With capacity tightening and fuel surcharges becoming erratic, Univar Solutions is doubling down on carrier relationships as its primary strategy for securing liquid bulk hazmat trucks. Speaking to FreightWaves at the company's annual carrier kickoff event in Chattanooga, Tennessee — FreightWaves' own headquarters city — McCray acknowledged that the approach costs more upfront but delivers measurable returns when the market turns against shippers.

Roughly 90% of Univar's volume moves in the liquid bulk hazmat space, a niche that severely limits the pool of eligible carriers. About 50% of that volume moves via third-party carriers by design, McCray said, allowing the company to reach customers outside its private fleet's normal delivery zones. Specialty chemicals such as hydrochloric acid require rubber-lined 53-foot tankers — expensive, low-utilization assets that few carriers are willing to acquire without a reliable shipper committed to consistent volume. The rubber lining is necessary because hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive to standard steel tank interiors, further narrowing the equipment pool.

"When it contracts and it gets really difficult to find a truck, it's all about — there's a limited number of them. You have multiple customers or shippers calling into a carrier to say, 'I need an asset,'" McCray said. "And we operate with ninety-ish percent of our volume in the liquid bulk hazmat space. So it's a very small niche of the registered DOT carriers."

McCray noted that Univar was the first chemical distributor to receive the FreightWaves Shipper of Choice Award, a recognition he said the company did not actively pursue. The carrier kickoff — a significant annual investment he acknowledged is "not cheap" — is designed to put faces to names, visit carrier terminals, and engage drivers directly. Some carrier partners at this year's event had no hazmat experience before working with McCray at a previous employer and have now followed him to Univar for nearly six years.

Disciplined Route-Guide Strategy

On the operational side, McCray outlined a route-guide strategy that balances cost and service. Margin saved on flexible lanes is reinvested to secure capacity on high-service lanes. Underperforming carriers receive a 90-day improvement window with a formal rack-and-stack performance review. If metrics do not recover within that period, the partnership ends.

"Directionally, it's long-term partnerships," McCray said. "And it's partnerships with people that we want to do business with, people that take care of our customers."

Most carriers in the liquid bulk space operate fleets in the 10-to-50 asset range, McCray explained, which makes the carrier kickoff event — and the face-to-face relationships it fosters — especially valuable. When multiple shippers compete for a limited number of assets, carriers tend to prioritize partners who have consistently supported them, even paying modest inflationary increases during deflationary markets.

Treating Carriers as Brand Extensions

McCray drew a parallel to his early career in small parcel logistics, citing UPS drivers who consistently wear uniforms and staff the same routes. That consistency builds trust with customers. Univar applies the same philosophy: carrier partners are treated as extensions of the brand rather than outside vendors. The company wants customers and suppliers to see the same familiar faces whether deliveries come from Univar's private fleet or a third-party carrier.

"We intentionally partner," McCray said. The company works with both large carriers and small mom-and-pop operators, visits their terminals, and encourages drivers to flag opportunities or safety concerns. This approach, he said, has helped Univar grow market share.

McCray credited a quote he once saw at a J.B. Hunt facility, attributed to the company's leadership: "Good business partners attract good business partners." He has tried to emulate that principle throughout his career.

Market Outlook: Capacity and Fuel Surcharges

McCray flagged rising tender rejection rates as a leading service indicator and a growing concern heading into the second half of the year. Tender rejection rates — the percentage of contracted freight loads turned down by carriers — are a closely watched barometer in the freight industry; rising rates typically signal tightening capacity and shifting leverage toward carriers. McCray said capacity is becoming an issue again after a couple of years of relative ease, and described current fuel surcharge behavior as "erratic" — not merely dynamic.

Univar has already adjusted its fuel surcharge policy in response to carrier feedback gathered at events like the Chattanooga kickoff. His market outlook: carrier-favorable conditions will likely persist through the balance of 2025 and potentially into the first half of 2026, with geopolitical uncertainty and elevated fuel prices as the key wildcards.

"I am not Nostradamus," McCray said. "What I believe is it's going to be tight. I believe it's going to be carrier-favorable for the balance of the year. The geopolitical events that are going on right now seem like they're going to continue on at least through the midterms. That basically puts you into Q4."

He added that the critical question is whether tight capacity and erratic fuel prices will extend through the first half of 2026, and what impact that will have on large shippers as they post Q1 and Q2 earnings and adjust pricing to absorb supply chain cost increases.

For shippers who have never experienced a carrier-favorable market cycle, McCray likened the environment to running a marathon. It is exceptionally difficult, he said, to continue paying higher rates and doing right by carriers when internal finance teams are pressing for cost reductions. The market needs to swing periodically, he noted — for both shippers and carriers.

A Full Multimodal Platform

Beyond trucking, McCray framed Univar's logistics operation as a full multimodal platform encompassing air freight, river barges, ocean vessels, LTL, rail, a fleet of 3,500 railcars, and service to the North Slope of Alaska. The complexity and scale of the operation attract logistics professionals drawn to high-stakes supply chains.

His hiring formula prioritizes three qualities: data aptitude, emotional intelligence, and a genuine passion for logistics. Candidates must be able to understand and apply data, engage cross-functionally with commercial and procurement teams, and have the drive to treat logistics as a career rather than just a job.

"We hire good cooks," McCray said, "and the good cooks are fantastic logisticians."

Building From Within

McCray also emphasized the value of internal development. The best private fleet managers, he said, typically start as strong planners who understand how freight flows through the system and appreciate the challenges blue-collar drivers face. That foundation makes them more effective when they move into carrier procurement roles.

The flywheel effect, as McCray described it, works as follows: consistent carrier partnerships secure reliable capacity; reliable capacity attracts more customer loads; growing market share generates additional profit; and that profit allows Univar to pay carriers more competitively, reinforcing the cycle.

"Any feedback we can get from our carrier partners to help continue that is gold to us," McCray said.

Source: FreightWaves