It’s 4:15 p.m. and your hot rolled coil shipment hasn’t shown up. The mill says it shipped. The carrier says they’re “checking.” Meanwhile, your slitter is idle, and operations is asking where the steel is. Sound familiar?

Freight may not be in your job title, but as a purchasing manager at a steel service center, coordinating deliveries is part of the job—whether you planned for it or not. And if you’re not managing freight with as much scrutiny as price and spec, you’re risking delivery failures, excess cost, and customer frustration.

Here’s how to get steel where it needs to be—on time, without bleeding margin.

Own the Delivery Timeline—Even If You Don’t Own the Truck

In many steel buys, the freight is “prepaid” or mill-managed, meaning the supplier books and pays for the truck. That’s convenient, but dangerous if you assume that means you’re off the hook.

In truth, your team is still responsible for ensuring delivery aligns with internal schedules. That means confirming:

Has the mill tendered the load to a carrier?

Has the carrier confirmed pickup and provided an ETA?

Is the delivery window compatible with receiving and production schedules?

Make it a habit to track every inbound load with the same rigor as your POs. If your system doesn’t support integrated freight tracking, use a shared spreadsheet or basic TMS to log carrier, load status, and delivery dates.

Use Scheduled Follow-Ups to Get Ahead of Delays

Don’t wait for deliveries to be late to follow up. Create a standard follow-up cadence for critical shipments:

48 hours before ETA: Confirm ship date, carrier assignment, and any potential delays.

Day of shipment: Get tracking details or driver contact.

Delivery day: Monitor arrival and confirm unload time.

Even if 90% of loads arrive without issue, the 10% that don’t can throw off an entire day’s production. Scheduled check-ins are your insurance policy.

Build Freight Terms That Support Flexibility

Whether you’re buying on FOB mill or FOB destination, ensure your purchase orders specify clear expectations around freight. These may include:

Required delivery date (not just ship date)

Acceptable delivery windows (e.g., must arrive between 7 a.m.–2 p.m.)

Contact procedures for missed pickups or reschedules

Penalties or chargebacks for missed appointments (if applicable)

The more explicit your terms, the more leverage you have when issues arise—and the easier it is to protect your operations.

Tier Your Freight: Not Every Coil Deserves a Rush Load

When a coil is late and production is at risk, it’s tempting to throw money at the problem—hotshot freight, dedicated flatbed, next-day service. But that approach can torpedo your freight budget fast.

Instead, categorize every shipment:

High-risk/critical delivery: Coil is tied to a customer ship date or booked slitter run. These may warrant upgraded service.

Standard inventory restock: Delivery is important, but not time-sensitive. Stick to standard LTL or shared flatbed.

Overflow or buffer stock: You can defer or consolidate without impact.

Make these distinctions early and often. Use them to prioritize follow-ups and guide escalation. Smart freight coordination means choosing the right service level—not just the fastest.

Use Strategic Carriers, Not Just Whoever’s Available

Many service centers fall into the trap of rotating freight brokers—grabbing whoever has capacity that day. While this fills short-term needs, it leaves you exposed when capacity tightens or a shipment goes south.

Instead, build relationships with 3–5 trusted carriers or brokers who understand your lanes, your docks, and your urgency. Reward performance with volume, not just lowest rate.

Track key metrics:

On-time performance

Damage/claims rate

Response time to issues

Flexibility on urgent loads

Then use that data to guide routing decisions.

Consolidate Where It Makes Sense—Split When It Doesn’t

Consolidating shipments lowers per-ton freight cost, but it can cause delays if the truck has multiple drops or the mill holds back a partial load.

When you’re ordering from multiple mills or handling multiple delivery points, ask:

Can I consolidate shipments to reduce freight cost and unload complexity?

Will splitting the PO and accepting two deliveries allow earlier production starts?

In some cases, the cost of an extra unload is far less than the cost of idle equipment or missed ship dates.

Build In-House Tracking Discipline

If your ERP or procurement platform doesn’t offer freight visibility, create your own internal process:

Assign every load a tracking ID or PO reference.

Log each stage: booked, picked up, en route, delivered.

Flag any delays over 24 hours for escalation.

Even a simple spreadsheet, if maintained daily, gives your team situational awareness and leverage when addressing issues with carriers or suppliers.

Partner with Your Operations and Receiving Teams

Purchasing may issue the PO and coordinate the freight, but your receiving team lives with the consequences. Missed appointments cause dock congestion, labor issues, and schedule shifts.

Regular check-ins with receiving help surface problems early—like recurring late arrivals from a particular carrier or communication gaps about access and unloading needs.

Keep them in the loop on ETA changes and use their feedback to refine your freight strategy.

Final Word

In steel purchasing, you don’t need to be a freight expert—but you do need to be freight-aware. A late delivery is more than a logistics issue—it’s a supply chain breakdown with ripple effects across your plant and customer base.

By treating freight coordination as a core part of your role, tightening your process, and partnering with reliable carriers, you’ll ensure that steel doesn’t just ship—it arrives when and where it’s needed.

Because in this business, late coil is lost time—and lost time is lost margin.