8 Trimble Transportation Bid Don’t Bet This element of the lane file is key in your pricing, and in your overall decision to bid for someone’s business. Knowledge of the shipper’s facilities tells you if they can set you up for a successful operation. If a shipper can offer you flexibility and convenience, your rate should reflect that to show them that you value their business. The facility profile may include information such as whether they live load or preload trailers, how many dock doors they have, where to drop empty trailers and so on. All of this information can be put together to create a holistic picture of how easy planning and execution will be, which you will ultimately factor into your rate. In some cases, the shipper may ask for your capacity, and you should be prepared to answer. It’s expected that your capacity will be experiencing some degree of flux, and you may plan to downsize or expand. In the event that you expect to grow, it is recommended to overcommit when providing your capacity, as the risk of having to expand your capacity is outweighed by that of not getting the contract. These commitments themselves are a reason to grow, or even a force that will enable growth. Facility Profile Commitments Knowledge of the shipper’s facilities tells you if they can set you up for a successful operation .