But what is it that draws people to Anchor Freight? What do they like, what do they get from it and why do they stay?
Many Anchor people share characteristics, attitudes or values, but where do they come from and what brought them here?
Only they can tell you.
I only knew about Anchor Freight from their website. After joining, I discovered that the company has a very supportive and caring culture. The team is very kind and helpful. They’re always willing to teach and support, not just in work matters, but also in sharing culture, language, and life in general.
It’s a dynamic industry. The world economy, wars and trade wars, and geopolitics in general all affect freight costs, fuel prices, and demand for imports and exports. You’re never going to get bored.
To be honest, I didn’t know much about the logistics sector, and it was a lot more complex than I expected. What really surprised me was the constant, changing requirements that we have to deal with on a day to day basis.
If you’re thinking about logistics, come into it with an open mind, expect ongoing change and be prepared for more automation in the years to come. Build relationships with suppliers, shipping lines and almost everyone you come into regular contact with. Being on first name terms with people can be an advantage for the future.
Working in logistics has opened my eyes to what’s involved in importing and exporting everything, from a 1mm bolt for an aircraft wing, to Iron Maiden’s touring equipment, foreign aid, and luxury cars.
As with any job, when things don’t go quite to plan, they must be fixed. But the complexity of logistics requires thought, collaboration and patience, whilst working with the various agencies to try to get a result as efficiently as possible.
Anchor Freight is one big family. We are from all backgrounds, working together with the common goal of customer satisfaction. Unlike larger corporations we offer a familiar, friendly experience that means our customers feel like they belong.
I came to this totally green. I knew nothing about the industry, let alone Anchor freight before I joined.
But I quickly discovered there’s a lot more to it than moving things from A to B. You have to be flexible, build good relationships with suppliers as well as customers—partly so you know how to get what you need from suppliers, and know how to handle the occasional difficult conversation.
One other thing I’ve learned, and this might not be the best thing to say but… don’t worry too much about work. Sometimes there are problems and it might be your fault, or it might not, but as there’s no point in stressing or beating yourself up about it. Just learn from it, try not to do it again and move on. There are worse things happening in life.
So many things have to go right to ensure a smooth shipment – delays with vessels can mess up your onward planning to collect the cargo for devan, which can then have a knock on effect for the onward haulage, which is crucial to meeting the customers delivery demand, and that can cause all sorts of issues!
The most important thing is to keep cargo moving – the longer a shipment doesn’t move, the more cost it will incur.. which is why it’s crucial to keep things turning around at a steady pace and feed a healthy supply chain.
People think the industry is dirty & just about moving cartons from A to B, how it’s always the same, but that is not the case.. cargo can differ from cartons light as a feather, to heavy machinery parts requiring specialist lifts. The industry is so vast and there are so many different areas you can specialise in
Teamwork and strong customer service are core values for us. We always verify information carefully before sharing it and ensure customers receive regular updates. That’s how we do things.
I think things will continue to change a lot over the next few years. Customers expect more visibility—there might be more pressure to provide better customer service through digital tools.
At the same time, the industry will need more digital and tech-savvy employees. Traditional roles may change, and more training will be needed to work with new systems and technologies.
There might be more frequent disruptions from extreme weather that affect routes and schedules. Being flexible and ready to adapt will always be very important.