Many poultry traders work hard on buying right birds, negotiating good rates, and finding the best buyers. But one hidden area silently reduces profit more than expected. That is transport vehicle usage.
Most traders look at bird price and sale price. Very few track vehicle cost properly. Fuel, driver time, waiting hours, route delays, loading gaps, and return empty trips slowly eat margin. By the time accounts are checked, profit looks smaller and no one knows where it went.
Transport is not just moving birds. It is moving money on wheels.
Why Transport Cost Becomes a Hidden Loss
In daily trading, vehicles are used quickly without planning. Trips are assigned based on urgency, not efficiency. Vehicles may travel half loaded. Routes may not be optimized. Drivers may wait long hours at farms or markets.
Each small delay adds cost. Each empty kilometer adds waste. When this repeats daily, monthly profit drops heavily. Traders feel market is weak, but real leakage happens in logistics.
Common Mistakes Poultry Traders Make
Many traders do not record trip wise expense. They track fuel loosely. Driver payments are not linked to trip outcome. There is no clear view of cost per load.
Some vehicles are overused while others stay idle. Maintenance is delayed. Sudden breakdown creates emergency hiring at higher rent. That again cuts margin.
Without trip visibility, decision making becomes guesswork.
Simple Control Practices That Protect Margin
Plan loads before assigning vehicles. Try to send vehicles fully loaded whenever possible. Combine nearby pickups and deliveries. Avoid empty return trips by planning backhaul loads.
Record every trip detail like fuel, distance, load size, waiting time, and delivery point. Review vehicle performance weekly. You will quickly see which routes and trips are wasting money.
Preventive maintenance also saves trading profit. A healthy vehicle costs less than an emergency repair.
What Smart Traders Do Differently
Smart poultry traders treat transport like a profit center, not just a support activity. They measure cost per trip and cost per load. They compare routes and improve planning. They review driver patterns and timing.
When transport is managed with clarity, trading margin becomes stable. Profit becomes predictable. Growth becomes easier.
Good trading is not only about buying and selling birds. It is also about moving them wisely.
