Why Liquid Bulk Hazmat Shippers Pay More to Lock Carrier Capacity

How does Univar Solutions secure liquid bulk hazmat trucks when capacity tightens?

Univار Solutions pays above-market rates and hosts an annual carrier kickoff event in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to lock capacity before tender rejections spike. Rob McCray, vice president of transportation at Univar, told FreightWaves 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.

What makes liquid bulk hazmat capacity harder to find than dry van?

Most liquid bulk hazmat carriers operate 10 to 50 assets, McCray said. The commodities Univar moves range from standard steel drum tankers requiring hazmat placarding to specialty chemicals like hydrochloric acid that demand rubber-lined 53-foot tankers. These are exceptionally expensive assets that require high utilization rates and consistent business, he said. The market is cyclical, with a boom year often followed by two bust years in a row, making it difficult for carriers to pay back the investment on that asset.

The limited carrier pool means competition for trucks intensifies quickly when capacity contracts. When multiple shippers call the same carrier asking for an asset, McCray said, the carrier chooses based on relationship history. Companies that invest in carriers during soft markets, paying a small increment of inflation every year even in deflationary periods, get the asset. Competitors chasing spot rates do not.

How much does Univar invest in carrier relationships?

McCray acknowledged the annual carrier kickoff event is "not cheap" but declined to specify the dollar figure. The event brings carrier partners to Chattanooga for face-to-face meetings, terminal visits, and direct engagement with drivers. 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.

Univار was the first chemical distributor to receive the FreightWaves Shipper of Choice Award, a recognition McCray said the company did not actively pursue. The investment in relationships is designed to put faces to names and build trust that pays off when exceptions and issues arise, he said.

What is Univar's route-guide strategy?

McCray outlined a disciplined 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 don't 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."

The company does not view carrier partners as anything other than an extension of its brand, McCray said. Univar wants customers and suppliers to see the same driver on the same route consistently, whether that driver works for Univar's private fleet or a third-party carrier. The company intentionally partners with small mom-and-pop carriers, visits their terminals, and encourages drivers to flag operational opportunities or safety concerns.

What market conditions is Univar seeing in mid-2026?

McCray flagged rising tender rejection rates as a leading service indicator and a growing concern heading into the second half of the year. He said capacity is becoming an issue again after a couple of years of relative ease. Current fuel surcharge behavior is "erratic," he said. Univar has already adjusted its fuel surcharge policy in response to carrier feedback gathered at events like the Chattanooga kickoff.

McCray's 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. The tight capacity environment is not limited to liquid bulk hazmat. Dry van spot rates topped contract rates in June 2026 for the first time since 2022, and tender rejection rates have climbed across all equipment types.

What does Univar's multimodal platform look like?

Beyond liquid bulk 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 attracts logistics professionals drawn to high-stakes supply chains, he said.

His hiring formula prioritizes data aptitude, emotional intelligence, and a genuine passion for logistics. "We hire good cooks," he said, "and the good cooks are fantastic logisticians."

What this means for small fleets in specialty niches

Univار's strategy confirms what small fleets in specialty niches already know: shippers willing to pay above-market rates and invest in relationships will lock capacity first when tender rejections climb. For owner-operators and small carriers hauling liquid bulk hazmat, the takeaway is straightforward. Long-term partnerships with shippers who pay consistently, even in soft markets, are worth more than chasing spot rates. The rubber-lined tanker sitting idle in a boom-bust cycle is a sunk cost. The same tanker running consistent miles for a shipper who visits your terminal and knows your drivers by name is a revenue stream that survives the next downturn.