The pallet system is highly efficient when there is less than a full load. A manufacturer in Birmingham may have customers all over the UK and if his goods are on pallets then he only needs to deal with one company. If he is a regular or just occasional it doesn’t matter, although if he has enough shipments he will get a discount.
What kills general haulage profits is the empty running. Get a quote for taking ten pallets from London to Glasgow with delivery before midday tomorrow by GH and compare that to any of the pallet systems - no contest.
The other saving is the time of whoever organises the shipping - one haulier to deal with, one monthly invoice and no phoning round every day to find a haulier.
My lot are part of Palletforce and the hub at Burton handles 5000 to 6000 pallets every night. The sales emphasis is not on price but quality - for most customers a few pence either way is neither here nor there. What they want is reliability. There is no point in taking unprofitable work.