Category: Detroit LTL - page 3

Starting up a new business of any kind comes with a myriad of decisions to be made.  A well-researched business plan should be created to ensure a plan is in place for each and every one of the decisions to be made.  You should consider the cost of business insurance as well as a reputable company to purchase insurance from.  You need to think about how you will pay your employees.  Consider marketing and how you will drum up business.  It is also important to have a plan in action of how you will keep the business going as you build it up.  One of the most important questions to address involved the companies shipping.

A company’s shipping policies can literally make or break a new business. Business owners are forced to choose a reliable, affordable, fast freight shipping company that will help better the business while keeping overhead costs affordable.  The question now is how that is accomplished.  How does a new business owner go about finding an affordable, efficient and reliable shipping company to work with?

The first thing that you need to do upon inspecting different freight shipping companies is to look at the company’s track record.  Employing a company with an unfavorable shipping reputation is not advisable.  The research in finding a solid, reputable shipping company may take some time but in the long run it is time well spent.  To find out about a company’s reputation, the first place to check is with their references.

Find other business owners that the company works with and ask about how their shipping needs are being met.  A reliable shipping service is a must for starting, growing and maintaining your business.  If you choose wrong a myriad of problems can arise. Choosing an unreliable shipping freight company can lead to your products arriving late to their end user which causes your company’s reputation to look bad.  Your customers will not look at the shipping error as the freight company’s problem they will look at it as yours for choosing that method to ship your product.

When looking into choosing a freight company for you shipping needs check out what the company offers you.  When it comes to choosing a freight company to ship with you should find that you have access to state of the art software that allows you complete and direct access to a number of network carriers.  You should be able to log in and see what optimized logistic routes that your company has used in the past and have direct access to those routes as well.  This can streamline logistics for your company allowing you to get shipping at an affordable price on the most efficient travel path.

Lastly look into their support services.  They should have shipping experts available that are there to improve your business shipping needs.  Logistic professionals that help plan the most affordable and fastest shipping route.

Looking to answer these few questions with freight carriers you are interested in for your business needs will help you in the long run.  A reputable shipping company with updated technology and hands on support team will help your business succeed.

When it comes to business, especially those based on services it is arguable that the most important piece of the puzzle is customer service.  This is especially true when it comes to small business owners choosing a freight broker.  Many of you are about to disagree and point out that cost is the most important factors however I disagree.  I do believe that as the relationship with the broker is continued cost savings in inevitable.  To find a freight broker, especially one that specializes in less than truckload shipping you will find these tips useful.

Look for a provider to assist you with your business logistic needs that is affiliated in the industry.  There are many associations to choose from as a part of the freight brokerage industry. It is important that before you do business you check with their affiliates to check for any unfavorable information regarding the company.  It is important that as a logistics provider that the company is always accountable to the highest, best practice standards for the industry.

Find a provider that has been in business for a bit of time.  A broker that has been in business for four to five years will have connections that a new broker just will not have in the industry yet.  Connections will lead to better prices for all parties involved, which will affect your bottom end.  Carriers will provide shippers with better rates based on the relationship they hold with them.  This is natural in many business dealings.

Look for a freight provider that is insured, licensed and bonded.    Insurance adds a second layer of protection if something does happen to your shipment and the actual carrier and their insurance company refuse to pay for the damages. Look for a carrier with both error & omissions insurance as well as contingent cargo& liability insurance.  A broker is legally not able to operate without a federal property broker license which is offered through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as well as bonded for at least ten thousand dollars.  This is important item to look for.

A good freight broker will deal with several different shippers/carriers.  They will keep track of all of the minuet details about each of the carriers so that you don’t have to worry about any of it.  It is their job to make sure your products and packages are where they need to be when they need to be on reliable carriers.  Look into your broker’s relationship with carriers and how they manage the carriers they use.

Whomever you choose to help you in the logistic maze needs to be strong in day to day happenings.  If lanes are changing or a more efficient one is developed that could benefit you it is their job to have this information. A broker that sits and waits for these changes to be announced are behind.  You need to find a broker that has the relationships that will allow them to know before it happens.

Being proactive in you supply chain needs is the only way a broker will be sure that he is getting his clients the biggest bang for their buck.  This is a full time job for larger companies.  Small businesses don’t have the financial luxury to employ a logistics manager so the next best thing is to find a broker on the fast track of shipping.

When it comes to the shipping component to any business it is always a little bit confusing.  This is especially true when you ship items that are bigger than a standard parcel post but too small to require an entire truckload.  This is where less than truckload carriers come into the picture.  LTL carriers are discount freight shippers that ship parcels starting at around one hundred and fifty pounds per single pallet up to six thousand pounds or six pallets.  When shipping any more or less than specified it is less expensive to pay for parcel post or truckload shipping.

Frequently, less than truckload freight carriers combine shipments from several different business’s which together are equivalent to a truck load.  This allows them to offer discounts for freight while maintaining a profit.  Most Less than truckload freight is transported via a system know as a hub-and-spoke system which allows shipments to be transferred between trucks and freight mid-points until the shipment arrives at its final destination.

Below is a guide that helps to introduce you to less than truckload carrier’s rate classes.

Base rates are determined by each individual LTL freight carrier.  The base rate is the rate is the cost at which shipping starts.  The rate will go up from there dependent upon the weight, the miles travelled and where the package is shipped from and to.  Base LTL rates are often quoted based on one hundred pounds.  Base rates are determined by each individual LTL freight carrier.

The base rate is the rate is the cost at which shipping starts.  The rate will go up from there dependent upon the weight, the miles travelled and where the package is shipped from and to.  Base LTL rates are often quoted based on one hundred pounds.  This rate is then modified/discounted dependant on the volume of shipments shipped, how many lanes are needed to pace the shipment between trucks and freight as well as things such as fuel and special deliveries.

Your freight will also be classified based upon what you are shipping.  Is the freight dense and storable or is it high-risk freight that needs special care and handling. This will factor into the overall cost to ship your products. Think about the difference in shipping stones verses cotton padding.

Distance and weight are also two large considerations that help to define the amount you will be charged for your LTL shipment.  If the distance the package needs to travel to is within your normal range than you will not pay an increase to ship however if your shipment needs to go outside of the normal delivery range you will pay more for the special handling.  Weight is always a factor in how much your shipment will cost.  The heavier a shipment the more fuel that is needed to ship the goods.  With LTL, the benefit is that you are only paying for what you need to ship and not the entire weight of the truckload.

LTL helps save companies on their logistic budgets.  There are many companies that ship LTL.  To find a company that best suits your business check online.  Compare companies, reviews and quotes.  Just because you save money doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting a good deal on shipping, the quality of the shipper must play a role as well.

The holiday season is approaching quickly!  With this excitement comes the hustle and bustle of getting everything you want to get done, done. As well as the packages you want sent out where you want them when you want them there.  Managing the logistics of the holiday has never been easier with the options of online shopping and shipping as well as logistic companies catering to small less than truckload shipments.

This is not only important to us as consumers but as business owners as well.  With more orders coming in with the holidays approaching it is important that product ends where it needs to be, on time to facilitate the increase in consumer activity that comes from the season.  Once again third party logistic companies come to our rescue.

There are many benefits that come along with using less than truckload freight trucking companies as your logistics professionals.  The best reason of all is that their services are fast, easy and quotes are free.  LTL freight is when it is needed to ship anything from one pallet of goods to half a truck load and anything in between.  LTL trucking companies combine shipments to efficiently ship all types of goods saving you money.  Often times smaller companies don’t need to ship large quantities therefore a full truck is not needed.

Another great benefit derived from LTL shipping is that the special needs of your shipment can be taken care of.  If your shipment requires refrigeration, freezers, hazmat, dry storage or special care for items like produce or pharmaceuticals LTL logistic service providers can provide service to you combining your shipment with others in need of the same conditions into one truckload.

Another benefit is the environmental aspect.  LTL shipping is an environmentally friendly way to transport your freight because it takes several small shipments into one large truckload.  This alleviates multiple trucks shipping small loads of freight all over the United States and globally.  With companies becoming more interested in adopting environmental friendly procedures and eliminating the activities that affect the environment shipping via combined shipments found in ltl shipping is increasing in popularity.

Another benefit is the timeliness of shipping ltl.  When you are able to ship just a partial truck load you are not leaving goods that have been purchased or are needed elsewhere sitting on a truck waiting for a truckload to be filled.  Time and money are both saved as well as an increase in customer satisfaction.  The faster consumers have products the happier they are.

With every business decision there are advantages and disadvantages to be weighed.  The thing is, there aren’t any disadvantages to less than truckload transportation services.  It is truly a win, win situation for every party involved. Businesses get shipments sent out in a timely, cost effective, environmentally friendly fashion and consumers wreak the benefits of having their shipments arrive in a timely fashion.  This leaves everyone getting back to making money and being productive sooner.  When logistics become a non issue and a system is running efficiently everyone wins, the major benefit of discount ltl shipping.

Small businesses, large corporations and everything in between make every effort to expand their businesses. With this in mind there are several reasons a business exceeds or fails. One major component of any business is their logistics plan. Transportation needs within a business are important to the overall progress of the company.
A freight carrier company should always be looking out for you and your faculties when it comes to the transportation of your companies goods. Work with a company that covers a variety of services such as truckload shipping as well as less than truckload shipping and passes savings on to you with “performance based logistics”. Smaller companies will want to work with a logistics provider that specializes in LTL shipping and freight options for several of the following reasons.
1) When your company needs to ship less than a full semi truck load an LTL freight carrier is who you are looking for. If you hire a company that only ships based on full truck loads you end up doing one of two things; wasting the company’s money or wasting the customer’s time before they have your product in hand. Less than truckload companies transport smaller shipments for their customers and only charge you based on the goods that are sent not the wasted space. Wasted space is obsolete with LTL carriers. A truck is filled with the goods of several small LTL shipments.
2) Saving your company time, energy and resources is the value that LTL shippers offer to small companies. There is no need to pay the high costs associated with the post office or parcel companies. Don’t waste time in line, LTL courier services come to you and have online resources to help you manage your company’s logistic needs.
3) One of the greatest benefits of using LTL shipping is that the goods that are being shipped are collected from any location that you specify and can be delivered to your desired location. Another benefit is that goods are delivered in the morning and picked up for delivery in the evening; this means that your shipments will get to your customers on time before more shipments are picked up.
4) When shipping with a less than truckload carrier note that your shipment can range anywhere from one hundred pounds to twenty thousand pounds. This saves the company money. An entire truck is not needed and therefore is not paid for. When business is done on a smaller scale this is a very beneficial feature of LTL shipping.
Expand your profits, improve your company’s logistics and grow your company with the help pf a local LTL transportation and logistics service provider.

LTL is an acronym that stands for less than truckload. What this means to small businesses and to individuals such that have items that are heavy and overly expensive to ship via conventional methods is that even without a full truck load the items can get shipped. This is especially important for small to medium leveled companies that ship items frequently but never enough to fill an entire truck. Most often loads over one hundred pounds will be shipped in this method. A truck load fills up with a bunch of smaller shipments to form an entire load. Once the freight carrier collects the shipment they are consolidate on one freight trailer for transport to its desired locations.
Learning about LTL shipping is important to help ensure that when shipping items that don’t fill an entire truck load but are over one hundred pounds that your shipment is handled appropriately getting to the proper location. LTL shipping is not only meant for companies. Individual residential clients can also be served by LTL shippers. Consider shipping a large handmade china cabinet or toy box to grandchildren that live far away; you will need to use a shipper that handles small, heavy loads to get it where it needs to go. That is where LTL shippers come in.
The first step in shipping through a LTL carrier is to determine the weight of your freight. Freight is defined as packages over one hundred pounds. It is in your best interest to know the dimensions as well. Write down the width, height and length of the package as well as the weight. This will help when pricing different LTL shippers.
Nest you will need to find a local shipper of light loads in your area. This is most easily done by searching LTL freight carriers in Google, Bing, Yahoo or the search engine of your preference. Once you have determined local shippers that you are interested in shipping with fill in the online freight information to get an estimate price on shipping. Doing this online you will find it easier to compare between different freight carriers without the hassle of moving your freight from one carrier to another.
Once you have settled on a rate and shipper that you have decided to go with call a sales representative from the carrier. You can sign up for an account online and a rep from the company will contact you or you can contact the company directly.
When you are in contact with the sales representative from the shipping company that will ask you what the rate was that you have been quoted from the online application. The information will be taken down and confirmed. If you will need help with the freight let the carrier know that you will need a forklift. At this point the carrier representative will book and confirm a date and time that your freight will be set to ship.
The carrier will most likely send preparation guidelines on how your freight needs to be packaged for shipping. Often times a carrier will require that the shipment is secured to a pallet to help ensure for ease of movement during the shipping process. You will be able to track your freight as it moves through the process of meeting its final destination and so may the recipient so that when the shipment arrives they are able to pick it up. Remember that LTL shipping most often refers to shipping domestically. Foreign freight may need to go through a different process depending on customs and carriers.

Jefferson Diversified Group, LLC is a Global Logistics expert offering LTL shipping and more. Check out available rates today at http://www.detroitltl.com/.
Jefferson Diversified Group, LLC is a Global Logistics expert offering LTL shipping and more. Check out available rates today at http://www.detroitltl.com/.