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Overcoming The Challenge of Shipping Freight During The Holiday Season

Shipping freight during the holiday season can be quite challenging for any company.  Customers want guaranteed delivery and with the increase in shipping needs to be met,this often proves to be a complex task. To take the stress of shipping freight during the busy holiday season it is important that logistic managers use a combination of historical data, present knowledge, and updated technology to ensure that holiday shipments are delivered on time, every time.   When planning for your critically timed shipments consider the following:

Gather Critical Shipment Information Required by Carriers

A lot of information is needed when shipping freight to receive an accurate quote.  This is especially true in LTL shipments.  In order to receive timely and accurate quotes be sure to update carriers on the following:

  • Shipments Origin: City, State, and Zip
  • Shipments Destination: City, State, and Zip
  • Required Pick up and Delivery Dates and Times
  • The Number of Pieces, Pallets, or Crates in The Shipment
  • The National Motor Freight Classification, NMFC
  • Total Gross Weight of the Entire Shipment
  • Detailed Description of Your Commodity –(Hazardous shipments must have a UN# and packing group)
  • Special Instructions for Pickup and Delivery

Properly Packaged Freight

To avoid possible delays, it is important to take any confusion and eliminate it from your shipment.  In LTL shipping it is important that your freight is properly packaged.  Your shipments should be stacked heaviest to lightest vertically and shrink wrapped.  Shipments should be palletized, strapped or banded to prevent the freight from coming apart during shipping.  Freight that remains intact while handled throughout its expedition has a better chance of bring delivered without delay. 

Make sure all packages within the shipment are properly marked and labeled on all sides.  Don’t only include the destination details be sure to also include the details of origin.  If there are special requirements when handling your shipment make sure they are stated on readable labels on all sides of your shipment.

Utilize a TMS for Prominence in Consideration of the Best Rates and Service

A transportation management system can save companies not only time but money as well.  A TMS simplified will help to bridge any gaps between shippers and carriers, allowing companies to get rates, transit time, and such when deciding on shipping,streamlining the process.

The best way to guarantee customer satisfaction is to plan ahead.  Put limits on what you can and cannot guarantee.  Obviously, orders placed days before the holiday is set to be celebrated can’t possibly be guaranteed.  State up front your cut off date for guaranteed holiday season and after that any shipment sent is a bonus if it is received in time for the holiday.

Matrix Transportation is the fastest growing freight transport company in the Midwest, founded in 2009.  As an up and coming industry leader in freight management including shipping, warehousing, and cross docking services with the highest quality transportation solutions for the manufacturing and automotive industries. More information can be found at https://www.matrixtransportation.com/.

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Strategies That Reduce Freight Costs

Ship only on off-peak days –

Consider using traditionally off-peak shipping days to have your product picked up by your carrier to save money per shipment. Only consider it if it is not going to cause any issues with your customers.

 

For smaller shipment consider using a consolidation program –

LTL shipments can be considerably expensive since they are much smaller than a TL shipment. There are, however, ways to consolidate smaller shipments with other local businesses to create one large, TL and each partner only pays for a smaller portion of the total freight charge. This is a perfect arrangement for all parties involved.

 

Develop long-term agreements with freight shipping –

Instead of always looking for a cheaper freight carrier, consider establishing long-term contracts with your freight carriers to get them to offer you a better rate.

 

Changing your shipping lead times –

By adding extra time to lead time that you give to your customers you should be able to find a cheaper carrier that will still get your customer their product and you potentially end up paying less.

 

Reduce unnecessary weight per pallet –

Try not to use too much unnecessary packing material to convince yourself that it is going to be less likely to get damaged it has all that extra stuff on it.

 

Reduce the number of pallets used on LTL ships –

When it comes to your LTL shipment your carrier will likely offer a lower rate if you have a smaller number of pallets. This may require some creative pallet loading and unbox to accomplish this.

 

Show the carrier that your company loads trucks quickly –

It is typical for a carrier to set aside a two-hour window for loading out a truck when they make their scheduling of pickups. If you are one of those businesses that consistently load their truck quickly, it is possible that you can be given a favorable freight shipping rate.

 

Use night pick hours as ways to use backhaul opportunities with certain carries –

You can offer your carrier to arrive after hours when it might be more convenient (backhaul situation) to arrive after the dock would typically be closed and there would potentially be a way to save money.

 

Change how you ship the product to move more product, but less often –

If you currently have agreements with customers to ship products in small size shipments, you should consider incentivizing them to take accept larger shipments less frequently. This will help to reduce your overall freight shipping costs.

Use a carrier located close to where you are shipping to –

Using a local carrier that is nearby your ship to location should allow the carrier to offer you a lower rate since your shipment will likely be considered a backhaul. This will make it possible for the carrier to fill empty hours for one of their trucks heading back to their facility. This should result is a much lower shipping rate and therefore save a considerable amount of money.

 

Matrix Transportation is the fastest growing freight transport company in the Midwest, founded in 2009.  As an up and coming industry leader in freight management including shipping, warehousing, and cross docking services with the highest quality transportation solutions for the manufacturing and automotive industries. More information can be found at http://www.matrixtransportation.com/.