LTL Quote Shipping Guides

In today’s eCommerce climate, consumers expect all items to be delivered to their door. Most retail companies can fulfill this request, but shipping fragile items is another story. If customers open a broken product due to improper packaging, they will likely not shop with your business again. Shipping fragile items can be daunting, but with these five easy tips, you can […]

Why Real Time Tracking Matters to your customers. They expect real-time insight into where your products are and if they will arrive on time. 

Bad weather conditions cause a significant part of freight shipping disruptions. No matter what part of the country you ship to, unpredictable weather can affect your supply chain and result in prolonged delays. Even though you have no control over external factors, you can do your best to reduce negative consequences for your business.

Fast delivery is one of the keys to expanding your buyer audience. The growing customer demand makes retail businesses look for practical solutions to speed up their shipping operations and meet growing delivery expectations.

Sometimes, business owners aren’t able to handle all the shipping operations without additional shipping services. Whether you are planning to move unusual freight, sensitive cargo, or need paperwork assistance, you can effectively resolve these issues with extra shipping services. What are additional shipping services? Depending on your shipment’s nature, additional shipping services come in various […]

To ship freight in a 53’ dry van trailer, you need to figure out whether FTL or LTL shipping will suit your needs better, depending on the type of cargo, its dimensions, quantity, and how fast you want it shipped.

Hazmat items make up a big part of consumers’ regular purchases. Learn how to organize safe and consistent shipping of hazardous materials.

Naturally, there isn’t a one size fits all solution to logistics. However, one shipping method comes close –– intermodal transportation.

With the 2021 holiday season coming up, businesses need to prepare a bit more than usual. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, freight carriers have been busier than ever all year, and shipping lines are already clogged up. To prevent any trip-ups for your business, you can use our lists of best practices and holiday shipping deadlines.

Port congestion has negative effects on businesses. Aside from delays in shipments, there can even be spoilage of perishable goods and hiking up inventory costs.

Dry van freight shipping is one of the most common ways to ship goods. Explore how to move freight in a dry van trailer and get a fast dry van quote.

When the bulk of your business funds go to packaging and deliveries, it might be time to reconsider reducing shipping costs to improve your profit margin. Calculating the costs of shipping expenses can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we’ve got some tips for eCommerce and small business owners to reduce shipping expenses and improve profit!

Shipping can be stressful, especially if it involves fragile items! You’ll be holding your breath from the moment your package leaves your doorstep up until it reaches its final destination. Businesses are especially careful about damaged items since it’s more likely that you’ll bear the brunt of the damage. Nobody wants to deal with unhappy customers either. Delicate and fragile items, like glassware or antiques, need extra attention, so be prepared to pack and ship them properly.

Booking your freight can be more complicated than you’d expect. Aside from looking for a reliable freight forwarder and reasonable rates, you need to figure out the best shipping option that meets your transportation needs. In this article, you’ll learn about the most common types of freight transportation.

Most customers may never give it a second thought, but business owners are well-acquainted with the fact that supply chains operate like a well-oiled machine. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupted supply chains made it difficult to provide communities with pandemic response, including food, vaccines, and other medical supplies. Find out how business owners can prepare for disrupted supply operations to benefit both customers and employees.    What is a Supply Chain Disruption? – Supply chain disruption

In this fast-paced world, everyone is seeking quick and reliable delivery services. According to a survey, 64.3% of online shoppers expect cost-effective or free and fast delivery of goods. Likewise, business owners are also trying to provide their customers with the best ecommerce shipping options. When it comes to shipping freight, business owners need to know their margins when estimating and analyzing shipping prices. Use a shipping cost calculator to help you save time and continue gaining profits in t

An embargo is any event or government restriction that prevents commerce or exchange (import or export) of freight to another country or state.  Embargo can be applied to goods including: -Services -Products -Currency Embargo in freight shipping can be imposed in any context (war or peace), as it covers all aspects of economic activity and trade. Generally, embargoes do not apply to the exchange of all goods. A specific embargo is usually applied to certain categories of transpor

What is freight damage?  – Damaged freight can affect your customer’s perception of your brand and ultimately, your profits. While many business owners are aware of the negative effects of damaged goods and packages, many still struggle to understand what freight damage is, how it occurs, and how to mitigate risks. In this guide, we will give you the tools you need to better your shipping strategy.  Freight damage is any partial or total physical damage to goods during the shipment process. Imagine the lon

Regardless of the fluctuations in the freight market, there is a relatively stable pattern when it comes to freight shipping seasons. In freight shipping, the year is divided into four parts and is mainly determined by the demand and the business of freight carriers and shippers. Understanding freight seasons can help you accurately predict demand and prepare for the challenges of every season. Here we will talk about the peak season of shipping and how to prepare your logistics operations for it. ![Get a Q

What is a wooden pallet? – The pallet is a flat structure used for transporting freight. Wooden pallets are simply platforms of a standard pallet size that are the most common type of packaging in freight shipping. There are different types of pallets, but they are mostly made of either wood or plastic. The freight is usually secured or tied to the pallet and then stacked into the trailer. Pallets are mostly used to attach and secure already packaged freight. This way, the carrier can load a full trailer a

What is end-to-end visibility in the supply chain? – Supply chain visibility means having access to all processes and products involved in the supply chain. It includes transparency and real-time visibility into shipments, inventory, transactions, operations, payments, etc. Generally, supply chain visibility is the ability to track and trace everything that goes on in the supply chain from manufacturing to the end customer. In a current business environment, having visibility enables businesses to have con

Moving season is just around the corner, marking a busy period for many people and moving companies. While any move can be stressful, moving cross country is usually perceived as the most stressful type of move because it can be accompanied by many additional burdens and costs. There are so many things to keep track of while trying to maintain your budget. If you are new to the moving process, it may be helpful to learn important moving terms so you can have a better understanding of what you need to do to

Temperature-controlled shipping is a critical part of the global supply chain ecosystem, as it is the primary way of distributing perishables like food and medicine. In fact, reefers, or refrigerated trucks, handle 90% of all food distributed through the US. With the produce season quickly approaching and the massive rollout of vaccines, we have gathered the best practices for managing your cold shipping. ![image] (https://www.goship.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1ace89b4-fe28-40ff-a2a7-4cddc60fc9ec.png)

Springtime traditionally marks the start of the shipping season for fresh produce. Peaking in late spring, loads of fresh produce start filling shipping lanes from southern states. Most fruit and vegetable farmers, as well as importers, start to look for the capacity to distribute their products across the country when the demand for fresh produce greatly increases. Grocery stores, supermarkets, and restaurants need seasonal fruit and veggies to sustain their businesses. Refrigerated capacity is normally ti

Well-organized inventory management is a must-have for a successful retail strategy. In the post-pandemic world, optimal use of warehouse space is a necessity to meet the budget bottom line and grow profits. Often, shippers are faced with inaccurate or inconsistent inventory management which leads to overstocking or understocking.  While understocking is a common issue, overstocking, or deadstock, is rarely talked about in the retail industry. However, it isn’t less important and can have equally damaging c

In today’s customer-centric world, it is critical to meet and even exceed your customer expectations as a small business. Shipping and delivery are vital parts of the picture when it comes to customer satisfaction. Thus, businesses should develop a flexible shipping strategy that will provide enough visibility to enhance the ultimate leg of the supply chain – last-mile delivery. While this is the last step, it is often the most challenging and expensive part. In fact, more than 25% of businesses name delive

The spookiest night of the year is just around the corner!  The end of October is a prime time not only for witches and ghosts, but also for retailers. Shippers are getting ready to ship scary costumes, decorations, and of course, lots of treats. At the same time, retailers and shipping companies are preparing to supply the spooky occasion. Halloween shipping plays an enormous role in the retail industry.  The real goal of the retailer’s job is to deliver goods on-time, undamaged, and to the right place. Ot

It’s mid-September, and the busy shipping season is in full swing! While this month is more known for back to school and the start of fall, now is the perfect time to book shipments, whether you’re moving equipment or from one city to another. But before you start packing up and searching for the best rates, there are some important factors you should consider. 3 tips for the busy moving season – 1. Start by Cleaning! If you’re planning a personal move, the first step isn’t packing, it’s deciding what

Today, the freight market is fluctuating and freight rates are unstable. Many shippers struggle with their businesses and face challenges while trying to arrange their transportation process. Securing the right capacity and reasonable freight rates were always a priority for shippers, and now it’s even more important. There are a few tips shippers can utilize when it comes to getting the best freight rate and enhancing their efforts.  3 ways to get the best freight shipping rate – Plan ahead Carriers a

Selling heavy equipment online is not a simple process. If you are dealing with this type of business on a regular basis, you know that it might take a long time to get the item sold, a lot of effort to finalize the deal, and careful consideration to properly ship it. Heavy equipment is a specialized, narrow market. There aren’t many people ready to buy heavy pieces of equipment for hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you have a few interested customers, the sale could be a long process, which makes sellin

Whether you are a car owner, a seller or buyer of equipment, or an auto business owner, you know that shipping in this industry can be tough. Automotive parts are items of different size, shape, weight, and cost. They require very careful handling and that’s why shipping automotive parts can be troublesome. Finding the right shipping solution and taking some useful tips can help you create a successful shipping process. Choosing the right shipping mode There are a variety of options when it comes to ship

For individual shippers and small businesses, freight shipping terms can be confusing. There is a huge variety of different words and abbreviations, and it’s hard to memorize them all. If you are shipping freight, there are a few key terms you should know. Being aware of the correct meaning of these freight shipping terms will help you navigate the industry and avoid shipping mistakes.  Freight shipping terms you should know – Bill of Lading The bill of lading, or BOL, is the most important document in

Winter is known to be a harvesting season, and springtime traditionally marks the start of the fresh produce shipping season. Most fruit and vegetable farmers and importers start to look for the capacity to distribute their products across the country when the demand for fresh produce greatly increases. Grocery stores, supermarkets, and restaurants need seasonal fruit and veggies to sustain their businesses. When is produce shipping season? – Produce season usually starts in April and lasts till the end

What are the freight shipping seasons? – Each year in freight, shipping is different. There are many market fluctuations and external conditions that affect the supply and demand in which the freight shipping industry relies heavily on. Traditionally, the year of freight shipping is divided into different seasons. Freight brokers, shippers, and industry workers use this differentiation to know what to expect in the upcoming months and start preparing for an increase or decrease in demand. Generally, there

Planning temperature-controlled shipments can be extremely complicated because the slightest disruption could lead to spoiled products and lost sales. Reefers, or refrigerated trucks, handle 90% of all food distributed through the U.S. Aside from meat, dairy, and fresh produce, frozen equipment is also used to carry medicine, flowers, electronics, fine art, cosmetics, and other products that require climate control during transportation. To keep your cold shipments efficient and profitable, you can use seve

The role of high-performing and high-level shipping services is growing. Retailers and small businesses have to keep up with the increasing competition, and at the same time provide quality products and services to their customers. Essentially, breaking the bank to keep all the processes running is difficult, and businesses are looking for ways to save costs. One of the possible solutions to cut unnecessary costs is to look into your inbound freight shipping strategy. Why is inbound shipment management im

Textile and clothing industries are two big branches of the economy, which fuel a significant number of retail businesses. From zippers and sewing materials to high-end fashion products, the textile and fashion industry is crucial for today’s society. Apparel supply chains are complex and usually time-sensitive. Because of the high customer expectations in this field of retail, shipping and textile logistics play critical roles in customer experience, and, consequently, greatly affect the company’s profit.

There are two main over-the-road shipping modes: truckload and less-than-truckload. However, if you have ever shipped slightly beyond the LTL limits or not enough for full truckload, you may have assumed it’s not very cost-efficient. There is another option you may not be aware of, and that’s partial truckload shipping. For some shippers, it can be a cheaper and more useful alternative to traditional shipping modes. What is partial truckload shipping? – Partial truckload shipping refers to a medium amoun

It has never been easier to sell and buy things online or ship items internationally. Whether you’re an individual entrepreneur or a small business, you can benefit from the rapid development of cross border e-commerce. Numerous marketplaces made it possible to access customers across the world. For example, shipping to Canada can be a great start for U.S. retailers or businesses.  While it has become easier to expand your audiences and handle transactions from different countries, shipping freight internat

Black Friday is just around the corner, marking the official start of the holiday season for shoppers and retailers. Each year, the last Friday of November is getting bigger by generating more and more sales and revenues. In 2018, it generated $6.2 billion in online sales, which was almost 23% more than the previous year.  This has resulted in a leap in demand for e-commerce companies and retailers. It can be very challenging to keep up with that demand and maintain high-quality customer service at the same

Freight shipping can be a simple and positive experience… when you know the fundamentals of the process. However, even experienced shippers sometimes make small errors that can cost them a budget, customers, or business relationships. When you state uncertain or inaccurate shipment information, you can be surprised by accessorial charges to your freight. Following some simple steps will reduce the likelihood of this experience and save you money. What is an accessorial charge? – An accessorial charge i

Why accurate freight measurements are important? – It’s no secret that the total cost of your shipment is directly affected by its dimensions and freight measurements. You can’t use inaccurate numbers in your bill of lading and get away with it. Every carrier makes shipment inspections before handling, and any discrepancies between the stated and the actual shipment information will come to the surface. Shippers often make costly mistakes because of a lack of knowledge on how to measure a freight shipment.

What is a billing adjustment? – The billing payment adjustment, or rebill, is an added cost of shipment in case of discrepancies between the actual and stated shipment information. The rebill is usually issued to a broker or shipping platform. This bill adjustment is often an unpleasant surprise for shippers. In many cases, this confusion occurs because of inaccurate measuring, or incorrect data interpretation. Freight carriers always weigh and measure any shipment to see if it complies with the stated inf

Truckload freight rates play a significant role for shippers when deciding on the carrier or the company to move your freight. However, before landing a freight quote, it’s important to know which factors impact truckload rates and how they are calculated.  Truckload quotes are formed in a rather simple way compared to LTL rates, where density and freight class define the final cost of the shipment. In truckload shipping, freight rates are flat and mostly depend on mileage or door-to-door standard price. Co

The trucking industry accounts for almost 70% of freight tonnage moved throughout the U.S. Altogether, the truck market in the U.S. alone is worth more than $700 billion. Speaking facts, full truckload freight generates 85% of the entire trucking industry revenue. Both private and for-hire fleets keep the transportation industry running, and serve as the main transportation mode for thousands of companies. Nothing to wonder about, as truckload shipping benefits shippers regardless of the industry and compan

If you have ever wanted to ship large or oversized items, you may have heard about flatbed shipping. It can be a beneficial solution for industrial shippers, as well for individual shipments of large objects that are too big for LTL shipping. What is flatbed shipping? – Flatbed shipping is a type of truckload shipping that refers to moving oversized cargo with an open trailer. Unlike dry van shipping, the flatbed trailer is a type of open equipment. Basically, it is a plane platform, a trailer with no si

In over-the-road-shipping, trucking takes the biggest part of the cake and plays a crucial role in the U.S. economy. There are two pivotal modes of truck transportation: less than truckload and full truckload shipping. Both methods can be beneficial to the shipper, however, they have a lot of differences. While you may have heard about LTL a lot, truckload has its own specifics that should be considered before using this mode. Truckload shipping definition – Truckload shipping refers to moving large volu

In the fiercely competitive e-commerce industry, last mile delivery is a crucial stage of the shipping process. With the growing role of customer experience, the demand for high quality, last mile shipping is rising. What is last mile delivery? – Last mile delivery refers to the transportation of freight from a warehouse or distribution facility to the final destination, which is almost always a facility or residence of a customer. Despite it’s the final step of the supply chain, last mile is the most ex

What is the peak moving season? – Summer is traditionally known as a popular time for moving. Usually, the peak moving season starts in April and lasts until September. There are many reasons why most relocations happen in summer. Students move to other cities after graduation, families relocate while their children are on the summer breaks, and military workers often change their location due to work command in the spring or summer time. Workers who have seasonal jobs also switch locations throughout the

In the world of freight shipping, transit times play a crucial role for both the shipper and receiver. While most LTL carries give estimated delivery times, sometimes the actual time of arrival may be slightly different. However, in the e-commerce industry, last minute shipments are a regular thing. Many shippers need faster shipping for urgent situations, and if you are in this situation, expedited shipping has many benefits and can be a solution worth trying.  What is expedited shipping? – Expedited sh

What is a trade show? – If you are a small business owner at starting to ramp up your marketing efforts, a trade show can be a great opportunity to promote products and services. However, trade show shipping can be a burden. A registration fee to participate is required in most cases, however, many businesses don’t know that shipping all their commodities in and out can be more expensive than participating in the show.  How does trade show shipping work? – Knowing the background of trade show shipping w

With the spike in e-commerce shops and giant retail platforms, it has become easier to spread products beyond the border. However, customs brokerage remains a challenging and complex procedure. Businesses of all scales search for a customs broker to make importing operations and customs clearance more straightforward and faster.