Whether you’re shipping personal possessions or business products, you expect your shipment to arrive without a hitch. If you’re new to freight shipping, it can seem overwhelming. Where do you start?
Choosing the Right Shipping Method
If your freight is going a long way, or to another country, there’s a good chance it will require several different modes of transportation to get from A to B. If you’re in a hurry or unsure of your options, talking to a shipping professional can clear up a lot of confusion. Choosing a shipping method depends on a variety of factors, most importantly weight, class, and destination. Click To Tweet
Air
A plane can usually ship anything that can be shipped LTL. Air shipping is a fast option but can be a fairly expensive way to ship freight to other countries. However, if you’re on a time crunch it’s probably a good option.
Train
While it’s often considered dated, train or rail shipping is still a viable and economical way to ship freight. It can haul LTL or truckload shipments from one destination to another, or in combination with other modes of transportation.
Truckload
If you need freight weighing more than 15,000 pounds shipped within the country, truckload shipping is the way to go. Truckload (TL) shipments usually deliver on the same trailer they were picked up on, limiting the potential for loss or damage,
LTL
If you don’t have quite enough freight for a full truckload, you may consider a less-than-truckload (LTL). An LTL load holds shipments for several shippers, organized into one shipment according to destination, class and delivery time.
Ocean
Large ocean vessels can move freight from country to country, usually in large, metal, corrugated containers. This is the preferred method of shipping large amounts of freight.
Shipping Broker Advantages
After the mode of transport is chosen, many shippers are overwhelmed at the prospect of pricing, tariffs, surcharges and paperwork. Fortunately, shippers using a freight brokerage service don’t have to deal with these headaches!
Contact Us to learn more about your freight shipping options, or to find the right carrier at the best rate.
