When deciding on a suitable LTL carrier for your shipping needs, there are a variety of factors to consider. Different carriers may specialize in different modes of transport, geographical regions, types of commodities, and business philosophies. Finding the perfect carrier for your shipment may require some comparison shopping, so it’s important to know what to ask the carrier to narrow the decision-making process. Here is a list of questions to ask potential carriers (and yourself) that will help you decide which carrier is the best option for your LTL freight.
A freight carrier is a company that transports cargo for another organization or individual. Some carriers specialize in one area of shipping, such as ocean, air, or ground freight, while some larger companies offer multiple modes of transport. For longer journeys, different legs of a shipment’s route will often involve separate carrier fleets. For example, some freight transported from Europe to the United States may include a leg of ocean travel, airfreight, and trucking to reach its final destination, and each leg may involve a particular carrier company. When it comes to LTL, regional carriers may specialize in specific freight lanes between cities or areas where they have terminals to consolidate and reorganize LTL shipments going in the same direction. Carriers come in all shapes and sizes, offer varying services, and provide individual price points, so knowing what to ask can help determine the right one for you.
Certain regional carriers may ship more often in particular shipping lanes and to and from specific locations. If they have more capacity available based on these regular routes, you can get an idea of how easily you will be able to secure capacity in the future. While there are always national carriers with coverage that extends across the continental United States, sometimes smaller regional carriers can offer a better price in certain areas. Sometimes combining different carriers for different legs of a route can also provide cost or service benefits.
Depending on what items you plan on shipping, some carriers may refuse to ship them or have internal policies or rules that make sending them more difficult. Not all freight carriers ship restricted or hazardous items. Some may refuse goods that are not on the official hazardous material list if they believe the items may pose a significant risk to their operation. Be sure to provide a detailed description of what you want to ship to any potential carriers so you know upfront whether they are willing to transport your freight.
Freight rates, or shipping rates, are the costs of delivering cargo from one location to another and are determined based on a wide range of factors. The weight, dimensions, freight class, and shape of a shipment will affect its shipping cost. In addition, the mode of transport, the distance between pickup and delivery locations, the type of item, and many other components will all factor into the final freight rate. These factors play independent roles in determining the shipping rate, but they also influence each other. Freight rates are always negotiable.
Accessorial charges are charged for any additional services you might require from a freight company to move your goods. LTL carriers can set a range of accessorial charges for various situations that fall outside of standard dock-to-dock transport. Requiring liftgates for loading or unloading, inside delivery, pickups or deliveries from remote locations, white-glove service, and special handling instruction can all incur an accessorial charge or may not be offered. However, many carriers are willing to negotiate accessorial fees depending on the situation, so it’s important to ask how a freight company charges for accessorials and any deals they may offer that may apply to your situation.
Another critical aspect of a successful shipper-carrier relationship is volume. Some carriers tend to specialize in one-time shipping, while others are set up to accommodate shippers that want to move cargo daily, weekly, or monthly. If you establish a steady volume of shipments following the same routes with the same carriers, there is a lot more room to negotiate discounts and other deals. Talk to carriers and let them know your projected shipping frequency, and you will find that many of them are willing to negotiate better rates, waive accessorial fees, or guarantee future capacity.
Technology is constantly changing in the LTL freight industry, and contracting a carrier that embraces automation, online tracking and communication, and transportation management systems can help make the shipping process efficient and save you both time. Ask freight companies what technologies they use and how they can improve communication and transparency between shipper and carrier so that you can be sure your shipping relationship is backed by the necessary technological capabilities.
Any successful business relationship involves a mutual understanding of needs and philosophy, and selecting the right LTL carrier is no different. When you choose a carrier, you need to think about what they can offer your organization and how it aligns with your priorities. Do you prefer a local carrier with a more personalized approach? Would you rather work with a national company with more resources available? These preferences can help you determine the best fit for your shipping needs.
Working with a 3PL like Koho is the best way to connect to the right carrier. Koho puts a team of freight shipping experts at your disposal and gives you instant access to hundreds of carrier quotes for your shipment, so you can shop and compare rates until you find the right one. With numerous options available, you will have the best opportunity to find deals, customize quotes based on your budget, and negotiate your costs before you even book a shipment.
When deciding on a suitable LTL carrier for your shipping needs, there are a variety of factors to consider. Different carriers may specialize in different modes of transport, geographical regions, types of commodities, and business philosophies. Finding the perfect carrier for your shipment may require some comparison shopping, so it’s important to know what to ask the carrier to narrow the decision-making process. Here is a list of questions to ask potential carriers (and yourself) that will help you decide which carrier is the best option for your LTL freight.
A freight carrier is a company that transports cargo for another organization or individual. Some carriers specialize in one area of shipping, such as ocean, air, or ground freight, while some larger companies offer multiple modes of transport. For longer journeys, different legs of a shipment’s route will often involve separate carrier fleets. For example, some freight transported from Europe to the United States may include a leg of ocean travel, airfreight, and trucking to reach its final destination, and each leg may involve a particular carrier company. When it comes to LTL, regional carriers may specialize in specific freight lanes between cities or areas where they have terminals to consolidate and reorganize LTL shipments going in the same direction. Carriers come in all shapes and sizes, offer varying services, and provide individual price points, so knowing what to ask can help determine the right one for you.
Certain regional carriers may ship more often in particular shipping lanes and to and from specific locations. If they have more capacity available based on these regular routes, you can get an idea of how easily you will be able to secure capacity in the future. While there are always national carriers with coverage that extends across the continental United States, sometimes smaller regional carriers can offer a better price in certain areas. Sometimes combining different carriers for different legs of a route can also provide cost or service benefits.
Depending on what items you plan on shipping, some carriers may refuse to ship them or have internal policies or rules that make sending them more difficult. Not all freight carriers ship restricted or hazardous items. Some may refuse goods that are not on the official hazardous material list if they believe the items may pose a significant risk to their operation. Be sure to provide a detailed description of what you want to ship to any potential carriers so you know upfront whether they are willing to transport your freight.
Freight rates, or shipping rates, are the costs of delivering cargo from one location to another and are determined based on a wide range of factors. The weight, dimensions, freight class, and shape of a shipment will affect its shipping cost. In addition, the mode of transport, the distance between pickup and delivery locations, the type of item, and many other components will all factor into the final freight rate. These factors play independent roles in determining the shipping rate, but they also influence each other. Freight rates are always negotiable.
Accessorial charges are charged for any additional services you might require from a freight company to move your goods. LTL carriers can set a range of accessorial charges for various situations that fall outside of standard dock-to-dock transport. Requiring liftgates for loading or unloading, inside delivery, pickups or deliveries from remote locations, white-glove service, and special handling instruction can all incur an accessorial charge or may not be offered. However, many carriers are willing to negotiate accessorial fees depending on the situation, so it’s important to ask how a freight company charges for accessorials and any deals they may offer that may apply to your situation.
Another critical aspect of a successful shipper-carrier relationship is volume. Some carriers tend to specialize in one-time shipping, while others are set up to accommodate shippers that want to move cargo daily, weekly, or monthly. If you establish a steady volume of shipments following the same routes with the same carriers, there is a lot more room to negotiate discounts and other deals. Talk to carriers and let them know your projected shipping frequency, and you will find that many of them are willing to negotiate better rates, waive accessorial fees, or guarantee future capacity.
Technology is constantly changing in the LTL freight industry, and contracting a carrier that embraces automation, online tracking and communication, and transportation management systems can help make the shipping process efficient and save you both time. Ask freight companies what technologies they use and how they can improve communication and transparency between shipper and carrier so that you can be sure your shipping relationship is backed by the necessary technological capabilities.
Any successful business relationship involves a mutual understanding of needs and philosophy, and selecting the right LTL carrier is no different. When you choose a carrier, you need to think about what they can offer your organization and how it aligns with your priorities. Do you prefer a local carrier with a more personalized approach? Would you rather work with a national company with more resources available? These preferences can help you determine the best fit for your shipping needs.
Working with a 3PL like Koho is the best way to connect to the right carrier. Koho puts a team of freight shipping experts at your disposal and gives you instant access to hundreds of carrier quotes for your shipment, so you can shop and compare rates until you find the right one. With numerous options available, you will have the best opportunity to find deals, customize quotes based on your budget, and negotiate your costs before you even book a shipment.
