Even with today’s technological advances, improvements in travel, and the ever-changing eCommerce and social media environment, one overlooked portion of how we do business in the 21st century is the importance of Freight Forwarding. Below we cover the impact a freight forwarder can have not only on your business, but how your end customer perceives your brand, your business.
What is Freight Forwarding Services?
Freight forwarding service companies provide shipping services to manufacturers or producers so they can provide their goods to a market, customer, or final point of distribution. A good freight forwarder will ensure they organize shipments and hauling services to fit your cargo needs, while reducing the cost & time for delivery with Zone Skipping, LTL and FTL trucking services, and order tracking. Freight transportation improves the value of goods by moving them to locations where the goods are in higher demand and encourages competition and production by extending the commodity and labor markets. Although eCommerce has changed consumer behavior, freight forwarders play a critical role in the infrastructure of our globalized economy.
What to Consider when Selecting a Freight Forwarder Service Company?
1. LTL Freight Shipping
Less than truckload freight shipping (LTL) is used for transporting small freight or small cargo that does not require the entire use of a trailer. LTL freight shipping services can be used for freight that weighs between 150 to 15,0000 pounds. LTL shipping provides benefits in cost as other vendors will occupy the unused space. The additional benefits of LTL shipping include increasing security as the trailer is more tightly packed, tracking of your goods, and having additional services such as lift gates, as well as inside pickup and delivery.
2. Zone Skipping - East Coast & West Coast Locations
The importance of having a 3PL service offering with warehousing on the East Coast and West Coast cannot be understated. As costs rise to ship (https://blog.stamps.com/2019/10/15/usps-announces-2020-postage-rate-increase/) in 2020, the importance of zone skipping is at a premium. Ensure that you have a 3pl service company with both East Coast and West Coast warehousing capability, LTL and FTL trucking, and offers zone skipping to save you and your company money and deliver to your customer on time.
3. Service Offering – Export & Import, Customs Clearance, Packing, Storage, and Inventory Management
Ensure that the above is checked off the list of offering for your 3PL service partner. When international forwarding, it is vital that your 3pl service provider offers customs clearance, importing and exporting, the relevant documents for both (see below), packing, storage, inventory management, and order fulfillment. Be sure to ask for a full list of offering and understand the cost.
4. Freight Forwarding Network
Freight forwards that you are considering should have a network of contacts and experience within the business. This will help you get the best price for shipping your cargo and ensure that your items arrive on time. An experienced 3PL service company will offer a wide array of solutions as they have encountered various problems in the past and you can benefit from their learned experience.
If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@gointerwest.com. We offer the best practices in freight forwarding, warehousing and order fulfillment. We are strategically located in the heart of the west and offer industry leading facilities and customer service for any logistics need.