For anyone starting in a new position, the first year can be very hard to navigate. This is never truer than in the ever-expanding world of freight. With so many departments and different shipping alternatives, operating in this world can be pretty confusing. Here we’ve shared 5 helpful tips for learning in your first year in LTL freight.
1: Get to Know Your Carriers
When you know your carriers well, you can more easily determine how good they may be on different lanes. Customers can quickly become frustrated when they’re constantly waiting for their shipments past the expected transit days, so it’s best to choose lanes that work better in different parts of the country that can put you ahead of the competition.
2: Watch Your Cubic Capacity
Those who work in LTL know how frustrating it can be when you breech cubic capacity. Cubic capacity is a shipment that does not exceed 750 cubic units. When you exceed this amount, it could mean overcharges from the carrier that definitely take a chunk out of your earnings. Be sure to keep track of the linear footage and the heights on everything that you ship.
3: Class Your Products Correctly
The kind of commodity you ship dictates the classification of your load. Depending on what commodity your shipping dictates the class it will be. The class changes depending on what is shipped. A shipment of bricks has a lower class than pillows. This is all due to the weight and how much product you could ship using the same amount of space. The higher the class the higher the price. So, make sure you research which class best describes your shipment.
4: Check Your Accessorials
An accessorial is an extra add on to a shipment. For example, if your shipment is delivering to a residence, you’ll need to add on a residential delivery accessorial as well as a liftgate delivery if a forklift isn’t on scene. These are additional charges not included with the shipping prices, so it’s very important to make sure you’re getting the correct add-ons with each shipment.
5: Add Insurance on Shipments
With carriers handling so many shipments on a daily basis, carriers try their best to handle each with care. But sometimes, mistakes happen. Insuring the high-priced items may be a good idea. Carriers usually insure up to the weight of the shipment, typically a dollar per pound. If your shipment doesn’t weigh much, and it could be fragile, consider insuring it.
While your first year in LTL can be a bit confusing, you can always contact your broker to answer any questions you have or help with anything you need. Good luck in your LTL journey.
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The England Logistics Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) division can provide nationwide service for shipments of almost any shape or size. To bring simplicity to shipping processes, LTL offers a one-stop solution with the information needed to get shipments on the road. Dedicated team members are available 24/7 to ensure timely and cost-efficient delivery.