The majority of retailers rely on FTL carriers for their freight shipping needs. In general small businesses often find it challenging to choose the right shipping service for the transportation of their goods. They have a multitude of career choices like air freighters, trucking companies, rail freighters and ocean liners. They need to make the best decision based on some criteria. And let’s see what those criteria are:
- Physical Parameters
Are your items too heavy or light, small or giant? The shape, size and weight of the products you are shipping plays crucial role in determining your shipping method. FTL, an acronym of Full-Truckload, is a mean of transporting goods. FTL carriers are also recommended when shipment is of odd shapes or it is palletized. They use a forklift to load and unload shipment boxes, as this reduces the chances of damage.
- Shipping Destination
Whether the shipping destination is near the seaport, airport or railway junction; is it on the 10th floor of the building or in the ground floor of the warehouse; within the country or outside the country? Small package carriers offer residential deliveries, but FTL carriers are chosen for business-to-business freight shipping needs, be it within the same city or anywhere in the world.
- Basic Requirements
Do you want your shipment to be delivered on the same day or on the very next day? Or you can allow the carrier to take more than 2 days in delivering the freight. Air freight carrier may definitely offer the fastest delivery, but it may also increase your shipping cost by manifold. If you are looking for the best combination of delivery time and money, FTL freight shipping is the ideal solution.
- Overall Cost
The shipping cost is of course one of the prime considerations. You can compare the charges offered by different carriers along with their services to make the best informed decision. Make sure there isn’t any hidden price!
- Additional Services
Do you want your service provider to offer a storage facility? Do you want your goods to be insured legally? You can surely demand such additional services from a freight shipping company, but it will cost you extra. Authenticated FTL carriers offer complete liability coverage and offer superior safety to shipments.
In general, large shipments that can afford over 2 days for delivery time are best transported via FTL carriers. However, this isn’t a thumb rule. There might be plenty of other things to consider before you choose your shipping carrier like chemical properties of the goods and the level of ruggedness. The best way is to take ask the industry experts at American Freightways to help you make the right decision.