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Helpful Articles - Freight

An efficient supply chain keeps all aspects of your business running smoothly. If you’re a manufacturer, you’ll have access to all the components you need—when you need them—to meet your delivery dates. If you’re a retailer, you’ll find it easy to keep the flow of inventory to your stores constant. And no matter what business you’re in, a supply chain that runs smoothly allows you to deliver consistently on the promises you make to your customers.   On the flip side, however, inefficiencies in your supply chain can cost your business in big ways. You might see symptoms like longer transit times on critical shipments, increasing your inventory carrying costs. For manufacturers, this could cause delays on the assembly line, which can push delivery...

Hazardous materials present a risk at almost all the stops along your supply chain. Items that are explosive, flammable, corrosive, poisonous, radioactive and more can present challenges during ground delivery, warehousing, ocean transport—even at the final destination, where mislabeled hazardous materials can harm the receiver.  In the worst case scenario, undeclared hazardous materials could lead to a shipping line placing unknowingly reactive substances near each other for an ocean voyage, which could cause an explosion at sea.  In order to ensure safe handling and delivery of hazardous materials via ocean freight, there are five things you need to be aware of.    Mislabeled or undeclared hazardous materials can also net you huge civil penalties. However, understanding these five principles will help you stay compliant and steer clear...

When you’ve got a less-than-container load (LCL), you might find yourself considering a 20′ container. Clocking in at just about half the cubic volume of a standard 40′ container, a 20′ container may seem perfect for you if you can’t fill a dedicated 40′ one. However, many carriers are phasing out this option, and we’ve got three reasons you might want to reconsider, too. We’ll walk you through the “why” in this article. We’ll also offer you some LCL alternatives that will not only save you money but will also save you some valuable shipping time. Reason #1: 20′ Containers Aren’t Cost-Efficient Since a 20′...

Pick-up, transit, delivery… These are the three basics of every ocean freight quote. On the surface, acquiring an accurate ocean freight quote might seem like a breeze. However, each of these seemingly simple elements contains a subset of questions your provider needs to answer to establish an exact price. The more information you can provide at the beginning will make the process quicker and your final invoice that much closer to your initial quote. No surprises mean accurate budget forecasting for your business. Whether you’re new to the world of ocean freight or find yourself always trying to reconcile quotes with invoices, we’ll walk you...

Whether you’re shipping or receiving goods, the Incoterms® you agree to can either make or break your bottom line. By defining who’s responsible for transportation, insurance, and tariffs, the Incoterms rules ultimately determine your final costs as either a buyer or a seller.  To help you understand the intricacies of these terms—and what they mean for you—we’ll walk you through all eleven of the 2010 Incoterms Rules.  We’ll also show you why Incoterms are only half the story when negotiating your contract. There’s one additional element you need to include, and ignoring it can cost you big. We’ll show you why. Let’s start by understanding exactly what Incoterms are—and why they matter...

International air freight and ocean freight volumes continue to grow, despite the fact that many countries are turning to global import tariffs to protect domestic production of goods. Ultimately, this growth signals that international freight will continue to be a day-to-day reality as international business continues to thrive. If you’re new to shipping freight internationally—or you simply want to leverage this shipping method more effectively—we’d love to help you brush up on the major concepts and get your piece of the growing global marketplace. Below, we’ll walk you through our answers to the most frequently asked (and most important!) questions we get around international freight....