Freight Basics

Posted on: 22 July 2020

If you are a business owner, you know that the ability to connect customers with your products will determine how successful your business will be. Thanks to all of the advances in technology, your customers will likely not be limited to one geographical area, which is great but may make connecting your customers and products challenging. Fortunately, there are other companies whose sole purpose is initiating that connection. Freight companies work day and night to get your products where you need them to be. However, there is a delicate balance to be struck between the cost of freight and the income you will make on sales. To help you negotiate this balance, here are a few things you will need to know about freight.

How Is Cost Calculated?

As with normal shipping, many companies rely heavily on the weight of your product, along with how far it needs to go. However, dimensions are also a factor. Imagine that something is really light but takes up a lot of room in a truck. That may cost you as much as something much heavier since the load of the truck will be greatly diminished by transporting that size of a product. Things that are especially fragile or high-maintenance may also cost a bit more. 

Freight Options

A lot of a freight company's focus is getting the most value out of every inch of its vehicles. To do this, they may be contracted with more than one company at a time, filling half of the truck with one product, dropping it off on the way, and then delivering another product. Hence, you may see some abbreviations regarding freight. 

TL or FTL

A truckload or full truckload means that one company's products have filled a truck to capacity. There are benefits to filling a truck. Shipping may be slightly faster since there will be no other stops along the way. 

PTL

If your company has a shipment that will not completely fill the truck, it qualifies as a partial truckload. When a freight company has a partial truckload they will often look for additional companies to work with in order to fill up the truck before making the trip. This can slightly slow down the process, but it may be dramatically cheaper. 

In conclusion, the freighting industry is vast and extensive, yet you may be able to find a freight company that can help your business to expand. 

To learn more, contact a freight company.

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