Retailers face many challenges when it comes to inbound shipping. Freight costs are constantly on the rise and resources are limited. On top of that, many retailers lack visibility and control of the shipments they receive from suppliers. The good news is that can be remedied – simply by utilizing routing instructions.

Before you can compose your routing instructions, you need to conduct a thorough analysis of your current inbound shipping operations. Take a look at the invoices from your major suppliers to identify what they allocate for shipping and handling. Compare these rates with the rates that you receive with your preferred carriers or broker. Often times, you’ll see that you’re able to get better pricing by using your providers.

If you don’t currently have better rates, working with a freight broker can help. Brokers are able to aggregate the freight volume of their customers and help them negotiate better discount rates and terms. They can also provide additional value-added services, sometimes at no additional cost, that are designed to lower your overall logistics expenses.

Once you’ve conducted your analysis and you have secured competitive pricing, you’re ready to create your routing instructions. It’s important to use clear language and include specific service requirements about the mode and carrier. Here are a few examples:

• Ground shipments between 0 lbs. and 199 lbs. – FedEx Ground billing account #999999999
• Ground shipments between 200 lbs. and 5000 lbs. – UPS Freight Third Party Prepaid billed to PartnerShip at 500 E Lorain Street Oberlin, OH 44074
• Air shipments between 0 lbs. and 149 lbs. – FedEx Express billing account #999999999

In most cases, to obtain vendor compliance you simply need to draft a letter that includes your instructions. Be sure to include your full company information and a message requesting compliance within 30 days to avoid shipping fees being charged back to them. You can then include your routing letter in your next order or next communication with your vendor.

Once your routing instructions are in effect, you’ll benefit from streamlined receiving operations, lower costs, and dependable service. When everything is running smoothly, you can focus on growing and improving other parts of your business.

At PartnerShip, we know that it can be difficult for retailers to conduct an in-depth analysis and prepare routings on their own. That’s why we provide our customers with full inbound shipping management. We can provide you with a free analysis, create routing instructions, and work with many of your vendors on your behalf to obtain compliance. Get started by clicking here to request a free inbound shipping analysis.

The Bill of Lading, or BOL, is one of the most important freight shipping documents because it fulfills three purposes: 1) it acts as evidence of a contract between the shipper and the carrier; 2) it serves as a receipt of freight services and goods; and 3) it is a document of title, or ownership, of goods.

Let’s examine the roles the Bill of Lading plays, one by one.

Evidence of contract between shipper and carrier. The Bill of Lading is a document that provides the driver and carrier details of your freight shipment, including what goods you are shipping, where the shipment is coming from, and where it’s going. It acts only as evidence of a contract between the shipper and the carrier, since the contract is agreed upon before a Bill of Lading is issued. The BOL must be provided to the carrier when a shipment is picked up, and will be delivered to the consignee upon delivery.

Receipt of freight services and goods. The Bill of Lading is issued by the carrier or its agent and provided to the shipper in exchange for receipt of the freight. The BOL is proof that the carrier has received the freight in good condition, as provided by the shipper. The shipper should keep a signed copy of the BOL as proof of carrier liability in the event the shipment is lost, damaged or destroyed.

Document of title, or ownership, of goods. The Bill of Lading means that the goods may be transferred to the holder of the BOL (the carrier) to be transferred to someone else (the consignee). The most common type of BOL is the "Straight Bill of Lading." This is typically used to ship freight to a customer that has already paid for it.

Information contained on the Bill of Lading includes: shipper and consignee names, name of the carrier, an itemized list of goods being transported, number of packages and kind of packaging, weight and/or volume of the cargo, each package’s freight class, terms of payment, special handling instructions, and freight rate and amount.

A Bill of Lading is required for all claims for compensation due to damage or loss, and for any disputes regarding ownership of the freight. Without a correctly completed BOL you could be faced with a major headache to be compensated for your freight loss or damage.

In addition, carriers have the right to inspect, reweigh and reclassify your freight so be sure all weight and shipping class information is accurate. Errors can result in additional charges and delayed delivery of your freight.

As you can see, the Bill of Lading is a very important document and needs to be filled out completely and accurately.

The shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to help you focus on your business by managing the complicated parts of shipping. To stay competitive, ship smarter with PartnerShip! Contact us at 800-599-2902 or get a quote now!

People have used truck-like vehicles to transport goods and move materials for centuries, but before the invention of the mechanical engine, they were often drawn by pack animals. In fact, the definition of the word “truck” has evolved from “a cart for carrying heavy loads” to the more modern “motor vehicle for carrying heavy loads.”

Before motor trucks, most goods were transported by railroads, with local transportation needs met by “trucks” drawn by pack animals, which had no rival until self-propelled steam-powered vehicles began emerging in the late eighteenth century. The motor truck concept languished until the invention of the internal combustion engine in the middle of the nineteenth century boosted its potential.

Cleveland horseless carriage maker Alexander Winton is widely credited with inventing the semi-truck in 1898, and sold his first manufactured semi-truck in 1899. When Winton sold its first cars in 1898, it created the need for the cars to be delivered to their buyers, which led to the concept of the semi-truck to deliver his manufactured vehicles.

In 1904, only about 700 large trucks rumbled on the roads in the United States but that number skyrocketed to nearly 25,000 in 1914. Motor trucks at the time were not built for comfort but for utility. They rode on solid rubber wheels with mechanical brake systems, and could only travel short distances at low speeds, often over rough and bumpy unpaved roads. The invention of pneumatic tires and hydraulic brakes helped make early trucks a more useful vehicle.

The semi-truck population exploded in 1917 thanks to improved roads and the Federal Highway Act, which created a 3.2-million-mile national road system. In 1924, the number of trucks on the road would be 416,569; a 1,560% increase from just ten years earlier.

The 1940s and 1950s saw the rise of the automobile and America’s population shift from the city to the suburb. The “Federal-Aid Highway Act” of 1956 authorized the construction of a 41,000-mile network of interstate highways. These two changes cemented the semi-truck as a part of daily life because more goods had to be shipped longer distances, which was made easy by the new system of interstate highways.

Some key dates in the evolution of the semi-truck:

1898 - Alexander Winton invents the semi-truck

1914 - A semi-trailer used to transport boats created; used for other cargo as well

1916 – Mack introduces the AC, signaling the end of open cab trucks

1934 - Navistar builds the first tandem axle, six-wheel truck

1942 - Freightliner introduces the first all-aluminum cab

1953 - Freightliner creates the first overhead sleeper cab

1959 – The first cab-over-engine truck is introduced

As the truck has evolved, so has its engine. The first trucks (carts, really) were powered by horses or human. Then came steam-powered trucks. Electric trucks were popular in the late-19th and early 20th century, until the internal combustion engine and cheap gasoline led to a decline in their use. Direct-injection turbo-charged diesel engines became standard during the 1950s as trucks began the conversion from standard gasoline engines.

What will the semi-truck of the future be like? Check out this post!

PartnerShip is proud to be based in the birthplace of the semi-truck, Cleveland, OH! Next time you need a semi-truck to move your finished goods or inbound raw materials, give us a call at 800-599-2902 or request a quote. The freight shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to lend a helping hand!

It’s a question we get asked a lot: “Should I ship to the advance warehouse or direct to the tradeshow site?” The answer really depends on your tradeshow schedule and / or the size of your booth.

When you exhibit at a tradeshow, you have to ship your booth, booth furnishings, marketing collateral and handouts, and product to the show site in order to have a successful show. Your shipping choices are to ship direct to the tradeshow floor to arrive when your booth staff does, or you can ship days or even weeks earlier to the advance warehouse. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of both options.

Shipping Direct to Show Site - Advantages

• You can wait until the last minute to get everything ready to ship, such as booth graphics, product prototypes or mock-ups, and marketing collateral
• Your material handling charges will be a bit lower**
• You can ship small packages directly to the show floor

Shipping Direct to Show Site - Disadvantages

• Your shipment may be one of hundreds arriving at the same time, so even though it may arrive early in the day, it might not reach your booth until much later
• The I & D (Install and Dismantle) team waiting to build your booth may have to wait for your shipment, causing you to incur overtime charges
• If your shipment arrives earlier or later than your move-in time, you will incur additional charges
• If you have a targeted move-in time assigned by the show, you may have to pay higher shipping charges for guaranteed delivery during your assigned move-in window
• You may have to pay overtime charges, especially if your shipment has to arrive on a weekend or after hours

Advance Warehouse - Advantages

• Each show has a dedicated warehouse for delivery and storage of all shipments. Your materials are kept dry and secure until show time
• On the first day of move-in your freight will be waiting for you at your booth
• You can confirm your shipment has arrived and that everything is intact. In the event damage does occur, you have time to react and adapt
• The weather! Tradeshows often take place in months when severe weather can delay your shipment
• Your shipment can typically arrive up to 30 days prior to move-in, meaning delivery dates and times are more flexible so you can lower your shipping costs by using a non-priority service

Advance Warehouse - Disadvantages

• If your freight arrives after the deadline, it will still be received, but additional charges will apply
• The warehouse will only accept crates‚ palletized items, trunks/cases and carpets. Loose or small packages must be sent directly to the show site
• Slightly higher drayage (material handling) fees**

** A word about material handling / drayage fees: Material handling fees are charges based on various operational activities, such as storage of your freight, labor and equipment to unload inbound shipments, delivery to your booth, delivery of empty containers to and from storage, and moving materials from your booth to the outbound carrier. Material handling fees are unavoidable; you pay them whether you ship to the advance warehouse or the show site. Typically, advance warehouse material handling fees are only about 10% higher than show site material handling fees.

Our suggestion: if you are not constrained by a tradeshow schedule that forces you to ship your booth from one show to the next, the advance warehouse is your best shipping option. It might be a bit more expensive, but the time, stress and anxiety savings will more than make up for it.

If you have a small tabletop or pop-up booth that can be assembled quickly with no help needed, and you are not anticipating any potential weather delays, shipping direct to the show site is an acceptable option.

We’ve helped thousands of companies ship their tradeshow materials and we’ve accumulated a great deal of knowledge, tips, and tricks to make your tradeshow experience a smooth one. Email us at sales@PartnerShip.com for more information or with any tradeshow question! 

Over the years, refrigerated (reefer) trucks have revolutionized the way perishable goods are transported. This technology provides shippers with the ability to reach larger markets and gives consumers better access to things like produce, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. Most commonly, shippers and receivers of fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, and dairy products rely on this refrigerated technology to do business. However, with broadening opportunity, often comes increased regulation – especially when it comes to food safety.

In 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed by Congress and signed into law to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply. Most recently a FSMA rule was finalized that will affect shippers, loaders, carriers, and receivers. The rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food is one of seven foundational rules proposed since January 2013 that aim to help create a solid framework for food safety.

The rule specifies conditions for cleaning vehicles between shipments, pre-cooling trucks, keeping accurate records on temperature controls, conducting training, and other protective measures.

Specifically, the rule establishes requirements for:

• Vehicles and transportation equipment: The design and maintenance of vehicles and transportation equipment to ensure that it does not cause the food that it transports to become unsafe. 
• Transportation operations: The measures taken during transportation to ensure food safety, such as adequate temperature controls, preventing contamination of ready to eat food from touching raw food, protection of food from contamination by non-food items in the same load or previous load, and protection of food from cross-contact, i.e., the unintentional incorporation of a food allergen. 
• Training: Training of carrier personnel in sanitary transportation practices and documentation of the training. This training is required when the carrier and shipper agree that the carrier is responsible for sanitary conditions during transport. 
• Records: Maintenance of records of written procedures, agreements and training (required of carriers). The required retention time for these records depends upon the type of record and when the covered activity occurred, but does not exceed 12 months.

Some operations are exempt from the rule, including those engaged in food transportation operations that have less than $500,000 in average annual revenue. Small businesses (businesses other than motor carriers who are not also shippers and/or receivers employing fewer than 500 persons and motor carriers having less than $27.5 million in annual receipts) will have two years to comply, while other businesses have one year from publication to comply.

If you ship or receive food, it’s important to understand these changes and the effect they’ll have on your operations. When your shipment requires a refrigerated trailer, you need a carrier that has superior capabilities and a price that won’t break your bottom line. PartnerShip provides competitive pricing on refrigerated truckload shipments and only works with the most reputable carriers. Get a free quote today!

FedEx currently applies an additional handling surcharge to packages with a length greater than 60 inches, but after June 1 the threshold will be lowered to 48 inches. This announcement came during the FedEx third-quarter earnings call and is in response to recent e-commerce trends. More consumers are shopping online, which has led to an increase in home deliveries and an increase in non-traditional items being shipped, such as big screen TVs, mattresses, and swing sets.

The additional handling surcharge currently costs $10.50 per package, so it’s important to take a look at the size of packages you send and receive. If a lot of your packages are greater than 48 inches in length, you will see a significant jump in your costs.

It’s also important to note some of the other criteria from the FedEx service guide that would cause a package to be charged the additional handling surcharge. This surcharge also applies to any Express or Ground package that: 

• measures greater than 30 inches along its second-longest side
• has an actual weight of greater than 70 lbs
• is not fully encased in an outer shipping container
• is encased in an outer shipping container made of metal or wood
• is cylindrical, including (without limitation) cans, buckets, barrels, drums or pails that are not fully encased in an outer shipping container made of corrugated cardboard

The rise of e-commerce has caused a considerable amount of change in small package shipping in the past few years. Carriers are constantly adjusting service costs to address market trends. In 2015, FedEx and UPS began applying DIM weight pricing to all ground shipments as opposed to just those three cubic feet or larger. Prior to the 2016 rate increases and just in time for the holiday volume, the charge for oversized packages nearly doubled to $110. In addition, UPS instituted a 2.5% surcharge for third party billing service in response to the growing popularity of drop shipping. As the e-commerce sector continues to thrive we can expect to see more changes like this in the future.

Update: On May 6, 2016 UPS announced it will follow suit with FedEx and reduce its maximum length for the Additional Handling charge. Effective June 6, 2016, UPS Ground packages exceeding a length of 48 inches will be assessed the fee.  

It's important to start evaluating how you these changes will affect your shipping costs. Through a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, you receive significant discounts on select FedEx services - resulting in savings that can help to offset cost increases like these. If you're not sure if you qualify for one of our small package shipping programs contact us and we'll find the solution that's right for you.

In the 1920s, automobiles became more affordable, more families were traveling and moving, and motor truck traffic was increasing as the economy grew and the country expanded. Before the federal government passed “The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925,” many of the country’s 250 or so highways carried names such as “The Lincoln Highway” or “The Dixie Highway.” The new system would use the now-familiar shield and uniform numbers for interstate highways.

But more drivers needed more roads. Who would pay for them? Other transportation systems (streetcars, subways, elevated trains) were usually built and operated by private companies that made infrastructural investments in exchange for long-term profits. Transportation interests, such as car manufacturers, tire makers, gasoline refiners and service station owners, suburban developers, and trucking companies, began to convince state and local governments that roads were an important public concern.

Now, back to the “defense” part of the highway system. The man who would become president in 1953, former Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower, was stationed in Germany during World War II and had been impressed by its network of high-speed roads known as the Reichsautobahnen. After he became president, Eisenhower made it a priority to build a highway system that would help connect the nation and provide key ground transport routes for military supplies and troop deployments in case of an emergency or foreign invasion. When the highway system was introduced, it was simply known as "the National Defense Highway System."

The “Federal-Aid Highway Act” passed in June 1956 authorized the construction of a 41,000-mile network of interstate highways and allocated $26 billion to pay for them. The federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost of construction with the states picking up the remaining 10 percent.

A promotional piece from 1961 claims the new highway system will: “Build up depressed areas. Strengthen our National Defense. Bring in industry. Provide jobs. Improve land values.”

So next time you’re on I-10 on the west coast, I-95 on the east coast, or traveling through the heartland on I-80, remember that the Interstate Highway System we depend on for commerce and travel was created with national defense in mind.

If you're a freight shipper, it's important to understand each type of transportation to be sure you are not wasting valuable resources. Truckload freight refers to larger shipments - usually over 10,000 pounds and/or requiring an entire semi-trailer. These types of shipments have their own set of rules, benefits, and nuances separate from other freight that makes truckload shipping a complicated transportation mode to master. Not to worry, as PartnerShip has created a new white paper designed to help you navigate the world of truckload freight! You'll learn:

• What constitutes a truckload shipment
• The benefits of shipping truckload versus other types of freight
• The specialized equipment available for your shipments
• How to obtain an accurate and cost-effective truckload quote

Click here to download this free white paper!

Visit PartnerShip.com/WhitePapers for a number of PartnerShip white papers on various shipping topics. Be sure to check back periodically as we continue to add new content! As always, the freight shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to lend a helping hand. Give us a call at 800-599-2902 or email sales@PartnerShip.com.

This time of year there’s one word you’re guaranteed to hear all around the PartnerShip office…CAMEX. CAMEX is the campus retailing industry’s largest educational conference and buying expo, attracting more than 2,250 attendees from nearly 1,000 campus stores as well as 650+ exhibiting companies. It’s produced and hosted by our parent company, the National Association or College Stores (NACS), so it’s a very important show for us. Our staff has been busy preparing for CAMEX 2016 and we can’t wait to share all of the great things we’re brining this year with you. Here’s why you should be looking forward to joining us in Houston:

1. Because no one can resist free coffee and cookies
You read me right – FREE. During the show you can come to our booth to relax and enjoy a cookie with a hot beverage. We know that when you come to CAMEX you're doing a lot of running around and it can be tiring. That’s why we want to give you the opportunity to kick up your feet and recharge.

2. Because we’re all just big kids at heart
If relaxing and recharging isn’t quite up to your speed, we have something else you might enjoy. You can get in the action with our new racing game! Who says race cars are just for kids? You can challenge your fellow show attendees or one of our staff (just don’t expect us to let you win) in a variety of battle and race modes on this exciting track.

3. Because we like winners
We’ve joined forces with our fellow NACS Inc. subsidiaries, IndiCo, NACS Foundation, and NACSCORP, to give you a chance to win one of five great prizes. Four people will be selected to win a gift basket valued at $250 and one lucky winner will go home with the grand prize – an iPad Air.

4. Because an aquarium is a pretty awesome place to throw a party
The fun doesn’t stop at the show. We’re sponsoring a party with IndiCo, NACS Foundation, and NACSCORP at the Houston Downtown Aquarium on Sunday night. Make sure you come to the Night at the Aquarium to explore the rides and exhibits and enjoy some complimentary food and drinks.

Are you excited yet? All fun and games aside, the best part of CAMEX for us is the opportunity to connect with you. If you’re going to be at the show, we hope you stop by booth #2931 to have some fun with us. See you in Houston!