PartnerShip is proud to announce that we’ve joined Internet Truckstop’s Diamond Broker Program. Additionally, PartnerShip has secured a $100,000 bond which is a significant increase of what is mandated for all brokers and freight forwarders by law.

For a broker to stay in the program they must maintain an “A” credit rating and experience with Internet Truckstop. The broker also must abide by the TIA code of ethics. 

About Diamond Broker Program
Participating members receive a diamond designation attached to every load they post with Internet Truckstop. The Diamond Broker quickly delivers valuable assurances to Carriers regarding credit, performance history and the quality of their bond.  In addition to these competitive advantages the Diamond Broker receives experienced support to protect their bond, their credit score and their good name. 

About Internet Truckstop
Founded in 1995, Internet Truckstop is the first and largest freight matching service on the web. Internet Truckstop offers more tools than any other freight matching service available. These easy to use tools, one of the largest freight databases, and a commitment to the transportation industry make Internet Truckstop the leader in Internet freight matching.

PartnerShip is very excited to be part of this great program! We always strive to provide our carrier partners with a quality experience!

Now that the countdown is over and you’ve vacuumed most of the confetti out of your carpet, it’s time to look forward to the rest of the year and make (hopefully not empty) promises to yourself for a better future. Your overall resolution as a business, when it comes to your shipping operation, should be to save money. In order to successfully achieve this resolution over the next year, you’re going to have to make sure key operations and processes are in place and followed. Not to fear, as Your Shipping Connection, we’ve compiled 5 recommended resolutions for your company to make in 2016 to achieve your end goal – saving money!

1. Consolidate - As a general rule, one big order ships for less than three smaller orders. That means businesses should consider consolidating multiple orders into a single large shipment whenever possible, and always try to minimize the number of packages it sends. All too often, shipments are arranged as they come in from sales or order processing. However, a little planning and visibility will go a long way towards saving on shipping costs, supplies, and time.
2. Commit to Saving on Inbound Shipments - Many companies that have outbound freight will more often than not have shipments coming into their facility from vendors and suppliers. These shipments are often billed to the consignee even though the consignee has no control over how the shipment is shipped or handled by the carrier. Even if your company isn’t seeing a direct invoice for these shipments, there’s no such thing as “free shipping” and the charges are probably being hidden elsewhere. In short, staying on top of your inbound shipping cultivates a healthy bottom line.
3. Avoid Reweighs and Reclasses – Making this simple commitment to a more detail-oriented shipping operation will no doubt save you time and money in the long run. Most of avoiding costly reweighs or reclasses comes down to one document – your Bill of Lading (BOL). Make accuracy a priority on your BOL and enjoy a hassle-free shipping operation.
4. Make New Connections – If you’re not yet working with a 3^rd Party Logistics (3PL) partner, you can knock the above resolutions (and many more) out of the park in 2016. There are many benefits to taking on a shipping partner, but, in short, a good 3PL should put a great deal of effort into concentrating on the shipping industry, developing solid relationships with carriers and drivers alike, and leveraging that stability into savings and service for their customers. Thereby taking costly time commitments from your staff and providing savings for your company.
5. Catch-up on Your Reading – Between our blog and our white papers, PartnerShip puts out a great deal of information to keep you informed on happenings in the constantly changing shipping industry and tips on how to save money on any and every shipment.

Interested in making and keeping these resolutions? Consider PartnerShip as your dedicated shipping partner! We have over 25 years of experience managing less-than-truckload (LTL), tradeshow, truckload, and small package shipping operations for thousands of businesses. Every year since 1989 our New Year’s resolution has been to save you money! 

Visit PartnerShip.com/LearnMore for more information.

Get ready to win! FedEx is giving PartnerShip customers a chance to win up to $10,000, plus over 100 other prizes, in the $25,000 Get Ready Sweepstakes. By enrolling in a PartnerShip-managed shipping program, association members will be automatically entered in the sweepstakes. If you are already enrolled in one of our programs, you simply have to register for the sweepstakes. Then you’ll have a chance to earn up to 51 additional entries.*

Imagine how you could invest in the success of your business with these prizes:

• $10,000 Grand Prize (1) 
• $1,000 First Prizes (10) 
• $50 Second Prizes (100)

Get started. Keep saving.
PartnerShip customers enjoy significant savings on select FedEx^® services. The program is free to join and there are no minimum shipping requirements. What’s more, you may be eligible for other special offers and promotions.

PartnerShip works with over 120 major trade associations, across many industries, to provide their members with time- and money-saving tools to help them be successful in all facets of shipping and logistics. If you belong to an association we work with, take advantage of our free shipping benefits today and get in on the $25,000 Get Ready Sweepstakes. If you're not sure if you qualify for one of our association shipping programs contact us and we'll find the solution that's right for you.

*Limit 52 total entries. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. The $25,000 Get Ready Sweepstakes is sponsored by FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 18 or older and a member of an eligible FedEx Advantage® affiliate as of 1/3/16. Begins 1/4/16; ends 2/26/16. For rules, visit smallbusiness.fedex.com/get-ready-rules.

With 2015 coming to a close, PartnerShip looks back on an amazing year that was highlighted by great people, customers, and carriers! Below is a snapshot of what went into 2015!

5 white papers developed
Valuable, free information designed to help you navigate the complicated world of shipping.

6 potlucks
The crockpots would be too many to count…

10 association programs created
Adding to our over 150 other association programs, PartnerShip brought on 10 new association partners this year – helping their members save on shipping!

13 new employees hired
Tony, Robert, Amanda, Tyler, Larry, Zoey, Chelsea, Kim, Dillon, Jen, Jim, Kelly, and Stefanie were brought on board in 2015. Contributing to an already unique culture and helping customers get their important shipments from point A to point B.

20 Cleveland playoff plates awarded
Yes, it's as strange as it sounds.

45 tradeshows
As you can see, PartnerShip employees spend a good amount of time on the road exhibiting at the tradeshows of our association partners.

72 blog posts
Counting this post, that’s over 70 tips, trends, and opinions to keep you informed on the world of shipping.

594 claims resolved for our customers
PartnerShip prides itself on being a true partner to our customers. That’s why we’re very proud about successfully resolving almost 600 claims with carriers in our customer’s favor!

614 white papers downloaded
The aforementioned white papers were downloaded over 600 times!

775 carrier partners added
That’s 775 vetted and reliable carrier options for your shipments!

3,824 pens given away at tradeshows
The PartnerShip pen is an important accompaniment to any event or tradeshow.

17,048 customers served
Just over 17,000 customers saving on every shipment they send and receive!

2,202,950 shipments sent
Whether small package or freight, thank you for using PartnerShip for your shipping needs!

Thank you for another great year! If you haven't already, take a look at our holiday schedule to plan out your shipping operations for the next couple weeks. As always, feel free to contact PartnerShip at sales@PartnerShip.com or 800-599-2902 if you have any questions! Have a great 2016!

The best part of the holiday season is the chance to give back to those in need. Continuing a tradition started at PartnerShip several years ago, we’ve selected a handful of charitable organizations to make donations to this season. We are passionate about the amazing things that all these non-profit organizations do for the people in our community and we’re happy to support them.

The organizations receiving donations from PartnerShip this year are:

Debra (The Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America)
This organization is dedicated to finding a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), which affects 1 out of every 20,000 live births in the United States. EB is a genetically based disease characterized by chronic, painful blistering. The skin and mucous membranes are so fragile that the slightest touch can cause severe blistering inside and outside the body. The mission of Debra of America is to improve the quality of life for all people living with EB, their families, and caregivers through programs and services while funding research to find a cure and treatments for EB.

Project Linus
As a non-profit organization, Project Linus provides homemade blankets to children in need. Their blankets are lovingly made by adults and children from all walks of life and many different sources. Their mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need. The gift of new, handmade blankets created by volunteer “blanketeers,” provides a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested individuals and groups in local communities.

Youth Challenge
Over 400 teenage volunteers are at the heart of Youth Challenge (YC). Performing over 11,000 hours of service at YC activities and programs last year, they allow children with physical disabilities and their families to benefit from the sports and recreation activities that they would not normally be able to participate in. Located in Westlake, Ohio, they provide free transportation from their schools to the facility where the volunteers help them enjoy the gymnasium, adapted weight-lifting area, yoga, and many other activities.

Kisses from Heaven
Conceived by two families that, unfortunately, spent too much time in the NICU with their children, Kisses from Heaven is an organization that puts together and delivers gift bags to level III NICUs to give a moment of happiness and hope to families in the midst of so much anxiety and struggle. Each gift bag is approximately $50 and contains items such as gas cards, sleepers, books, snacks, journals, and much more! All the donations that Kisses from Heaven get make a difference – one bag at a time.

Project Lifesaver
Project Lifesaver is an active response to the problem of locating people who many not be able to find their way home on their own. A lost person with any kind of dementia or developmental disability is unaware of his/her situation; they do not call out for help and do not respond to people calling out to them. The Project Lifesaver team is trained in how to approach a person with Alzheimer’s disease or a developmental disability, to gain their trust and put them at ease for the trip home.

These donations would not be possible without the business and support of our many customers, and we're very grateful for that. We hope you agree that these donations will have a beneficial impact. Thank you and happy holidays!

PartnerShip recently exhibited at NBAA2015 in Las Vegas. Held November 17^th through the 19^th, NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition showcased the industry’s vitality and relevance. The show featured over 1,100 exhibitors, taking up 2/3rds of the Las Vegas Convention Center and part of the Henderson Executive Airport. The more than 27,000 attendees enjoyed educational and networking sessions, special guests (including Dirks Bentley and Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger), product announcements, indoor and outdoor static displays, and much more!

As the company that manages the NBAA Shipping Program, PartnerShip always looks forward to this show as a way to connect with members, see what’s happening in the industry, and save members money on shipping. PartnerShip set up shop right next to the Innovation Zone, one of the most exciting parts of the show, which featured sessions on everything from the future of planes and flying, to flight deck connectivity issues to developments in "detect and avoid" technology for unmanned aircraft systems. In that space, we provided information on the shipping program, enrolled members in the program, and collected information from attendees to win a FedEx Model Plane! We had close to 200 entries for the plane but there can only be one winner….congratulations to Bruce from Golf Cart Connection! Thank you to everyone who entered and better luck next year at NBAA2016!

NBAA has put together some great recap information on the conference, including a press release that details all of the show highlights. We picked out one to share in this post – the NBAA2015 Video Minute below which provides a great overview of the sights and sounds of the show.

During the holidays and the harsh winter months it's more important than ever to protect yourself against weather delays for your FedEx^® small-package shipments. Here are a few tips to keep in mind this season when using FedEx:

• Build in extra days for shipping. The best way to be proactive about potential service delays is to give yourself more time. You might not always have the luxury of being able to send your shipment a few days early, but try not to wait until the last minute in case Mother Nature decides to strike. 
• Sign up for shipment email notifications. When you create a FedEx shipment you have the ability to sign up for email notifications. These notifications can tell you when your package has been tendered to FedEx, has been delivered, and everything in between. It’s a good way to keep an eye on the status of your shipment. 
• Bookmark the FedEx Service Alerts page. FedEx updates this page with the latest service alerts to keep you informed on any potential service interruptions.
• Subscribe to the FedEx email list to get the latest service alerts via email. That way you can receive real-time alerts right in your inbox.
• Utilize FedEx InSight^®. When you register for this helpful tool, you can proactively check the status of your shipments without a tracking number, receive email notifications, and monitor all your shipments simultaneously. If you’re a high-volume shipper, this is great way to manage the status-tracking of all of your individual shipments.

Through an association shipping program managed by PartnerShip, you can receive exclusive discounts on select FedEx services. If you belong to an association we work with, take advantage of our free shipping benefits today. If you’re not sure if you qualify for one of our FedEx small-package shipping programs, contact us and we’ll find the solution that’s right for you.

Mark your calendars! Small Business Saturday^® this year is November 28th. Since 2010, this day has been dedicated to supporting small businesses and local communities across the country. Last year, 88 million people got out to Shop Small^®, making this "small" day a pretty big deal. 

If you own a small business be sure to take advantage of the free marketing materials you can use to promote the day and encourage shoppers to visit your business. The more you do to promote it, the more customers you'll see come through your door. 

If you're interested in shopping small, click here to find participating businesses for dinning, shopping, entertainment and more. You'll find a great tool to search for local merchants in your community that you can help support with your loyalty over the holiday shopping season.

Not only is PartnerShip a small business, but we also actively support thousands of other small businesses across North America with discounted shipping services and unique, value-added shipping solutions. We're glad to support this annual event which is sponsored by American Express. For more information on PartnerShip services and how we can help support your small business, click here to contact us.

Every year small package carriers FedEx and UPS evaluate their shipping rates and make adjustments that can have a substantial effect on you and your business. The UPS rate increases will be effective December 28, 2015, while the new FedEx rates take effect on January 4, 2016. As always, how much more expensive your particular small package shipments will be in the new year largely depends on many factors, including shipment volumes, sizes, weights, and modes.

Here are some quick facts: 

• FedEx Express package rates are increasing an average of 4.9% for U.S., U.S export, and U.S. import services. 
• UPS Air and International package rates are increasing an average of 5.2%. 
• FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery rates are increasing an average of 4.9%. 
• UPS Ground rates are increasing an average of 4.9%.

The important takeaway when thinking about your shipping expenses in 2016 is that the announced average increases paint an inaccurate picture of the true impact these new rate increases could have on your business. If you find yourself confused by rate bases, average increases, surcharges, and DIM weight pricing — rest assured that PartnerShip is here to help. Our small package shipping experts have dug into the details and analyzed the new rate tables to assess the true impact to shippers and help you make sense of these increases. Learn more about how the 2016 rate increases will affect your shipping costs by downloading the free white paper at PartnerShip.com/RateIncrease.

Download: Understanding the 2016 Small Package Rate Increases

Over the past month or so, freight carriers have been announcing general rate increases (GRIs) for this fall/winter. We’ve already provided some information about the small package increases but now PartnerShip has compiled some details for your benefit so you can make well-informed, money and time saving decisions about the best way to handle your freight shipping.

Let’s start with defining GRIs. GRIs are just what they sound like — increases in freight rates. There are many reasons why these increases are necessary, but the main reason is a sharp increase in costs that carriers face every year due to things like fuel, maintenance, insurance, labor costs, and driver shortages.

Listed to the right, we've compiled GRIs for five of the larger national LTL freight carriers, the percentage at which their rates will be increasing, and the dates these increases will go into effect. One important thing to remember is that these rate increases are only averages across all origin and destination ZIP code combinations served by each individual carrier. The effect of the rate increase will vary for individual customers and shipments based on geography, product classification, lane, weight, and dimensions.

Remember, PartnerShip is here to help you offset these increases. We've negotiated with carriers on your behalf to bring you the best rates in the industry with the most reliable national and regional carriers. In addition to great rates, PartnerShip brings a dedicated freight team, free money-saving services like invoice auditing and inbound management, and easy-to-use online freight tools ... all designed to save your company time and take the guesswork out of freight shipping (click here to create a PartnerShip.com account if you haven't already).

If you would like more information on these GRIs, please contact PartnerShip at 800-599-2902 or email sales@PartnerShip.com. Click here for a free, no-obligation shipping analysis to help you determine which carriers and which lanes will save you the most money on your freight shipping.