Julieann has worked at PartnerShip for over a year as one of our customer service representatives. When a customer calls in needing help, Julieann is there to the rescue! She’s a great member of the team and we’re glad to have her. Check out what she had to say.

What do you do for PartnerShip?
Customer service! Quote and schedule all your shipments!

What do you like to do in your free time?
Enjoy time in the outdoors with family! Workout!

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Lion, because I am a savage!

What’s your favorite 90s jam?
Unbelievable by EMF!

If you could have dinner with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
Abraham Lincoln because the Civil War intrigues me!

Tell us about your family.
My son, 7 years old and in first grade, is my reason for being! He is an outdoors kid who loves to measure flowers, dig for cray-fish, play catch, lift weights, run mini 5k’s and the list continues. He is joyful young man.

Do you have any nicknames?
Oh yea - Fox, Jules, Mom, Mommy, Mommy Mo

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
Finishing a 5k!

What was the best vacation you ever went on?
Mini vacation to Put n Bay with my son who is 7 years old. He loved the boat ride to the island and we got a golf cart and ventured around the island and got ice cream and had a blast! Just him and I :)

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
The people are amazing! Co-workers and customers are great!

Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?
BATMAN!

If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
Prepare yourself!

What do colleagues say is your best quality?
I get things done!

You have a small FedEx® package that's ready to be shipped, but you aren't able to drop it off at a FedEx location. Just schedule a one-time pickup. It's easy and convenient. Here is what you need to do to get started:

1. Go to the Pickups page on fedex.com. You can find this page by clicking on Schedule and Manage Pickups in the quick access section of the homepage or under Ship in the top navigation bar.

2. From here you’ll want to log in to fedex.com to access your account. If you don’t currently have a fedex.com account, you can easily register here.

3. Confirm or update your account number in the Account Details section. If you have multiple account numbers you’ll be able to select the one you want to use from the drop down menu.

4. Your account address will be pre-populated in the Pickup Address section. Look it over to make sure it is correct, and fill in any missing information. You can also use a different address by clicking the Change pickup address link at the top of the section.

5. Specify your pickup details like number of packages, ready time, or special instructions in the Package Information section.

6. If you’d like to set up notifications you can also do that by entering your email address in the optional Email Notifications section.

7. Once you’re ready, click Schedule pickup to submit your information.

You're all set! You can also manage your scheduled pickups under the My Pickups tab on the same page. Here you can view, edit, or cancel your pickups in one easy place.

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.

FedEx and UPS rates are increasing in 2020! Make sure you know what to expect so you can mitigate the impact to your bottom line. Our free white paper breaks down where you'll find the highest increases and explains some of the complicated changes you need to be aware of.

We’ve all seen and heard the lost and/or damaged shipment horror stories. Whether it’s a friend’s incident, a YouTube video of a not so careful delivery, or a firsthand experience - there is a definite stigma of damages and losses in shipping. Unsurprisingly, when we asked a group of customers about their greatest shipping concerns and challenges, shipment damages and losses were fourth behind price, “no shipping”, and transit times. However, shipment damages and losses can be preventable if the correct steps are taken to ensure a properly packaged shipment. Believe it or not, there is a large portion of damaged and lost shipments that can be attributed to packaging error rather than freight mistreatment. Below are some tips to keep your shipment in its desired condition: 

1. Packaging – Shipments must be properly packed to ensure damage-free transportation. While there are many nuances to different items that may be shipped, the overall advice we give is to use common sense with packing your specific commodity. You wouldn’t package ball-bearings the same as you would package glassware. Don’t be afraid to spend an extra couple bucks on packaging to ensure you’re not spending more after the fact. Be conscious of your chosen container’s maximum weight capacity, choose quality materials, leave enough room in boxes/containers for cushioning, and properly seal boxes with enough tape. Be mindful of these basic practices and your shipment will be well packaged and protected from normal shipping and handling.
2. Palletizing - The pallet will give the shipment a solid base to sit on and make movement on and off the truck easy and safe. When stacking your pallet, be sure your items sit squarely on the skid with no overhang. Box flaps and corrugations should face up. Make the top surface as flat as possible and secure cartons to the skid with banding, stretch-wrap, or breakaway adhesive.
3. Labeling - To ensure correct and timely delivery, freight needs to be labeled appropriately. Always follow these guidelines:
   • Remove or completely cover old labels.
   • Place labels on each box and each side of the overall shipment.
   • Do not place labels over a seam or closure on top of sealing tape.
   • Place a duplicate form of address information inside the container for added protection.
   • You should always be able to locate a full return address on the shipping label.

Even the best laid plans can go awry, that’s why it’s always a good idea to be well versed in the steps to take if a shipment happens to be damaged or lost. Submitting claims may sound scary, but keeping your cool and following the basic steps of taking pictures, saving the damaged freight, identifying the shipment value, and contacting your carrier or 3PL partner to begin the claims process will keep you ahead of the curb.

It’s always a carrier’s goal to deliver a shipment in perfect condition - no one wants to go through the claims process. But, as shown in this post, a well-cared for shipment while in transit is only half the battle. Packaging and labeling your shipment correctly will help ensure a smooth shipping operation for you and your company.

Dealing with a damaged shipment? Find out what you need to know about filing a freight claim.

Barbara just celebrated her four year anniversary with PartnerShip as our graphic designer. This New York native brings a lot of great laughs and spirit to the culture here. You’ll see why when you read her answers to our questions. Read on to learn more about Barbara!

What do you do for PartnerShip?
I’m the Graphic Designer. I design the print and web products for PartnerShip.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to garden, and have a large veggie garden in the summer. This has given me an abundance of produce, and I can some pretty awesome pickles (if I do say so myself – and I did!) and salsa.

Once I get my studio/office/crafts/sewing room ready, I’m going to start painting again. I feel it’s time to crack out the paints and oil of cloves!

I also love to read! Science Fiction and Fantasy are my favorite genres.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
A human being. It’s what I’m best at.

What’s your favorite 90s jam?
Orange marmalade, but that’s a classic for all time.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
I like so many of the people that work here. It’s the first place that I felt “at home” after moving to Ohio from New York. I’ve made real friends here. That’s special.

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
Being able to understand when people speak with an Ohio accent.

If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
Doctor Who and the Search for a Mets Win

Tell us about your family.
I’m from a relatively small family on Long Island. 3 siblings. Mom and Dad. That was the sum of my family. I married a man that has 9 siblings. In the stroke of an “I do,” I went from having 2 nieces to now having 17 nieces and nephews and 20 great nieces and nephews. I’m Super Aunt!

I met my husband/best friend/soul mate on the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – Earth Edition website. Two geeks that passed in the night, but turned around and decided to stay together forever.

What do colleagues say is your best quality?
I make people laugh … maybe at inappropriate times … but that’s what I do!

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
It’s a toss-up between Florence, Italy and Paris, France and the reason to go to either place is for the same thing: Art. Can you imagine spending a few days just wandering through the Louvre? Or seeing David up close and personal? I’ll get to both places one day!

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
Just the other day I was panicking because I couldn’t focus properly on the computer monitor. The longer I worked, the worse it got. Then I realized that I had my reading glasses on. Okay, that wasn’t funny, that was just lame. Forget that.

Technology innovations, like in every industry, play a huge part in pushing the trucking industry forward and keeping efficiencies for customers and carriers at the forefront. From pallets to packaging and everything in between, there are always improvements to be made and a better way to operate. So what’s the next big innovation for transportation? It may very well be something that Peterbilt Motors Company has been working on and recently showcased at the ITS World Congress in Detroit – self-driving trucks, or an “advanced driver-assist system” as Peterbilt refers to the technology. This innovation reduces active driver steering by 80-85% and requires a well-marked highway so cameras can read road lines and position the vehicle.

Among other technologies, the vehicle uses:

• Radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC) which automatically accelerates and decelerates, maintaining safe distances.
• Lane departure warning systems (LDWS) that uses cameras to detect lane edges and striping to alert drivers when the vehicle is drifting.

At the bottom of this post is a brief video (of a video) that was taken at the 2015 Mid-America Trucking Show. The video, while not the greatest quality, gives a very nice visual of the self-driving technology in action.

As you may be able to guess, there is still a lot of testing to be done and red tape to navigate before you should expect to see an unmanned semi on the highway. Even if/when this technology does come into use, you can still expect to see a driver, but more as a spectator rather than a primary operator.

There is technology that you may see on the road sooner rather than later and it’s called “platoon” trucking. A platoon is described as a convoy of trucks linked electronically to a lead truck with an active driver. This practice is said to increase fuel efficiencies up to 15% by limiting wind resistance. Producers and purveyors of this technology estimate that it could be on United States roadways in as little as a few years (click here to see a video of platoon trucking demonstrated by Volvo Trucks taking place in Spain a few years back).

There are many truck producers working to perfect these technologies and change the future of the trucking industry. As with most big ideas, it’s just a matter of time.

As a Northeast Ohio based company, we’re full of hometown pride here at PartnerShip. Cleveland is experiencing what some might call a renaissance, and it’s great to see so many big things happening around our city. In the midst of this uprising, a few upcycle projects have caught our eye.

It appears that Cleveland is thinking outside of the box…or the shipping container, to be exact. This summer a seasonal nightclub is slated to open in the east bank of the Flats. What makes this club unique is that it's being constructed from - you guessed it - shipping containers. FWD Dayclub + Nightclub boasts on their facebook page that this interesting architecture pays homage to Cleveland’s industrial past, which was one of their major design goals.

Nightclubs aren’t the only place shipping container structures are popping up around our great city. This past holiday season, an initiative appropriately named Small Box launched in the heart of Cleveland’s Warehouse District. This marketplace features retail shops made of these versatile containers. The spaces are small, measuring 10 feet by 20 feet, but they have big style and make a great home for local retailers trying to expand their businesses.

Local companies like J. Evans Custom Home Construction and Cleveland Container Structures specialize in upcycling steel shipping containers for these types of projects, but these containers aren't just for businesses. Sustainable container homes are also becoming available in the area, helping to give life to shipping containers that would otherwise go unused. Shipping containers are airtight and built to withstand extreme weather and hard impacts, making them great for repurposing into housing. Whether you're looking for entertainment, shopping, or a place to call your own, the shipping container movement in Cleveland has you covered.

From fantasy football leagues to Super Bowl squares to NCAA brackets, there seems to be additional gaming around every major sporting event. Most of these games have a potential payday that makes the added stress all worth while, but those winnings often end up parlayed into other sports bets...so why not play for something with true meaning that you'll treasure forever - like a carefully decorated Styrofoam plate? 

That's right, a plate has been the sole object of many PartnerShip employee's greatest desires over these past 2 months or so (right behind an NBA championship, of course). With our Cleveland Cavaliers in the midst of a historic postseason, we guess scores of each game and award the plate to the employee with the closest guess. The employee then proudly displays the plate outside of his or her workspace as a constant reminder of how much smarter they are than everyone else. In the event of a tie, the “PPGB - PartnerShip Plate Governing Board” has full authority to determine the winner via foosball match, rock-paper-scissors, or other measures. As you'd expect, the competition is fierce with this kind of prize at stake.

You may be asking yourself how such a sophisticated contest came about. Like many honored traditions, it had humble beginnings. The playoff plates were started back in 2007 when both the Cavs and Indians made postseason runs. Employees began guessing scores and, with a need to keep track of those scores, a plate was the only item to write on in reaching distance. From then on, the plate became a coveted and indispensable part of Cleveland playoff life at PartnerShip. 

The next question you're probably asking yourself is how the fantastic plate designs (like the one pictured in the upper right corner) are achieved. We caught up with Harry Centa (which was no easy task during "plate season" as he refers to this time of year), who holds the title of Playoff Plate Creative Director, and we asked about his artistic process when designing the plates.

"The keys to a good plate are symmetry, style, and symbolism, also known as the 3 S's of plate design." Harry went on to say, "I can't take all the credit, though. I receive help and input from many plate enthusiasts in the office."

Harry also made note of another important aspect of making a plate, saying "Very careful consideration must be lent to the player theme of each plate. We’ve had a Kyrie Irving tribute plate, a Kevin Love tribute plate, Tristan Thompson, and even whole team themes. The office favorite has to be the Matthew Dellavedova (Delly) plates, he’s a cult hero and there are a number of great directions and subtleties you can apply to the overall design of a Delly themed plate."

When it comes down to it, the plates add something a little extra to the already special experience of watching the hometown Cavaliers battle for a championship. Part superstition, part team-building, part bragging-rights, the playoff plate benefits are many and the fun is never-ending.

PartnerShip will be exhibiting at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition this year in Detroit, Michigan on August 8^th-11^th. As a partner to over 140 associations, the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exhibition is a date that is circled on our calendars every year. It’s a great chance to spread the word about a PartnerShip managed Shipping Program as a valuable member benefit, as well as see some current association partners.

From an association standpoint, there are many reasons to attend the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition year after year. For some, it’s the 120+ education sessions designed to generate ideas and provoke new thinking. For others, it’s access to fabulous parties and networking opportunities with over 5,000 colleagues from around the country.

We can vouch for the value of this show and encourage all association professionals to make their way up to Detroit for this once-a-year opportunity.We'll be in booth #233, so stop by and say hello!

Click here to register for the event and then visit the Schedule-at-a-Glace for information on show activities. If you need more convincing, watch the short ASAE video below with testimonials from association executives and the value they found at the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition.

Hector is one of our senior account representatives and he’s worked at PartnerShip for over a year and a half. Hector helps to hold down the fort at our California office and is a valuable member of our team. We asked Hector a few questions and he was kind enough to indulge us. Here’s what we learned!

What do you do for PartnerShip?
Securing new business and maintaining customer relationships with the purpose of providing high levels of customer satisfaction.

What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy playing cards and listening to underground electronic music.

Do you have any nicknames?
Sirak, which is my middle name.

What was the best vacation you ever went on? Why?
“Studying” abroad in Spain has been the best vacation I’ve had since I barely studied, met my girlfriend, and traveled around Europe for 3 ½ months.

NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?
Backstreet Boys all the way.

What do you like the most about working at PartnerShip?
I like the work hard, play harder environment.

If your life was made into a movie, what would the title be?
No Nintendo.

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? 
South America, more specifically Argentina so I can try their Mate tea.

What reality show would you like to be on? 
Big Brother because it’s a fascinating game of strategy, with a lot of drama.

Keeping customers informed and improving services are two of the main focuses of PartnerShip. That’s why we regularly seek feedback from customers and tailor our offerings and content to your needs. We recently asked a group of customers about their biggest challenges when shipping freight and received "managing transit times" as the third most mentioned challenge at 14% of overall responses. We’ll address this concern and provide some best practices to keep your mind at ease when scheduling and shipping your time-sensitive freight. 

Managing the logistics for a company can be a trying task with multiple, and seemingly endless, steps along the way. Gathering materials, being sure to correctly package, and accurately completing your paperwork seemed like a lot in itself, but the most important step lies ahead – making sure it gets to where it needs to go on time. All previous work is rendered pointless if this stage is not completed. 

Before shipping your freight, here are items to keep in mind to ensure there are no hiccups in your transit:

• Accuracy on your bill of lading (BOL) is key to keeping your shipment on track and avoiding time consuming reweighs or reclassifications from carriers. Knowing your freight classes as well as accurately weighing your shipment is extremely important to getting your shipment to it’s destination on time.
• No one likes paying more for their shipping, but knowing which accessorials to add when scheduling your freight shipment will save you from situations like a refused delivery that could have been avoided by including a lift gate. Accessorials like advance notification can also help you and your company better manage your time when shipping freight.
• Considering guaranteed options from carriers will provide you with a little more insurance when scheduling a shipment where you may be unsure about the time-frame's likelihood. While the guaranteed options cost a bit more, paying a little extra when you know you need it is better than the fallout that comes from the alternatives. 

Setting yourself up for a properly timed shipment mostly occurs before the carrier is even dispatched to your location, but there are a few measures you can take during and after your freight is in transit:

• Late pickups can be frustrating, but they occasionally happen as drivers get detained with earlier pickups, encounter trailer capacity issues, are caught in heavy traffic, etc. Our customer service team at PartnerShip does a great job staying on top of pickup times and securing a time commitment from the carrier's dispatch when needed. However, often times it makes sense for you, the customer, to call the carrier directly in the event you need to work out a new time or solution.
• Stay on top of your shipment by using our track shipment tool to check the status of your shipment and get an estimated time of delivery (ETA). All you will need is the tracking, pro, or BOL number and the carrier you used for your shipment. 
• If you find yourself sending multiple shipments of similar specifications to the same consignee, as many companies do, making notes and keeping a close eye on your shipping history can help you effectively prepare for the future. Track your experiences with certain carriers as they use different lanes to transport shipments. PartnerShip also works with many regional and local carriers that specialize in certain geographical regions. 

When all is said and done, planning still only amounts to a portion of the battle. It’s important to remember that freight carrier transit times are estimations and can vary due to weather, traffic, and mechanical issues. Yes, a carrier’s goal is to stick as closely as possible to the transit times provided and deliver to a happy consignee. However, we live in an imperfect world and things don’t always work out that way. Plan ahead and give yourself the best chance possible of a timely shipping operation.

As always, PartnerShip is here to help manage your company's logistics and keep your shipping operation a smooth running process. Feel free to contact PartnerShip with any questions or concerns.