It's that time of year again. Freight carriers have been announcing their general rate increases (GRIs) this spring. As we did last year, 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.

If you're a seasoned freight shipper, you probably know all too well the ins and outs of the GRIs. However for our more novice shippers, the 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 rising fuel, maintenance, insurance, and labor costs.

As straight forward as the reasoning for the increases sound, there are also some less obvious nuances to the GRIs that, as your shipping connection, we can help to clear up. One of the more important things 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. Using geography as an example, if there's an "average" GRI of 6%; some areas may see a 3% increase and some may see a 9% increase in freight charges. The customer in the area with a 9% increase will obviously see a larger bump in cost, especially if distribution is regional.  

PartnerShip has created a new, core carrier alliance with Dayton Freight to provide LTL freight services to our customers located in the Midwest United States. Dayton Freight provides direct delivery to eleven midwestern states with 44 service centers. Founded in Dayton, OH, Dayton Freight has provided freight services since 1981 and built a long-standing tradition of next- and two-day delivery services.

Through our partnership with Dayton Freight, customers will enjoy competitive LTL freight rates as well as the ability to print bills of lading, print labels, and track shipments on PartnerShip.com. Through PartnerShip, along with the competitive freight rates, our customers have access to:

• The Dayton Freight On the Double program, which is a great way to guarantee delivery of your mission-critical freight for specific delivery dates or times.
• Additional Special Services, including deck trailers that are designed to ensure the safety of freight shipments and the ability to deliver to residential areas, and liftgate trailers throughout the system.

At PartnerShip, we are confident Dayton Freight will be a valuable addition to our group of world-class, LTL carriers, and will provide our customers with yet another option for their LTL freight shipments. If you have any questions regarding Dayton Freight services, or special LTL freight shipping needs that Dayton Freight might be able to address, call your dedicated PartnerShip sales representative at 800-599-2902.

If you are interested in receiving a Dayton Freight rate quote for an upcoming LTL freight shipment, log on to PartnerShip.com, or create a web account if you haven't already done so.

Your freight shipment has been created, shipped, and tracked. The shipment has now arrived at its destination and you're ready to complete the final steps in the freight shipping process.

As you know from my two previous posts, PartnerShip has tailored its website to assist customers before and during shipping. We'll now provide you with some steps for after-shipping best practices.

Step #1: If the shipment was inbound, check for damaged or missing items.

As rare as it may occur, it's always a best practice to record and check shipments for shortages, damages, and concealed damages immediately upon delivery.

If you find an issue with your shipment, here are some guidelines for making sure the problem is properly documented:

• Always notify your vendor of short or damaged shipments
• Have the driver precisely document all exceptions on the delivery receipt
• Contact the carrier within 15 days of delivery date to report concealed shortages or damages
• Never pay for merchandise not received
• Always try to have your vendor file the LTL freight claim
• Claims must be filed within 9 months of delivery date (claims forms for PartnerShip carriers are in the Shipping Forms menu)
• If you have any questions, call your PartnerShip account representative and they will gladly help you with the freight claims process

Step #2: Pay your freight invoices.

If your shipment was sent 3^rd party billed through PartnerShip, you have the time-saving option of using PartnerShip.com to view, track and pay your Invoicing online. We've organized your open invoices for easy reference. The Invoicing tool allows you to view invoices by invoice number and pay invoices immediately with a credit card.

Once your invoices are paid, you can use Payment History to see all of your past invoice payments and transactions.

Step #3: Keep track of your freight shipments.

In my last post, you learned that using Shipment History on PartnerShip.com is a great way to view all shipments that are in transit. Now that your freight is no longer in transit, Shipment History is a great way to get a consolidated view of all shipments sent in the past. By using Shipment History as a reporting tool, you're able to search shipments by date and keep track of your shipment frequency and details in one report - no matter how many different freight carriers you may have used through PartnerShip.

You can also request a personalized Savings Report from PartnerShip.com for your company. Simply choose a monthly or yearly report type and click —submit. A PartnerShip representative will then provide you with a customized report showing you how much you've saved off of the carrier's base rates during that period of time.

There you have it! You've completed the shipping process and are ready to send another one! Remember, PartnerShip is always here to help you at any stage and with any type of shipment you may need to send. If you haven't already, be sure to click the below button to subscribe to the PartnerShip Connection Blog so you get future updates and tips.

Just like last year, once again, almost all of the PartnerShip core carriers were recognized with Quest for Quality awards this year by the readers of Logistics Management magazine.

As part of the 30th annual Quest for Quality awards competition, Logistics Management readers evaluate companies in all modes and service disciplines, choosing the top performers in key categories. This year the research group received 6,179 total responses. In order to be a "winner," a company had to receive at least five percent of the category vote. Transportation service providers are rated on five key criteria: On-time Performance, Value, Information Technology, Customer Service, and Equipment & Operations.

Here are the PartnerShip carriers that received awards this year:

• National LTL Freight:

• National: FedEx Freight, Con-way Freight
  

• Multi-Regional: FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, UPS Freight
  

• Surface Package: FedEx Ground, UPS

• Regional LTL Freight:

• Northeast/Mid-Atlantic U.S.: New Penn, Pitt Ohio

• Western U.S.: Reddaway

• Truckload/Specialized:

• Dry Freight: Pitt Ohio, Con-way Truckload

• Expedited: UPS Urgent, Old Dominion, Pitt Ohio, FedEx Custom Critical

• High Value Goods: United Van Lines

• Air Express:

• Air Express: FedEx Express

On behalf of PartnerShip, our employees, and the thousands of our customers that rely on your services as part of our shipping programs - congratulations to all of the carriers that won Quest for Quality awards this year! PartnerShip works with only the best carriers in the industry - and you've all proven to be in that category once again.

A common dilemma for businesses is deciding the appropriate shipping mode to use for their important shipments. Shipping mode choices include LTL freight, small package, ground, air, ocean, rail, intermodal, and others. When deciding whether to use a small package or LTL freight carrier, for example, shippers must take into consideration the weight and characteristics of the shipment, including delivery urgency. The old —150-pound' rule is not an absolute guideline anymore, but obviously the weight of the shipment must be a major consideration in choosing a shipping mode.

Shipment Characteristics

The size, weight, and shape of the materials you are shipping can also impact your decision making. Are your boxes big and bulky, small and compact, unitized or loose? LTL often is a preferable choice when the shipment's boxes are oddly shaped, as in furniture. LTL is also the way to go when your shipment is palletized, as small package carriers only handle individual boxes. Being less automated than the small package shippers, the LTL carrier will often use forklifts instead of conveyor belts. Strange as it may seem, moving odd-shaped boxes and pallets with a forklift produces fewer damages than moving them on a conveyor belt with thousands of other packages. The shape of the carton may cause it to fall off the belt or at least be tumbled around a good deal. Also, when you ship multiple loose boxes, the chances of losing one or two them are greater than had you shipped them together on a pallet.

Shipment Destination

Another area to consider is the receiving facilities for the shipment. Is there a dock? Does the shipment need to be delivered to the tenth floor of a building with no freight elevator? Is inside delivery even necessary? LTL freight carriers will generally be better delivering dock-to-dock and business-to-business, while small package carriers are better able to handle inside and residential deliveries.  

Service Needs

Service must also be taken into account. If your shipment must travel 2,000 miles and be delivered the next-day, you're going to have to consider an air express service (unless it's Friday, in which case some ground carriers can use the weekend to get your shipment across the country). Generally, if you don't need your shipment delivered within one or two days, LTL freight is going to be less expensive than small package carriers who have more urgent delivery capabilities built into their systems — particularly as your shipment weight increases. LTL freight may also be a good option for shipments moving less than 500 miles, because you can often get next-day delivery on those distances.  

Pricing and Fees

Of course, the primary consideration is quite often price. Most of you are painfully aware of the charges small package carriers assess for services such as rural delivery, address correction and Saturday delivery. LTL carriers have similar charges as well, especially for inside delivery or delivery to a recipient who has no loading dock. Carriers in both industries continue to charge fuel surcharges, which also have a material effect on your shipping price. On a percentage basis, LTL carriers generally charge higher fuel surcharges (about double that of small package carriers) but, in the end, it's the total price you need to look at, since LTL is often less expense on the —line haul' portion of the invoice.

Loss and Damage Concerns

The risk of loss or damage to your precious shipment is always a concern, regardless of what type of carrier you use.  Small package carriers have a higher loss and damage ratio than LTL carriers, but neither is altogether immune to the issue.  LTL carriers provide the advantage of providing significantly more liability coverage than small package carriers (which are often capped at $100 per package). So a small package carrier will have only $300 worth of liability on that 3 package, 300 pound shipment; whereas, an LTL carrier would provide liability coverage of $750. That's more than double the protection of the small package carrier.

Making the Decision

Sometimes the best course of action is to seek help from transportation professionals (like those at PartnerShip) to help you make the right decision. There is no set formula for the best service-price ratio, but as a general rule of thumb, shipments over 200 pounds that don't require urgent delivery are best handled by LTL carriers. Shipments less than 200 pounds, those that can't be placed on a pallet, or those that require urgent delivery over longer distances, are often best handled by small package carriers.

Interested in learning more?                                             

Let PartnerShip help you to determine when and where you should be using small package and LTL freight carriers. Contact us today.

No matter the package size or shipment mode, it's important to be using the proper techniques for your packaging. Learn how to prevent costly and time-consuming mistakes by downloading our ultimate guide to proper packaging. 

As a general rule of thumb, one big order ships for less than three smaller orders. That means consolidating multiple orders into a single shipment whenever possible, and always striving to minimize the number of packages you send. All too often, shipments are arranged as they come in from sales or order processing. However, a little planning and visibility goes along ways towards shipping savings.

As the example below shows, one 30 pound small package shipped via FedEx produces a 27% expense reduction over shipping two separate small packages, netting almost $6 in savings.

When it comes to small package shipping, these savings - although seemingly small at times - definitely add up over time. However, when you consolidate LTL freight shipments, the savings become immediately more impressive. As the example below shows, by consolidating three 300 pound shipments into one 900 pound freight shipment, the shippers was able to save 25% - or $454.24 - on their freight shipping expense.

 

Consolidating orders provides additional benefits to both shippers and receivers (consignees) of small package and LTL freight shipments, including:

• Reduced shipping supply expenses
• Greater fuel efficiency (better on the environment)
• Less time needed to receive, handle, and restock orders

One strategy for shipment consolidation is to create a simple shipping guide that takes into consideration all of your business rules for carriers, weight breaks, orders, and shipping contacts. Distribute this guide to your vendors and discuss it with your customers. A little communication can often go a long way towards small business savings. If you need a partner to help you through the process, you can always call on PartnerShip ... we're here to help.

Sometimes you just don't know what you don't know. This is especially true when it comes to LTL freight rates. Because there are so many variables that go into your bottom-line LTL freight pricing - such as commodity classification, base rate schedules, discounts, accessorial fees, etc. - it's difficult to really understand if you're getting the best rate when you call your carrier or 3PL for that LTL freight quote. As shown in the example below, sometimes the "highest discount" doesn't always mean the "lowest price."

For this reason, PartnerShip began offering a no-obligation FREE freight analysis service a few years ago to help small businesses sort through their current freight rates to ensure they aren't leaving money on the table. We run several of these analyses for customers every week, and requesting a freight analysis is as simple as:

• Visit PartnerShip.com and complete or brief Freight Analysis Form.

• In the About Your Shipments section of this form, let us know what you are shipping, how frequently you are shipping, and a general idea of where you are shipping to our from.

• If possible, also provide us with examples in an email to select@PartnerShip.com. This could be a few recent freight invoices, or better yet, send us a simple Excel file with recent shipments, including the following four pieces of information: Origin ZIP, Destination ZIP, weight, and commodity type (or classification).

Once we have your request, our LTL freight experts will analyze your shipments to determine your current freight rates. Then we will review the best rates we have in place with our best-in-class LTL transportation carriers to see if you can save additional money on part or all of your shipping. Again, our free freight analysis comes with no-obligation - if you already have the best market rates, we'll let you know so that you can continue to enjoy them.

If you're wondering how your current LTL freight rates compare, before (or after) you ask for that next LTL freight quote from your existing carrier, consider having PartnerShip provide you with a free freight analysis to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.

ABF was recently added to the select group of core carriers serving PartnerShip customers. ABF concentrates on national and regional transportation of general commodities freight, involving primarily LTL shipments. Established in 1923 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, ABF has solidified its reputation as a benchmark for safety, security, and freight-handling standards.

Through the PartnerShip alliance with ABF, customers can access competitive LTL freight rates, create bills of lading, print labels, and track shipments on PartnerShip.com. In addition to competitive freight rates PartnerShip customers enjoy ABF U-Pack services which offer extremely competitive rates on the ReloCubes for moving purposes. Some other advantages PartnerShip customers have by using ABF for LTL freight services are:

• ABF provides comprehensive shipping services to all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico (see map below).
• More than 99 percent of all shipments handled by ABF are moved without a loss or damage claim.
• Additional ABF services available upon request through PartnerShip:
  • TimeKeeper^®, a guaranteed expedited service for time-critical, time-definite shipments.
  • TurnKey^®, a premium inside delivery and set-up service.
  • FreightValue^®, a service for shipments requiring special equipment or handling.

If you have any questions regarding ABF services, or special LTL freight shipping needs that ABF might be able to address, call your dedicated PartnerShip sales representative at 800-599-2902.

If you are interested in receiving a ABF rate quote for an upcoming LTL shipment, log on to PartnerShip.com, or create a web account if you haven't already done so.

Old Dominion Freight Line, or "OD" as they are often referred, provides less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services with nationwide coverage across all regions of the United States. Based in North Carolina, Old Dominion focuses their LTL services domestically with 217 service centers which ensures that your LTL freight gets there on time and as promised.

Through the PartnerShip alliance with Old Dominion, customers can access competitive LTL freight rates, create bills of lading, print labels, and track shipments on PartnerShip.com. Old Dominion offers regional and inter-regional LTL freight service with very competitive transit times and pricing. The map below shows the six Old Dominion regions and U.S. service coverage. Some other advantages PartnerShip customers have by using Old Dominion for LTL freight services are:

• Comprehensive U.S. service coverage with competitive transit times and pricing.

• One of the most efficient and financially stable LTL carriers in the industry.

• Additional OD services available upon request through PartnerShip:

• Security Divider Service which provides guaranteed, locked-in security. Your freight is locked securely into place on a trailer at its origin, and is not unlocked until it reaches its final destination.

• OD Expedited which provides daily on-time and guaranteed deliveries within normal transit times or time-specific windows.

If you have any questions regarding Old Dominion services, or special LTL freight shipping needs that Old Dominion might be able to address, call your dedicated PartnerShip sales representative at 800-599-2902.

If you are interested in receiving an Old Dominion rate quote for an upcoming LTL freight shipment, log on to PartnerShip.com, or create a web account if you haven't already done so.

UPS Freight, a division of UPS that focuses on LTL freight and truckload services, has been a PartnerShip core carrier for nearly a decade (dating back to when they were known as Overnite Transportation before being acquired by UPS). With over 200 service centers across North America, UPS Freight provides LTL freight service coverage to the entire U.S., Canada, and Mexico. UPS Freight also provides time-sensitive and tradeshow shipment delivery to PartnerShip customers through its LTL Urgent services division.

Through our alliance with UPS Freight, PartnerShip customers can access competitive LTL freight rates, create bills of lading, print labels, and track shipments on PartnerShip.com. UPS Freight will be very competitive on virtually any commodity type and any length of haul. Some advantages that UPS Freight brings to PartnerShip customers are:

• Full North American coverage, including over 200 service centers in the U.S. (see map shown below)

• Excellent brand reputation and service reliability, with regional, inter-regional and long-haul capabilities (including over 20,000 one- and two-day service lanes)

• LTL Urgent service options for time-sensitive deliveries, special equipment needs, and tradeshow deliveries

If you have any questions regarding UPS Freight services, or special LTL freight shipping needs that UPS Freight might be able to address, call your dedicated PartnerShip sales representative at 800-599-2902.

If you are interested in receiving a UPS Freight rate quote for an upcoming LTL shipment, log on to PartnerShip.com, or create a web account if you haven't already done so.