Many companies operate under the same assumption that they don’t ship freight. This idea was solidified on a recent survey we conducted, where we asked the question: “What are your biggest challenges when shipping freight?” About 30% indicated price as their biggest challenge, which we addressed in a previous blog post, and another 18% said that they don’t ship freight at all. Customers are quick to jump to this notion as there are no pallets assembled in their facility and no semis in their parking lot – however, they may be overlooking some important aspects of their company operations that could use some freight optimization attention.

First, we’d like to reiterate an idea that we revert back to quite a bit on the PartnerShip Connection Blog – inbound shipping is one of the easiest and most overlooked ways to save money on your overall shipping costs. We bring this point up again since most businesses do not factor in the freight shipments they receive from suppliers as, many times, the consignee is not being directly invoiced for those shipments. However, costs initially written off as ‘free’ often rear their head in the price of the actual goods that are being moved – meaning the costs are not non-existent, but just hidden. As the customer receiving the goods, your company has a say in how that freight is routed and billed, and you should factor it into your overall freight plan.

The next point we’d like to make is that while some businesses are not shipping freight, maybe they are shipping small packages and reexamining and adjusting that operation may equal big savings. This idea would apply to another portion of the 18% of companies that think they do not have freight shipping but are shipping small packages to or from the same location on a regular basis. As a general rule of thumb, 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 strive 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. 

We’re sure there are some customers in the previously mentioned 18% that legitimately do not have or will ever need to ship freight due to factors like their business type. For the rest of us, taking into consideration things like inbound operations and the possibility of shipment consolidation may mean more companies are having a freight discussion that they thought they would never have – and will end up with a more efficiently run company in the process.

PartnerShip prides itself on being able to help businesses of all shapes and sizes save on their shipping costs. Small businesses are an integral part of the United States economy and, every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing a National Small Business Week recognizing the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. This year, May 4-8th has been designated as the week to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the organization that coordinates this yearly event, and has designated this year's theme as "SBA: Dream Big. Start Small."

The week will highlight small businesses with events in Miami, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New York City and culminating in Washington, D.C. where national winners will be recognized and awarded.  Additionally, recognition events throughout SBA’s 10 Regions and 68 Districts will be held throughout the months of May and June.

If you're interested in learning more about National Small Business Week, you can visit the SBA website. There you'll find a schedule of both live and online events and other helpful information.

PartnerShip continues to develop PartnerShip.com with our customers and carrier partners in mind. Recently, we launched the PartnerShip Load Board that provides better visibility to the available truckload shipments from PartnerShip customers to PartnerShip carriers. PartnerShip connects the best national, regional, and local carriers with businesses for all of their truckload needs. The board provides carriers with information about the load, like equipment needed and whether it’s a full and partial load, as well as the origin and destination of the shipment. Best of all, this load board is completely free to view at anytime - no logging in or information is needed to view the available loads.

Carriers are encouraged to inquire about any loads by calling PartnerShip at 800-599-2902 option 2. The loads are only available to PartnerShip vetted and approved carriers. To become a core partner carrier please contact one of our Carrier Procurement Representatives for a setup packet at carriers@PartnerShip.com or visit our Becoming a PartnerShip Carrier web page.

Click here to visit the PartnerShip Load Board today!

Below are the truckload shipments that are available today, but be sure to check the page often for new opportunities:

As always, there’s been a lot of talk in Washington about different bills and budgets. One conversation in particular caught our attention as it would have a direct effect on the transportation industry – The GROW AMERICA Act. Brought to the forefront by the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) (something they haven’t done in almost a decade), the GROW AMERICA Act is a $478 billion, six year transportation reauthorization proposal that provides increased funding for the nation’s highways, bridges, transit, and rail systems. We’ll leave it to the politicians to line up and take sides on the finer points of the Act, but below is a description of some of the overarching themes presented (from the U.S. DOT's fact sheet):

Specifically, the GROW AMERICA Act will provide –

• $317 billion to invest in our nation’s highway system and road safety. The proposal will increase the amount of highway funds by an average of about 29 percent above FY 2015 enacted levels, emphasizing “Fix-it-First” policies and reforms that prioritize investments for repairs and improvements to the safety of our roads and transit services, with particular attention to investments in rural and tribal areas. The proposal will also provide more than $10 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to improve safety for all users of our highways and roads, providing a benefit of $21 for every Federal dollar used for infrastructure-related safety investments.
• $115 billion to invest in transit systems and expand transportation options. The proposal increases average transit spending by 76 percent above FY 2015 enacted levels, which will enable the expansion of new projects that improve connectivity (e.g., light rail, street cars, bus rapid transit, etc.) in suburbs, fast-growing cities, small towns, and rural communities, while still maintaining existing transit systems. The GROW AMERICA Act proposes a powerful, $5.1 billion increase in investments to address public transit’s maintenance backlog to reduce bus and rail system breakdowns; create more reliable service; and stop delays that make it harder for all commuters to get to work. The proposal also includes the innovative Rapid Growth Area Transit Program, which will provide $3.4 billion over six years to fast growing communities for bus rapid transit and other multimodal solutions to get ahead of the challenges caused by rapid growth.
• Tools and resources to encourage regional coordination and local decision making. The proposal includes policy reforms to incentivize improved regional coordination by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), which are local communities’ main voice in transportation planning. The GROW AMERICA Act also strengthens local decision making in allocating Federal funding so that local communities can better realize their vision for improved mobility. High-performing large MPOs will be granted control of a larger portion of funds under two federal transportation programs – the Surface Transportation Program (STP) and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) – and these MPOs will also receive funds through a set aside under the new Fixing and Accelerating Surface Transportation (FAST) program.
• Improved tools to protect the public from dangerous vehicle and tire defects. The GROW AMERICA Act will give NHTSA the authority to issue imminent hazard orders requiring vehicle manufacturers to immediately take action to alleviate harm in cases where there is an imminent risk of injury or death. Additionally, it will improve vehicle and tire recall efforts by taking steps to ensure the public is informed of recalls at franchise dealerships, independent tire stores and state departments of motor vehicles. The Act also provides consumers more time to get tire defects fixed for free.

In short, the GROW AMERICA Act is a six-year bill that would increase investment in transportation by 45%. All sides in Washington see a need for fund allocation to transportation and infrastructure in the United States; the debate is currently circling around whether or not the GROW AMERICA Act is the right direction to take. Deadlines for a decision on plans for transportation funds have been bandied about, but nothing is set in stone. From our perspective, it’s good to know that there is a spotlight on transportation as the shipping industry would benefit from improvements to a major component in the shipping equation.

Feel free to leaf through the entire 361 page GROW AMERICA Act at your leisure!

The U.S. DOT is busy spreading the word and gaining support for the bill. Recently, they went on a bus tour to promote the Act and, earlier this month, released a video detailing the tour.

There is a wide range of equipment available for your shipment to ensure proper transportation and delivery. Keeping the trucks and trailers straight that are carrying your freight can be a tough task for even the most experienced shipper - which is why we created a brand new Truck and Trailer Equipment Guide for our customers. This white paper contains measurements and visuals for dry vans, refrigerated units, flatbeds, and the tractors that pull the trailers.

Click the link below to download the white paper and learn more about what carries your freight from point A to point B.

Download the Truck and Trailer Equipment Guide Today!

As always, the shipping experts at PartnerShip are here to lend a helping hand and answer any questions you have about freight shipping. Give us a call at 800-599-2902 or email sales@PartnerShip.com.

The Work Truck Show, presented by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), is the must-attend event for the work truck industry. As in years past, the 2015 show in Indianapolis was buzzing with new products, innovative exhibitors, and of course, trucks. The Indianapolis Convention Center was flooded with a record number of attendees that were looking for the latest products and industry trends to keep their businesses hitting on all cylinders.

Among other highlights, attendees of the Work Truck Show 2015 enjoyed industry focused training courses, access to technical engineering representatives, and NTEA’s President’s Breakfast where Tony Dungy was the keynote speaker. The show also has growing green initiatives to address the demand for advanced vehicle technologies and fuels. The Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with the Work Truck Show, was a day-and-a-half event for attendees and offered strategies and solutions for practical deployment and application of green technologies for the industry.

As the endorsed shipping provider of NTEA, we were exhibiting in the NTEA booth and sharing information about the shipping savings available to all NTEA members. We’re always excited for the NTEA Work Truck Show as it provides great opportunities to stay up to date on the industry happenings and produces valuable interaction with our customers. We had a chance to snap some pictures while at the show and invite you to scroll through the album below!

After your freight has been properly packaged and assembled, it's time to gather information about your shipment to ensure you are receiving an accurate freight rate and transit time. Correctly identifying your freight as less-than-truckload (LTL), tradeshow, or truckload is the first step to knowing what information you need to have ready before getting the quote. In this post we'll summarize the information needed for an LTL freight shipment, which refers to a shipment that does not completely fill a truck, is typically palletized, and weighs over 150 lbs. In order to obtain an accurate LTL freight quote and transit time, be sure to:

• Establish when your shipment needs to be picked up and delivered. – This is basic information that needs to be determined before trying to obtain a quote. If your shipment has a delivery date that’s etched in stone, guaranteed options are available at a higher price. Either way, the more information you can provide about your shipment’s timeline up front, the more options you’ll have available to make an educated decision.
• Know your ZIP Codes! – Origin and destination ZIP Codes are keys to an accurate LTL rate quote. Just as important are the origin and destination types or descriptions - whether your shipment is going to a business, a residential area, or a tradeshow will impact the overall cost and transit time. Getting the ZIP Codes and descriptions for the origin and destination right on the first pass will ensure a smooth transit.
• Determine if any accessorials are needed. – Accessorials are any additional services required outside of the standard shipping procedure. Examples include lift gates, Collect on Delivery (COD), and inside pickup or delivery. Accessorials normally require additional fees from the carrier to insure your shipment has everything it needs to get on or off of the truck and to its destination safely.
• Decide on the amount of insurance needed for your shipment. – Knowing the value of the shipment you are transporting and purchasing the proper amount of insurance is crucial in the case that something unexpected happens to your shipment while in transit. Having this information when obtaining the quote is crucial to an accurate price.
• Calculate the exact weight of your shipment. – Providing an accurate weight is very important when obtaining a quote. Remember to include the pallet’s weight and have your scales tested and calibrated often to be as precise as possible.
• Know your freight classes! – LTL Freight Class refers to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) and determines the carrier's shipping charges for your LTL freight. Your freight class identifies the size, value and difficulty of transporting your LTL freight and is a must-have for quoting. 

Also, if you’re shipment is tipping the scales a little more than you expected and you decide to ship truckload/volume (over 5,000 lbs) check out our post on how to get a quote for your truckload shipment.

As Your Shipping Connection, the PartnerShip goal is to save you money and make sure you're in the know on everything shipping related. That's why we develop informational white papers to help small businesses navigate through the world of transportation and logistics. We've developed a brand new white paper designed to proactively identify and correct commonly made freight shipping mistakes before they cost you valuable time and money. In this white paper we provide:

• Descriptions of some of the more common freight shipping mistakes
• Examples on how these mistakes are impacting your bottom line
• Ways to catch these mistakes before they cost your company money

The 2015 Winter Fancy Food Show, held in San Francisco, has come and gone and our very own Harry Centa was in attendance. Harry is a Senior Program Manager at PartnerShip and has become a staple at both the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows presented by the Specialty Food Association.

"This show is always a great opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and for the retailers, restaurateurs, and distributors that attend to bring new, exciting, and unique items and ideas to their businesses," said Harry. "It's also an invaluable opportunity for PartnerShip to showcase its money-saving member benefit, the Specialty Food Association Shipping Program, which is available to all Specialty Food Association members."

As the west coast's largest specialty food and beverage event, highlights include: 14,000 exhibitors from 35 countries, 19,000+ industry professionals, and 30 emerging food entrepreneurs. The show also features new product showcases, 15+ educational seminars, and custom matchmaking for buyers and suppliers. These are just a few of the great opportunities offered by the Specialty Food Association through this show.

In addition to the above highlights, Harry also collected submissions for a drawing for a $100 Visa reward card. Congratulations to our lucky winner — Jared at Aloha from Oregon! 

Don't worry if you missed out on the winter show, as the Fancy Food Show comes not once, but twice a year in the summer and winter. 

"The Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows are dates that are always circled on my calendar," Harry added. "The show always entertains, informs, and produces quality customer interaction year in and year out for PartnerShip....not to mention all the great food!"

Check out some of Harry's pictures from the event in the slideshow below.