Freight Transportation Options For Small Companies
When your company is still growing and you are only producing small amounts of goods for the market, it can be challenging to determine the best option for shipping your product. Many times, a freight carrier will want to fill a trailer going out, and you may not have enough product for that, but there are some options you may want to consider for your shipping needs.
Transportation and Shipping Brokers
Smaller companies with limited shipping needs can often benefit by working with a transportation brokerage that can handle their shipping needs. A good transportation brokerage can organize shipping for your company and deal with small loads, as well as ensuring distribution is dealt with along the route to get your goods where they need to be on time.
Because the brokerage works with many transportation providers, they have access to far more shippers than you have. The brokerage will often work with small, independent trucking companies to ship small loads and can even set up transferring your product from one truck to another midway using a warehouse cross-dock operation to expedite the shipment if needed.
Some freight carriers will only work with these brokerages to fill their trucks because the process is so much smoother than trying to work out all the details for each shipment, and a company running several trucks may find the system is better for the customer and the shipper.
Less-Than-Load Shipping
One of the most beneficial services that a transportation brokerage can offer a small company is LTL or less than load shipping options. In many cases, a company shipping a partial trailer load of goods will either have to pay for the entire trailer or find an alternative to ship goods that is just too expensive. The transportation brokerage can often organize LTL shipments for you.
The breaker working with you will find a truck going near your destination with a partial load on the trailer. They can then contract the truck to add your freight to the trailer at a reduced rate, so the trailer is full, and your cargo gets where it needs to go. Many small trucking companies or independent operators will take these LTL loads because it keeps their trailer full and provides them the income they need but allows them to choose what they carry and where they are going.
In some cases, the load may take an extra day or two to arrive at the destination, but if you have a deadline to meet, let your broker know, and they can often find a truck that will get the freight to its destination inside the timeframe required.
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