With more companies taking part in the e-commerce craze than ever before, the world of shipping is being navigated daily. Shipping is what connects you to your customers – puts your products in their hands, and in today’s digitised world it must be prized as a remaining physical link.
However, too many companies see shipping as an unfortunate cost, and in attempting to cut corners in this area, they make big shipping mistakes. These errors are costly in the long run. Read on to discover the 7 big mistakes you can make when shipping freight.
Mistake #1 Miscategorisation Of Freight Class
It’s natural to seek to reduce your costs when shipping freight, and one of the most obvious ways of doing this is to reclassify your freight into a lower class. Lower classes are cheaper to ship, making this strategy eminently tempting to anyone in the industry.
However, carriers pay close attention to freight moving in any class – whether you’re just taking a shortcut or trying to pull the wool over carriers’ eyes, it rarely pays to miscategorise your freight. Carriers will upgrade your freight, resulting in a recategorisation fee as well as any original charges you may have skipped.
Mistake #2 Overlooking Ground Transit
Smooth business operations rely on fast transit, and many people assume that shipping by air is always the fastest way. However, ground transit is not only a cheaper option than air, but can often be logistically superior. A combination of truck haulage and rail transport can often mean your freight is moving 24/7 from the start of its journey, without the added paperwork. This can often be the most efficient mode of transport for your freight.
Mistake #3 Address Inaccuracies
One of the easiest mistakes in freight to fix is also one of the most common. Taking the time to double check the recipient address is essential when shipping freight. “Even a small slip up in the address can be incredibly costly to fix, and can even result in the nightmare scenario of losing freight altogether,” says Domenic Ballew, writer at Big Assignments and Simplegrad. “Ensure the zip code is correct and if you’re hand-writing addresses keep your script neat and legible, otherwise you’ll have late packages and ultimately bad reviews.”
Mistake #4 A Faulty BOL
A Bill of Lading is a legal document that is required with any shipment of freight. It includes invoicing details as well as details of the consignment, and will tell the driver everything they need to know. The BOL needs to be accurate in every respect, otherwise you’ll not only be in breach of the law but also risk mistakes during the shipping process.
Ensuring that the quantity, item description, value and packaging are all listed correctly on the BOL. Any errors can be costly to fix as you may need to reinventorise your freight to produce a new BOL.
Mistake #5 Too Few Shipping Options
Some customers will gravitate towards the cheapest shipping option, but many people are willing to pay more to have some more control over the shipping. For those with fixed working schedules, designated delivery slots may be the only thing that enables someone to purchase a product in the first place. Ensure you offer your customers multiple options for shipping.
Mistake #6 Skipping Pallets
Whilst it takes an additional investment of time and cost to palletise your freight, loose items are substantially more prone to damage in transit. “Damaged goods will lead to unhappy customers, and anything other than perfect condition will damage your reputation in the industry,” says Tomiko Cupp, freight shipping expert at Viawriting and Studydemic, “and what’s more, many shippers won’t provide transit to unpalletised items – that means they’ll pallet themselves, and charge you for the work.”
Mistake #7 Skimping On Freight Insurance
A short-term cost cutting measure like skipping on freight insurance might seem like a good idea on paper – but when there’s a problem with shipping, carriers pass that on to you. If you ship long distances or a great bulk of freight, the odds are against you that something is going to go wrong. Freight insurance will save you from taking the hit.
If your company is shipping freight, it’s essential not to fall into these common freight mistakes. These avoidable, costly errors can add up to bring your business down. Armed with the knowledge of these common mistakes you’ll be able to avoid them and seek shipping success.
Madeline Miller is a writer at Top Canadian Writers and Best essay writing services services and a blogger at Writingpopulist. She is a freelance logistical strategist and supports growing businesses reach new markets.
