Freight is a word employed to describe the transportation of goods and is usually a commercial process. Items are largely listed into various shipment families before they are transported.
This is dependent on various factors:
- The type of item being channelled, i.e. a kettle might fit into the class 'household goods'.
- How large the article is, both in terms of item sizing and quantity.
- How long the item for shipping will be in transit.
- Cargos are occasionally categorized as household goods, express, parcel, and freight Goods.
Pieces of furniture, art pieces, or alike Shipments are ordinarily sorted as household goods.
Very small business or personal things like envelopes are considered as overnight express or express letter goods. These shipments are seldom over a few pounds, and almost always go in the carriers own packaging. Service levels are variable, depending on the shippers choice. Express despatches almost always move some portion of the way by aviation. An envelope can go coast to coast through the night or it might take many days, based on the service selections and prices chosen.
Bigger things like small boxes are counted as parcel or ground despatches. These despatches are not usually over 100 pounds, with no single piece of the shipment weighing more than approximately 70 pounds. Shipments are always packaged, occasionally in the shippers packaging and typically in carrier-provided packaging. Service grades are again variable; but the majority of ground despatches will move close to 500-700 miles per day, going coast to seashore in about four days depending on origin. Parcel consignments rarely journey by air, and often move thru road and rail. Parcels represent the bulk of business-to-consumer (B2C) shipments.
Beyond HHG, express, and parcel payloads, movements are termed freight shipments.
Less-than-truckload (LTL) freight:
The first list of freight shipment is less than truckload (LTL). LTL shipments are also often referred to as "motor freight". Crating or other substantial packaging is required for LTL shipments due to the mixed freight environment.
Truckload (TL) freight:
In the United States of America dispatches greater than approximately 15,000 pounds are often classed as truckload (TL) in that it is most economic to only use a truck rather than share it in an LTL environment.
A load is limited to the space available in the trailer -- nominally 48' or 53 long and about 100 inches wide and 106 inches high. Under the current U.S. truck pricing model, adding more to a load costs nothing more.
Schemes for increasing load size include: reducing truck equipment weights for example, by "light weighting" the equipment. This may involve extensive use of lighter- weight materials such as aluminum. When sending cargo, it is extremely important to read up on pricing, claims, and insurance.
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How freight pricing works:
Some common accessorial charges are: Liftgate: this is a service that assists the driver in loading or unloading his truck when a loading dock or forklift is not available. The trailer is equipped with a hydraulic ramp that lowers to the ground. Liftgate service is almost always billed on residential pickups or deliveries and in commercial pickup and deliveries where loading docks or forklifts are not available. Only a small percentage of most trucking companies trailers are equipped with liftgates so movements requiring liftgates must be communicated to the carrier in advance.
Truckload (TL) carriers usually charge a rate per mile. The rate varies depending on the distance, geographic location of the delivery, items being shipped, equipment type required, and service times required. TL shipments usually receive a variety of surcharges very similar to those described for LTL shipments above. In the TL market, there are thousands more small carriers than in the LTL market; so the use of transportation intermediaries or brokers is extremely common.
Cargo insurance:
Cargo insurance only covers significant loss or damage to the cargo only. Carriers insurance does not cover consequential damages like lost sales or downtime on a production line. Also, carrier insurance does not cover the cost of returning damaged cargo to the shipper. Again, cargo insurance is very low and very tightly defined; so shippers must package shipments extremely well and be sure to clarify the specific insurance that will apply to each shipment.
Freight packaging:
Unlike small parcel shipping via a delivery company like Federal Express or UPS, shipping freight has a much higher likelihood of damage. LTL companies pack lots of different types of freight onto lots of different trailers using forklifts and other heavy equipment, creating a harsh and dirty environment for freight. Other LTL shipments will be packed around and on top of a given customer's shipment; so all freight shipments should be packaged very carefully.
Freight shipping summary:
Railcars may ship any bulk shipment to several locations. Shippers often first see to it that they are utilizing the correct type of carrier for their particular type of consignment: using an LTL carrier for an LTL object, for example. While parcel carriers will accept LTL loadings, and LTL carriers will accept TL loads, shippers will occasionally receive lower quality service at higher rates when carriers service cargo that is "non-standard" for their particular company.
once the shipper has chosen the best form of carrier, the shipper then shops several carriers in order to find the right service and price for their consignment. Shippers search out all-inclusive quotations that include all surcharges and accessorial expences.
whenever the shipper has chosen the mode and carrier and is set to ship, they often over-package their freight consignment and verify insurance coverage, to minimize damage and claims.
Inexperienced shippers on a regular basis use the services of a freight mediator or advisor to allow them find the correct carrier, service, and price for their payloads.
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