Four Mistakes You Do Not Want To Make
Freight shipping is in a league of its own in the logistics business. Freight shipping comprises air, sea and road shipping. Here, road shipping is more than likely a link in a larger chain. For instance, a semi-truck hauling a container full of coal from a mine to a train, that will then take it to a dock to to be transferred onto a cargo ship that will go to a foreign port.
Because of this and other factors, such as the sheer size of the freight, more precautions and paperwork has to be done to get the freight from point A to point B. As a result, more errors can are seen.
1) Getting The Measurements Right
One common error is in the unit of measure. Putting aside specific measurements for a moment, the unit of measurement is very important. A company might be freight shipping within the country for 6 months, but then suddenly they may need to make an international shipment where the units of measure differ from the country of origin.
An error like this is big, so going over all paperwork with a fine toothed comb is of the utmost importance. Once you have the unit(s) of measure known in both the country of origin and the country of destination, you should focus on the measurements themselves. Size, weight and dimensions should all be double and triple checked before given the OK. Do not take the word of any other company. During this part of the process, think of the freight as your own because it is at this point.
Inaccurate measurements and the wrong units of measure, two mistakes that happen often, will not only cost time for everyone involved, but there could also be stiff fines involved. This happens most often at weigh stations for truckers, but weight limits are also set for cargo ships and planes as well. Too heavy of a load is a bad thing to have on many levels, s we need to make sure this doesn't happen.
2) Location, Location, Location
The second mistake that often happens when shipping supplies or goods are typographical errors concerning where the shipment is coming from and where it is going. This is true with shipments that go through 2 or 3 different destinations to get to where it is going. Drop-shippers know this issue well.
3) Hazardous Materials
The more established freight shipping companies will ship just about anything because they know the ropes, so to speak. But with this experience comes a lot of responsibility Getting the freight right on the proper documentation. Is it hazardous material? Is it liquid? Is it hazardous liquid? These are a few of many examples of freight that might need special documentation to go across a state line or international borders. Making a mistake with the paperwork on this is a hazard to everyone.
4) Packing And Shipping It Right
Something else to think about, the 4th most common shipping mistake, is packaging goods in the wrong fashion as well shipping them with other boxes or containers that will damage the package itself, or a package next to it. This not only makes unloading freight harder than it has to be, but one package could leak onto another causing cross-contamination concerns.