Small Business Shipping

How Does FreightCenter Address Small Business Concerns?

Last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce surveyed small business owners about their biggest concerns. 54% of pollers stated that their top concern was inflation; common goods and services prices are increasing, and small businesses can’t keep up with the market. Other concerns from the poll and Walden University’s own survey on small business challenges include:

• Rising Interest rates
• Revenue
• Supply chain disruptions
• Difficulty balancing growth and quality
• Lack of time

However, these challenges faced by small businesses are not the only concerns occupying the minds of small business owners. The day-to-day operations of a small business require managing multiple responsibilities. Small business owners often take on the roles of owner, accountant, secretary, negotiator, and HR manager all at once. This situation is further complicated by the current economy and the post-COVID job market, which makes it challenging to find and retain loyal employees, creating a recipe for potential chaos.

There’s only so much a business can handle alone. Freight shipping shouldn’t have to be one of them. A freight broker like FreightCenter can address a small business owner’s worries and simplify shipping your goods. Choosing us means choosing quality, affordable service that doesn’t overcomplicate freight shipping your products to your customers.

How to Ship Items as a Small Business with FreightCenter

So, you’ve decided to ship your freight with FreightCenter. Awesome! Now that you’ve made up your mind, let’s look at what comes next and what every business owner needs to know about freight shipping with us.

1. Choose Your Shipping Service Type

Before booking your shipment, you must determine what kind of shipping you need. FreightCenter offers several types of shipping, but let’s focus on the two most popular ones: Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) and Full Truckload (FTL or TL) shipping. Each one has its pros and cons, but what you choose will ultimately depend on what kind of shipment you’re making. This blog post details the differences between LTL and FTL, so we’ll only touch on the basics.

Less-Than-Truckload (LTL)

LTL is when your shipment is one of the many inside a trailer. You’re sharing the trailer with other packages, heading towards a similar destination. Your shipment will make several stops along the way, including at terminals where it is consolidated and put into a new trailer. This is a good option for businesses that don’t need an entire trailer for their shipment and aren’t time-sensitive. LTL freight must weigh over 150 lbs and must not exceed 15,000 lbs.

Full Truckload (FTL or TL)

FTL is when your shipment is the only thing being transported by the driver. Your shipment goes to its destination without any other stops (except for fuel) and doesn’t deliver any other packages. This is a great option for businesses with heavy loads and/or have a shipment that needs to be on its own. Most FTL shipments weigh over 15,000 lbs, but smaller freight can use a whole trailer if needed.

(There are other kinds of shipping, including partial truckload, which is between LTL and FTL, along with other modes of transportation like air, ocean, and rail cargo shipping. Your FreightCenter agent will review your options and help you pick the right one for your business.)

Which one is the right shipping type for your small business? It depends on what you’re shipping. LTL is arguably the cheaper option. Customers shipping with LTL share part of a trailer with other shipments, so they only have to pay for a portion. However, LTL is also not good for fragile or extremely heavy shipments, as they’re tossed around in the trailer during transit. If not properly packaged, your shipment could risk getting damaged or destroyed. There are additional costs and fees you’ll need to consider, like if you need extra services or accessorials, such as a liftgate, which can increase the price.

FTL is technically the more expensive option, but it’s also the most personable option. Your shipment is the only thing being transported, so you won’t have to worry as much about damage occurring during transit. Your shipment is also not being handled by multiple people throughout the entire trip. LTL relies heavily on your shipment’s exact weight and may add to your bill later if your weight dimensions are off. But FTL doesn’t question your shipment’s weight beyond ensuring it complies with the 80,000 lb weight limit required by law. The only person concerned is the receiver when it arrives at its destination.

Ultimately, choose the one you believe is right for your shipment. If, for example, you’re a landscaping company shipping 20,000 lbs worth of fertilizers on pallets, then you’ll have to go with FTL. If you’re a sports manufacturing company shipping 400 lbs of baseballs in crates, you can go with either LTL or FTL, though LTL makes more sense if your freight is that small. Again, however, it depends on your freight. If there’s an issue with your chosen shipping type, your FreightCenter agent will notify you and present other shipping options.

2. Quote and Book Your Shipment

Now that you know how you want your freight shipped, it’s time to book! There are two ways to book with FreightCenter: get a free quote on our website, and we’ll call you back to review the details, or call us directly at (800) 716-7608. There will be a few things you’ll need to know when you make a quote for the first time:

• Your item’s dimensions and exact weight 
• Your packaging type (pallet, crate, box, roll, bale, drum, or barrel)
• Both the pickup and delivery location addresses and zip codes 
• Any extra services at pickup and delivery
• Optional: your freight class. This is how carriers know what type of freight they’re handling and how you’re billed a fair price. Classes are calculated based on density, handling, stowability, and liability. If you don’t know your freight class, that’s okay; we’ll figure it out for you. If you want to try figuring it out yourself, we offer a density calculator to estimate your freight class.

Once you fill out this information in our quote tool, you can see a list of carriers, estimated transit times, and initial rates. Compare the offers and pick the one that best suits your budget and needs. Remember, this is only the initial quote; any additional information you give during the booking process may alter the rate.

After choosing a carrier, you’ll complete the full booking form, including the pickup and delivery names and addresses, schedule delivery dates, add your payment method, and all the necessary paperwork. You can also manage your entire shipment inventory from the platform, including any past shipment history.

Once you’re finished, then we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll call you to review the shipment details, make necessary adjustments, and complete any extra paperwork. You’ll receive several important documents, including your Bill of Lading (BOL), essentially your receipt, where the carrier details your item’s type, quantity, and delivery location. After that, you’re all set!