Get Better LTL Rates Through a Third Party Logistics

Are you looking for a better rate on your shipping? Have you been confused about the whole situation and don't really know who to ask what is best and want a third party to tell you what will work best. I will tell it is not easy to find a good logistics company. But there are things you need to look for in a good third party logistics company. Here they are in the best order of importance. First you want to find one with the best rates. Now I know that this sounds obvious but there is some companies that have a lot to offer besides rates. Now rates can vary carrier to carrier. The logistics companies will have different rates with each carrier. So I would say that it would be best to have a couple third party logistics companies and compare them on every shipment. There is no rhyme or reason to it, I honestly don't know why some are cheaper and some are more expensive. It is just best to compare and over time you will find out which third party logistic company is better for which area of the country.

Second thing in order of importance is ease of getting the quotes. If you are reading this article good chance you know how to use a computer and this is not an alien machine to you. So the third party logistics company must have an easy to use online software. If you have to call it in this is an adequated system. The best companies have a way to get a quote in less than 1 minute online. This is important for 2 reasons. First time is always of essence when trying to quote a number of different things on different third party logistics websites. And most important, if your sale depends on the shipping price of an item you don't want to have call your customer back because you have to get off the phone to get a quote. You could lose the sale with that couple minutes of time for your customer to think it over. You don't want them to occupy their time with something else. A sale can be lost in this short amount of time. Honestly they could not even answer the phone if they wanted to. So this is very important and make sure you can get the quote online.

The last important thing is service. You don't want to have to wait on hold for ever if you have an issue. This is not something that works into productive time in your day. Don't want to have a crick in your neck for holding the phone for too long. If the third party logistic company doesn't answer with a genuine person on the other end. They don't deserve your business. If you have to leave a message for them to get back to you, they are understaffed.

George Martins has been a working for a third party logistics company for over 15 years. Knows many things about the industry and has an extensive knowledge of how the current economic situation is affecting the freight shipping industry. To learn how to get better freight rates please come to [http://www.savemoneyonfreight.com]

Logistics Software is Better Than a Third Party Logistics Service For Small Businesses

If you own a small business that you dream of making larger, one of the greatest things standing in the way of your expansion may be your inability to deliver your products to a larger customer base. For many small companies that have aspirations to go big, shipping their products through a parcel carrier becomes too expensive because too many products are being shipped, while freight shipping is too expensive because not enough products are being shipped to compose a full freight load. Consequently, many companies remain localized and never experience the incredible revenue that could come with running a national or international business.

However, when parcel shipping and freight shipping rates prove too expensive considering the amount of product involved, small businesses still have options. One option for overcoming the product/price aspect of shipping is to hire a third party logistics service to search for the best parcel and shipping rates. But since a third party logistics service uses logistics software to examine the shipping needs of a business in relation to what services are offered by numerous parcel companies, small businesses can save money and implementing user friendly logistics software on their own. Offering the same level of quality as a logistics provider, logistics software come with an easy to use interface that makes hiring a third party expert to examine parcel and shipping rates unnecessary.

One of the commonest reasons behind unaffordable parcel rates is that many parcel companies charge for services that a company doesn't need. For example, if you plan on shipping wedding stationary to outlet stores, you probably don't need for Hazmat or residential shipping services. Yet, parcel companies regularly include these unnecessary charges until petitioned otherwise. In addition to determining the necessity of particular services, logistics software also examines the fuel surcharge rates of parcel carriers and audits shipping fees in order to uncover breaches in service among parcel companies.

Because most business don't have the time or means to discover such information on their own, implementing logistics software almost always results in the discovery of parcel rates that are significantly lower than businesses are used to paying. Instead of judging parcel companies on the surface and concluding that parcel shipping isn't an option for your business, implementing logistics software could result in parcel rates that you never imagined existed. However, the software may also determine that your volume of shipping makes shipping by parcel uneconomical, regardless of the discounts that exist, and suggest that you pursue freight shipping. But if you think that you have to come up with a full freight load to making freight shipping worthwhile, think again. Since the deregulation of the trucking industry, trucking companies have been more at liberty to offer new kinds of shipping that draw in more customers, one of which is less than truckload (LTL) shipping. In LTL shipping, multiple partial loads are combined to make one full load, with each shipper paying a fraction of the full freight shipping cost.

Seeking out better parcel rates or using LTL shipping are two of many ways that your small business can expand its reach without having to pay unnecessary shipping changes. To discover more ways to ship your products economically, implementing logistics software is the best choice.

To extend your small business beyond its local setting, you'll have to find shipping options that make sense for the volume of products that you plan on shipping. While some companies consult with a third party logistics service to solve shipping dilemmas, implementing easy to use logistics software is a more economical solution.

TL Logistics Management Software - Is It Better Than Third Party Logistics?

For companies that ship their goods by ground, using truckload (TL) shipping arrangements is key to reducing the cost of the shipping process while improving delivery time. TL shipping occurs when a shipper contracts with a carrier to ship full semi trailer loads of goods to a specific destination-a scenario that represents the opposite of less than truckload (LTL) shipping, where companies that ship less than full semi loads combine their loads to form a full load and share the price. Unlike TL shipments, which are valued for their timeliness, LTL shipments are prone to numerous pick up and delivery stops, and can result in unwanted warehouse fees.

Even if your company qualifies for truckload shipping arrangements, it still needs a way to arrive at the best arrangements for its situation-a need that can be met through one of three scenarios: hiring in house logistics experts, outsourcing to third party logistics (3PL) providers, or implementing TL logistics management software. Traditionally, companies have pursued hiring their own logistics experts; or, if developing a logistics department proved unaffordable, outsourced their logistics to a 3PL provider. But today, more companies are choosing to implement logistics software, of which TL logistics management software is one type, to arrive at the best shipping arrangements.

Compared to hiring in house experts or outsourcing to 3PL providers, TL logistics management software brings two advantages: it costs less, and it results in more shipping solutions. By allowing companies to become their own logistics providers, logistics software cuts the middleman out of the shipping process-a move that can save larger companies six figures annually. But the software also cuts down on the cost of shipping by performing shipping route analysis and optimization and analysis of integrated shipping solutions to a degree unavailable through 3PL providers.

An example of how TL logistics management software can benefit the truckload shipping process is as follows: upon performing route analysis in relation to integrated shipping options, the software might determine that shipping a load by truck half way to its destination and shipping it rest of the way by air would provide the lowest shipping cost and best delivery time. If a company used a 3PL provider, this scenario would only occur under two circumstances: if a non-asset based 3PL provider had a financial relationship with a trucking carrier and an air carrier whose routes could intertwine, or if an asset based 3PL provider owned the right assets to make such a situation financially favorable.

In my research on truckload transportation management, I've studied the truckload logistics software versus other logistical solutions.

TL Shipping Software Versus Management Based Third Party Logistics - Which is Better?

Truckload logistics software is increasingly becoming the logistics solution of choice among small to midsize companies that don't employ logistics professionals. In most cases, companies that don't employ logistics experts or use logistics software turn to third party logistics providers to handle their truckload (TL) shipping solutions. Companies may choose third party logistics providers for a variety of reasons, but two factors that generally influence this decision are companies' perception that they can't handle their own logistics and the corollary perception that only companies that specialize in transportation logistics could yield the most optimal TL shipping solutions. Converse to these perceptions is the fact that many companies that lack core competency in logistics are now acting as their own TL logistics providers by using truckload logistics software. With an easy to use interface and customizable options that reflect a company's particular shipping needs, TL shipping software offers companies an increased range of shipping options at a lower price than third party logistics.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of third party logistics is that allows companies to be free of the logistics process. However, the price that companies can pay for this negligible freedom can be costly. Management based third party logistics providers make their money by acting as middlemen between shipping companies and carrier companies, securing rate discounts from carriers and charging clients a significant amount above the actual shipping cost in order to make a profit. But in additional to simply costing more money than using logistics software, third party logistics poses another problem: because management based logistics providers only work with carriers that offer preferred discounts, they potentially exclude carriers that could offer their clients the best overall shipping solutions. When companies choose logistics software instead of renewing their contract with a third party logistics provider, they have the opportunity view a full rage of shipping options and choose those that benefit them and not a third party's business interest.

When you consider the factors that go into determining the best TL shipping solutions, that management based third party logistics providers only consider carriers that offer a preferred discount is shocking. For example, freight optimization, shipping route optimization and the potential for integrated shipping methods are three bargain basement factors that significantly influence the overall cost and delivery viability of a TL shipping solution. Unlike third party logistics, TL shipping software examines these and other factors simultaneously, eventually identifying the best carrier in relation to each factor. Third party logistics is an expense that never goes away. Companies have no insight into their own logistics process and therefore remain trapped at the hands of profiteering logistics experts. But when companies switch to TL shipping software, they don't just get rid of the cost that comes with paying a middleman; the increased range of shipping solutions that they experience allows them to drastically cut their shipping cost. Research shows that companies that implement logistics software can decrease their total shipping costs by 10 percent at the end of one year.

For my company's TL shipping solutions, I use truckload logistics software. If you're interested in doing the same, check out RateLinx.com.