Choosing a cross-border transport company can be a difficult task given the importance of shipping solutions for competing companies. Working with the right transportation contractor will improve the operational efficiency of your business and facilitate your expansion.
Discover below what makes a good general transport company. You will be able to make more informed choices to find the rare pearl that will propel your business to the next level.
An important factor of logistics and ELITE LOGIX is that transport enables us to ship and receive products on a daily basis. That’s why it’s important to choose the best shipping method by evaluating all the factors that may affect their routing. Find the one that best meets your business needs, is the most profitable, and will ship your goods on time.
As we have already seen in the case of palletized freight transportation, trucking is the most widely used road transportation mode in Canada as well as in the rest of the world. Usually, even if you choose another means of transport such as air or sea, you will need a heavy truck to transport the goods from the destination port to the destination address.
Analyze the following factors to determine which mode of transportation best meets your business needs:
What are the characteristics of your goods?
What are the shipping and receiving locations?
When should they be shipped and delivered?
How much do they weigh and how much volume do they occupy?
Which mode of transport will be the safest for your goods?
What’s your budget?
Is this transport reliable and frequent?
Duties and Roles of the Freight Forwarder
International freight forwarders play an essential role in the commercial success of international trade: the smooth flow of your imports and exports, whether you cross Canadian soil or foreign territories, depends on their many skills.
7 functions of a cross-border or international freight forwarder
Discover several specific services provided by an international freight forwarder:
Function 1: Ensure intermodal monitoring of the different modes of transport. The freight forwarder is the guarantor of the proper routing of the goods. It organizes and coordinates multimodal transport shipments, in particular road, sea or air;
Function 2: Find a place of transshipment of the goods. International freight forwarders carry out this task by owning warehouses themselves or by renting them for this purpose;
Function 3: Optimize shipping costs. The freight forwarder will collect different goods in the same shipment, in the same way as the carrier does with the personal effects of different customers. This makes it possible to take advantage of the costs incurred with a carrier by purchasing a large volume of freight.
Function 4: Contact the right person to make a loading and unloading reservation. Freight companies have a complete contact book and select the best operators. This is an advantage for international trade: delivery and shipping benefit from the best conditions;
Function 5: Negotiate freight charges. This is an additional advantage offered by an international freight forwarder: by managing large volumes of freight, it can lower prices compared to carriers;
Function 6: Insurance of goods. The freight forwarder must know the conditions of insurance depending on the means of transport and the type of goods in transit. He must lodge a claim with the insurance company, which is obliged not only to cover him in case of damage or delay of delivery, but also his patronage;
Function 7: Edit shipping and export related documents. For example, an experienced international freight forwarder ensures the correction and presentation of all required documents at the required time.
How to Choose Well
1- A quality trucking company has the right equipment
Transportation needs in general can vary from simple road freight to specialized machinery. Depending on your needs, ask the shipping company you want to deal with if it has the right equipment for your cargo.
In addition to the versatility of the equipment, a good general transport company must have robust trailers and trucks. The integrity of your goods is threatened during transport, so you need to be sure that the transport company can guarantee the safety of your goods.
For example, if the company has versatile and quality equipment to provide special transport services for agricultural equipment, machinery and oversized goods, or good road freight service.
2- Fast and secure
The speed of the transport service and the experience of the team of drivers directly affect the performance of your company. A good transportation company surrounds itself with a team of experienced drivers who optimize their journeys and adopt a highly safe driving style.
You can judge a trucker’s skills by his years of experience. A talented driver will accumulate time on the road and get to know the roads like the palm of his hand. They can avoid areas that are often congested by traffic and take a fast route.
3- Offer of guarantees
As we saw in the previous section, the safety of your cargo is essential to the well-being of your business. However, you are never safe from the unexpected once you are on the road. For this reason, give yourself peace of mind by investing in a general transport company that offers guarantees.
Find out about the guarantees offered by over the road trucking companies during your research.
A free quote
When looking for your joint shipping solution, the right approach is to compare services by making multiple requests for quotes. Better transport companies offer free quotes.
