Getting Freight Shipping Quotes is Easy on Shiply

What Is Freight Shipping?

Sometimes you need to move something big, heavy, or more than one item, and freight shipping is often the best shipping method to do so. Also known as freight forwarding, items are generally put on pallets or in crates and can be moved by a number of different transportation methods during their journey through land, sea, or air.

There are a number of freight shipping companies and freight transportation services available to give you shipping quotes however, and often this can make it difficult to compare each one and work out which is best for you.

Shiply has hundreds of freight shipping companies who can send custom cheap freight shipping quotes for your job, often up to 75% cheaper than standard rates, but first, you will need to gather some basic information on your delivery and what freight transportation service you require to get the most accurate pricing.

There are a number of freight shipping companies and freight transportation services however and often this can make it difficult to compare each one and work out which is best for you.

Shiply has hundreds of freight shipping companies who can send custom cheap freight shipping quotes for your job, often up to 75% cheaper than standard rates, but first, you will need to gather some basic information on your delivery and what freight transportation service you require to get the most accurate pricing.

Types Of Freight Shipping Services

There are two common methods of freight shipping that you will need to decide between, but the first thing you need to work out is whether your goods will go on a pallet or not. If your items are loose and do not need to be secured to a pallet then you should put them in a container like a crate, whereas if they do need to stay secured together then they would go on a pallet.

Often freight shipping companies will put your non-palletized items on a pallet anyway as it is easier for them to move about, but this is something you can discuss with a shipping company when you have collected some freight shipping quotes.

As mentioned before, the two most common types of freight shipping services are:

Less-than-load (LTL) Freight Shipping - This means that you do not require an entire vehicle to hold your items, just some space within one. Typically these types of freight shipping quotes will be a lot cheaper as they do not require a company to ‘make’ a journey for you, they would be making it anyway. You can read more about LTL freight shipping here.

Truckload Freight Shipping - This type of freight shipping service is required when you have a lot of items that need moving and will require a full vehicle to do so. This will generally be more expensive as it requires a freight shipping company to make a journey just for you. You can read more about truckload freight shipping here.

How Much Does It Cost To Ship Freight?

It is almost impossible to give an accurate quote for your freight shipment due to the details required to do so, but you can look at the following factors to determine what you require and it will give you some idea of whether you can expect your shipment to be expensive or not. Of course, one great way to get accurate pricing is to list the item on our site and receive custom quotes from freight forwarders. Some of the most important factors that will affect pricing are:

Distance - How far your freight shipment needs to travel will affect the price. If you need to make international shipments then this will inevitably be more costly, whereas interstate freight will come out cheaper.

International Freight Shipping - In line with distance, any international freight will likely result in significantly higher shipping quotes than domestic shipments. This is due to the increased logistics involved in international freight shipping, from getting the items to and from the port or airport to loading and unloading them from the overseas transport method. International freight will also require more paperwork than domestic delivery.

Timings - How quickly you need your freight items delivered will also affect the price. The more lenient you can be with timings, the cheaper your quote will be, whereas rushed shipments will usually incur extra charges.

Pallet Dimensions - As stated above, the size and weight of what you need to be delivered will have consequences on the price, with full truckload shipments resulting in higher shipping quotes than partial loads.

Locations Of Pickup And Delivery - If the pickup location is remote then the freight shipping company you select will have to travel a fair distance to get your item. The closer the pickup spot is to the freight shipper the less they have to travel to get it, which will be reflected in their quote.

Time Of Year - Unfortunately weather can also play a part in land, sea, and air travel. Adverse weather conditions such as ice, snow, and wind can block off certain routes and make travel times slower which can, in turn, drive up or lower the shipping quote.

How Can Shiply Help Find Freight Shipping Companies?

Clearly, there are a few things to work out before you go on your search for a great cheap freight shipping company. It can seem like a daunting task to compare the many services available and the many shipping quotes you receive and figure out which one works best for you, and this is where Shiply can be of assistance.

All you need to do is work out the dimensions of the items you need delivered (often this is where pallets are a useful measure) and provide the pickup and drop-off location of the shipment and rated freight shippers will send you custom pricing direct to your inbox. This gives you a place where you can look at all of your options and easily compare them.

You can use Shiply’s custom feedback and rating system to read previous user’s opinions of freight shipping companies and feel confident in the one you select, as well as use our messaging system to ask any questions you may have about pallet provision, insurance, timings and anything else you want to be answered.

Freight shippers on our site are often making the journey anyway, meaning not only can they offer you shipping quotes up to 75% less than usual as they are already planning on making that trip, but you are also helping keep unnecessary emissions to a minimum by stopping extra journeys on the roads.

Preparing For Your Freight Shipment

Once you have decided on a freight forwarder company and shipping quote to go ahead with, you need to make sure your items are prepared for pickup, follow these steps to help you get your shipment ready:

Documents - First off, any documents you may need, whether it’s because it is a commercial shipment being made or if the items are shipping internationally, should be kept at hand for the pick up to avoid any late mishaps.

Cleaning - It can be worthwhile to clean your items before pick up and packaging to ascertain their condition. This can help with identifying any damages that may have happened during shipping once the items are delivered.

Packing - This will vary based on whether you are using pallets or not, or whether your chosen company will help you pack, but either way you want to make sure your items are secure and wrapped with protective material to avoid damage during transit.

Photographic Evidence - Along with the cleaning, taking high-quality photographs of your items before being packaged gives you solid evidence of their condition should any disputes arise.

What To Do After Delivery

The main thing you want to make sure to do once your item has been delivered is to check the condition. Compare the condition of your freight shipment to the photographs you took before pick up and, if there are any issues, raise these with your chosen freight shipping company immediately.

The last thing we ask is that you leave feedback on the service you received. Not only does this allow Shiply users to browse with the same trust that you had, but also lets the freight shipper know how they are doing and whether they could improve or not.