Business Advice

How to Select the Right Freight Solution for Your Business

You need to make sure that the freight forwarding company you work with allows you to boost efficiency ensuring that your clients get a heightened service. There are many services provided by 3PL or third party logistics providers such as order fulfilment, warehousing, product distribution etc. where your supply management can be under one roof.

You have to check if the freight broker satisfies all your requirements for the business. Make sure you have a list of potential freight forwarders so that you can carry out research on all of them and narrow down the list to select the best freight solution for the business. Consider the different services they offer and whether they are applicable to your company. You should choose a freight forwarder who does their job effectively ensuring that you can focus on expanding the business. When you are working with a freight brokerage, there will be carriers that are vetted for your requirements which will make your search a lot easier. They will also manage the logistics of the shipment. They have a network of carriers they can connect you with and their relationships with the carriers will ensure your product reaches the destination without any issues.

Check how flexible the freight forwarder is and whether they can customise their services to fit your requirements. This will allow you to optimise inventory and bring down the costs of distribution. You can also check the core values of the freight forwarding company to see if they are dedicated to continuous improvement of their services. Experience and credentials are very important when it comes to choosing a freight forwarder. Check if they have worked with cargo of a similar nature so they understand all the precautions to take with it ensuring the product quality doesn’t diminish during transport. There may be certain countries that you work with. Check if the freight company already transports to these countries. Their level of financial stability is also important. Check how long they have been operating as freight forwarder to get an idea of their dependability. They should be a bonded company that is well established.

It is very important to select a freight forwarder with a good customer service. This is what ensures there is clear and transparent communication between the two parties. You should make sure that you get the right information about the shipments and any issues with the shipment right away. They should have good knowledge about the service so that they can be responsive whenever there is an issue or clarification required. Check the level of technology used by the logistics provider. They should use the latest technology to stay ahead of the shipment so they are able to give you real-time information. Before you decide on a certain company, you can ask whether they can give you a demo of their systems. When you choose a freight forwarder who keeps up with changing technology, you are ensuring that the visibility of the supply chain is enhanced.

Carma Gatson
the authorCarma Gatson