Your firm has just completed the construction of that costly piece of equipment and is now ready to transport it to the customer. You spent ten weeks building it, so the last thing you need is to deal with damaged or lost goods. If you want to keep your prices down while minimizing difficulties, choosing the correct delivery method is crucial. Spending a little time researching and comparing choices can help you save both time and money.

The multinational shipping corporation operates facilities both in the United States and abroad. They have the option of shipping via truck, boat, or plane. Because of their global network of resources and computer tracking, they are able to make timely and efficient deliveries all over the world. Another downside of this sort of service is that shipments are routed via a network of terminals, thus loads are handled often. The more often a cargo is moved, the greater the chance of it being damaged or lost.

Common Carriers have a nationwide or regional network of terminals. They are solely trucking businesses. Small businesses and entrepreneurs will pay a higher rate than Fortune 500 corporations because of volume discounts. Costs might become expensive if your cargo exceeds 1000 pounds. The common carrier will hire a local driver to pick up your goods and transport it to the nearest terminal, where it will be unloaded from one truck and reloaded onto another vehicle for transport to the final destination in the nearest large city. Cross docking is the term for this procedure. Before the cargo reaches its final destination, it may be cross docked multiple times. This extra handling raises the risk of cargo damage, as well as the possibility of items being lost or delayed. The more times a cargo is handled, the higher the odds of anything going wrong.

Freight brokers do not own trucks; instead, they coordinate shipments with a number of different transportation companies. Because they handle a huge quantity of shipments, they can utilize their buying power to get reduced rates from common carriers. As a result, the client pays cheaper charges. While the freight broker will negotiate and track shipments on your behalf, they are not legally responsible for the goods, which is left to the carrier. This legal structure can place the consumer in double peril for shipping charges since they pay the freight broker, but if the broker and carrier have a disagreement, the carrier can go back and seek payment directly from the customer.