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Hotshot carriers provide a needed service of quick deliveries, which is how this form of transportation received its name. Hotshot carriers handle documentation and a range of package sizes for commercial freight.

If a package is needed immediately, hotshot carries can transport the package quickly across town. The shipment can be anything from reagent for a hospital to replacement parts for a manufacturer, or valuable documentation for a meeting or a court appearance. Many times these carriers are only used when speed is the main concern.

Several hotshot companies also provide freight quotes for expediting services and have the capabilities of handling LTL freight in a closed truck, van, or flatbed. Many times, however, they make the delivery in a car or pick-up. Hotshot drivers are committed to assisting individuals and companies who have shipments that require immediate shipping.

Van freight can be any form of dry cargo, which is generally palletized for easy handling. Forklifts are used to load and unload the cargo into and out of the vans if loaded on a pallet.

Delivery time for van freight can be from 7 to 10 days or longer depending on the distance and type of service requested. Nearly every form of business uses van freight transport services including small businesses. Several small businesses may use carriers who offer dedicated lanes as well as less than load shipments.

Van freight may move as an LTL shipment or as a full truckload, which is approximately 40,000 lbs, or less. Weight limitations vary slightly from state to state and the freight company knows the allowed weight limitation for each state in which the truck travels. Over weight, trucks are fined.

Shippers need to inform the freight company about the commodity which they wish to ship. This information should include the piece count, weight, dimensions, and description of the merchandise. With this information, the freight carriers can provide accurate freight-shipping rates shipper. If the shipper wishes to insure the cargo, then he also needs to provide information on the value of the cargo.

Tradeshows shipping services offer their clients outstanding and professional customer service. Tradeshows can be extremely stressful. The tradeshow shippers can and do relive some of this stress by guaranteeing the equipment will arrive on time. They understand that there is no room for error with these shipments.

Many shippers request exclusive use of trucks and aircraft as well as weekend pick-ups and deliveries. Many displays may require special handling equipment like lift gates, forklifts, or other special equipment. Because of this, many tradeshow shipping services provide tradeshow logistics to analyze and determine the needs of the customer, then provide the best possible mode of transportation, which will meet the customer’s critical needs.

For international shows, tradeshow shipping companies can provide needed documentation and assistance with customs registrations, or arrange LCL (Less Than Container Load) freight movements to FCL (Full Container Load). Many also provide bills of lading, packing lists, and shipping labels for boxes.

The mission of tradeshow shipping companies is to make the movement of the tradeshow equipment as problem-free as possible.

Refrigerated trucks or reefers are used to transport temperature-controlled freight. Distributors of perishables have to ensure their product’s life during transit, including food products and medical supplies. Freight carriers who offer refrigerated trucks to shippers meet this special requirement.

Refrigerated trucks use a mixture of air containing oxygen and an increased level of nitrogen to keep the products they are transporting at their required temperature. This ensures that the produce or other products will remain fresh and safe when it arrives at its destination.

Hospitals and medical laboratories generally cannot accept shipments of certain  medicines which have not been properly shipped. A degree above or below the specified temperature can harmfully affect the shipment. This also applies to foods which have been shipped to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, or other institutional kitchens. New technology is continually being developed to provide greater control of reefer temperatures. Some specialized units even provide a continuous record of the cargo temperatures from loading to unloading.

Refrigerated trucks are also used to transport plants for nurseries. The distribution company that you contact can offer more information on the perishable items that they will and can transport.

Rail freight is the transportation of cargo by train. Since 1820, with the completion of the Leiper Railroad which connected Crum Creek to Ridley Creek in Pennsylvania, cargo has been shipped by railroad in the United States. The cargo can be loaded into containers or directly onto the cars, depending on the type of cargo that is being transported.

All forms of material can be transported by rail freight, such as automobiles, hazardous material, livestock, and many other commodities. Varieties of specialized cars can make up one train. For instance, materials which require refrigeration are shipped in refrigerated boxcars, or reefers. Inter-modal flat cars also referred to as stack cars or well cars are designed to have containers stacked on top of each other. Liquid cargo, compressed gasses, liquid chemicals can be transported in tanker cars. Other goods can be transported in trailers or vans. Multilevel cars are designed for the transportation of automobiles and trucks. Flat cars generally were created to carry containers, trailers, and oversized materials. Freight companies usually use inter-modal transportation to ship cargo from one state to another before reaching the seaport where the cargo is placed on board a vessel.

Airfreight companies ship all types of cargo, both domestic and international. Their cargo can be anything from heavy equipment, computers, medical equipment, electrical materials, grain, cotton, clothing, and many other commodities. If the shipment is hazardous materials then a hazardous declaration is required along with a Certificate of Origin, airway bill, AES filing, commercial invoice, packing list, and other special documents depending on the point of destination.

Several airfreight companies offer consolidation services. Many receive reduced freight-shipping rates from airlines, which then pass the savings onto the shipper. Another benefit of consolidating shipments is on a master airway bill, which has been consigned to their agents at the international destinations. Their agents can then issue house airway bills, which are relegated to the shipper’s consignee. The overseas agents receive the cargo and provide the needed documentation to the consignee for customs clearance. This process expedites the freight time without compromising quality of service.

Many of the major airfreight companies are members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Numerous low cost airfreight carriers do not have full member status in the IATA. However, they do receive many of the same benefits as the companies who are full members. IATA was formed on April 1945, in Havana, Cuba and originally had 57 members from 31 nations. At that time, the majority of the members were from Europe and North America. Today, membership exceeds 270 from more than 140 countries from around the world.

The goals of the IATA are to promote safe, routine and inexpensive air transportation, to assist the development of air commerce, to ensure the cooperation of airline companies which directly and indirectly serve international air transportation, and to ensure the cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization.

LTL or Less Than Load is when the shipment is not large enough to fill a standard-sized trailer. A major portion of the world’s shipping is LTL shipments. LTL carriers work to maintain profit margins by creating routes which provide swift delivery of commercial freight. Many times this is with dedicated lanes and with partial or full return loads.

This takes a great deal of organizations at their hubs, including the consolidation of goods so that all shipments will be delivered either at the same destinations or on the same route. Trucks are loaded with last delivered first, and first delivered last. If problems arise or there are delays, then the carriers have to notify their customers of possible delays or locate other means of making deliveries.

When LTL loads are destined outside the carrier’s service area, the loads are usually taken to central hubs where they are offloaded, then loaded onto another carrier’s rig. This is known as interlining. This increases the opportunity for lost units, time, and money. It is the responsibility of the freight brokers to negotiate all the steps to guarantee the loads are delivered as contracted.

Dedicated lanes are common in metropolitan areas where small businesses constantly ship LTL loads directly to markets. Dedicated lanes are covered by the same carrier on a regular basis, which may be daily, biweekly, or weekly, usually at the same time.

Inter-modal transportation generally involves more than one mode of transportation. Usually this form of shipping includes any commodity, which can be transported in a trailer or container. Restricted commodities such as alcoholic beverages, firearms, and tobacco products, can be shipped, but are subject to special pricing and loading
configurations.

Depending on the inter-modal transportation company, pick up and delivery of the material from shipper’s yards to the handling facility may be possible. The company will confirm all shipping instructions, inspect the merchandise, and ensure safe delivery as well as load the shipment into a rail car and track the cargo during transportation. Upon arrival at the proper destination, the cargo is then lifted off of the rail car, held in a designated inter-modal yard until it is picked up and delivered to the final destination.

Freight companies who offer inter-modal transportation provide information on equipment availability and transit times for shipments, as well as provide guidelines on hazardous commodities and their surcharges. Hazardous commodities are restricted articles which require special processing for shipping, blocking, bracing, and loading. These commodities can be delayed due to incompatibility with other materials which are being shipped.

For commercial freight, freight-shipping companies offer pick-up and delivery services for general cargo. They can pickup and deliver shipments to and from exhibitions, conventions, and tradeshows. It is the customer’s responsibility to load the merchandise onto the trucks as well as make arrangements for unloading the truck at the destination.

Freight transportation companies usually do not include such charges as customs clearance, duty, storage, or demurrage into their freight quotes. Such charges are the responsibility of the shipper and should be handled before the cargo is picked up for shipment. If the driver has to climb stairs or enter the shipper’s facility, additional charges could incur.

Some freight transportation companies also offer special services such as closed trucks, a lift gate truck, or have the cargo delivered before or after normal business hours, if the customer requests it. Special requests, such as weekend and holiday pickups and deliveries, are generally offered, however they are normally at an increased weekend or holiday rate.

If a driver attempts to pick-up or deliver a shipment and the material isn’t either ready or there is no one to unload the truck, then the shippers may incur extra expenses. There are some freight companies which do offer time allowances. This is a service to ask about when you are looking for a freight transportation company. A fee will occur, however, once this time limit expires.

Expedited freight companies offer shippers with rate information depending on the requirements of the merchandise being transported. Certain factors such as the urgency and any special requirements will affect the cost of the shipment. Other factors that may affect the rate are the classification, and description of the merchandise.

Shippers who ship domestic or international expedited freight and have LTL may be offered general rates for FAK, or freight of all kinds. This refers to full container loads of mixed shipments. Many expedite freight companies will combine shipments in order to offer reduced rates. Due to the raising fuel prices, other companies are adding fuel surcharges to expedited freight charges as a way to offset the increasing price of fuel.

Other charges that may be added are detention charges, which are occur when a vehicle is detained because of a fault of the shipper. This could be improper shipping instructions, or packaging, and or documentation. However, freight companies do offer detention free time, or warnings before imposing these charges.

Shippers need to expedite their shipments as quickly as possible at the same time, keeping costs as low as reasonably possible. Expedited shipping companies provide quick transit times at the lowest possible rates, by routing shipments over land or by airfreight when needed. They understand the importance of choosing the best possible mode of transport, which will provide the service that meets the needs of the shipper.