Globalisation has surely increased the scope of business. Many business operators are nowadays transporting their goods from one place to another to meet their needs. One of the major ways through which such goods are transferred is truck. Trucks are your safest best for transporting goods via road. However, this transportation comes with a substantial cost. If not planned and researched properly, the cost of trucking will have a serious impact on the profit of the business. Therefore, you must know the variables which impact the freight truck shipping rates.
Weight of the Shipment
The weight of your shipment is one of the most important factors. The weight of your shipment will play a major role in determining the type of truck required. It should be borne in mind that the packaging and the pallets or crates are also included in weights. Often it happens that the more weight you transport, the less you will have to pay. Bulk transport allows you a certain rebate in the cost. This makes the weight of the shipment a key factor which impacts the Freight Truck Shipping Rates.
Type of Truck Required
Not all goods are the same, neither the truck carrying them. Usual trucks are not capable to carry all sorts of material. If your shipment requires special conditions to be preserved, then different kind of truck will be required. If you are shipping milk, it will require special kind of trucks, which can maintain a specific temperature inside, not being affected by the traffic outside. Another such case can be seen when you transport petroleum product. Therefore, the type of truck is another factor impacting the freight truck shipping rates.
The Dimension of the Shipment
The dimension of your shipment is another major factor to be considered. Even if your shipment does not weigh much, if it is lengthy or broad, the truck would have to operate accordingly. It might also happen that, even though your shipment is light, it might take up a whole truck to carry it because of its dimension. This makes the dimension of shipment one of the major decisive factors. You will not have to pay more for a heavier and larger article when compared to heavier but smaller articles. This applies vice versa and makes dimension another important factor which impacts the freight truck shipping rates.
Classification of Freight
The goods transported are majorly classified into two, namely- less-than-truckload and full-truckload. The classification here is a standardised difference in the cost of transport. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association determines the transportability of the commodity. This transportability is based upon four factors, namely- Density, Handling, Stowability and Liability. Based on which, the commodities are grouped into eighteen classes. This classification becomes a major factor to influence freight truck shipping rates. This standard sets up a predetermined base to begin the negotiation and hence, is a mark.
Source and Destination
The source and the destination of your shipment becomes an inevitably decisive factor. The journey between the two points can be very engaging. The total distance travelled will matter a lot. It will surely influence the cost. But if the journey involves a tough terrain, then the cost will be increased. The usual traffic congestion in the journey would also impact the cost. However, at the same time, if your destination is a common one, and your goods allow the trucker to transport more than one shipment at a time, then you will get some relief in the cost. This makes the source and the destination another factor which impacts the freight truck shipping rates.
Basic Rates
Every trucking agency has different base rates. This base rate depends upon the kind of shipment they deal with and the lane they work on and also upon the trucks they provide. All these factors set up a basic rate for the agency. One must check and compare the basic rate of the different truckers before transporting the shipment.
A task to find out the estimated cost of your shipment can be a tiresome one to consider all the factors above along with the changing market trends. This can result in an unreliable result when done by someone inexperienced. To make sure that you get the correct idea of the cost of your shipment, it will be advisable to use LTL freight shipping rates quotes. This is an integrated method which takes into account all the factors above. This results in an accurate estimate of your shipment. To know more about the same, reach out to LCLXchange.