How To Reduce Shipping Costs Fill Your Noggin With Current Logistics News.

On Wednesday, April 5th, FedEx announced that they will be consolidating all their opcos (FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Services, etc.) under the parent’s leadership umbre...

Are you a parcel shipper feeling overwhelmed by the shipping industry's complexities, difficult-to-work-with carriers, and the always-rising costs to ship a package? You're not alone! Businesses are often left in the crossfire of balancing rising costs and ev...

UPS and FedEx are increasing rates by 6.9% for 2023. For FedEx, this is the biggest year-over-year increase in its history! UPS hasn’t increased its rates this much in over a decade! That's why we keep ending sentences with exclamation points! Looking for the General Rate Increase Report? ...

The Send Costs Packing method outlines a number of cost savings strategies and tactics that any shipper can apply to control and reduce what they’re paying for shipping services. We’ll be rolling out this ten-part series (!) over the course of a few weeks, so be sure to check back regularly for new and updated informati...

It's no secret that eCommerce businesses rely on shipping to get their products to their customers. Captain Obvious reporting for duty! And while shipping is a necessary part of doing business, it can also be a major expense. That's why it's important to optimize your shipments to ensure that you're getting the best possible value for your money. What you're paying UPS, FedEx or ANY OTHE...

Freight and parcel carriers, especially the UPS/FedEx duopoly, are really clever in how they squeeze profit from their customers. Accessorial fees are one of the largest profit generators for the carriers. Every UPS or FedEx invoice is littered with costly add-ons aka accessorial fees.  And most customers simply pay it. It’s accepted as the cost of doing busin...

Using regional carriers can be an effective strategy to offset your UPS, FedEx and DHL costs and fill some of the gaps in your shipping network. If you need help in determining whether or not a regional carrier would benefit your business, ...

UPS Quantum View Keeps Your Money UPS is now the world’s largest transportation company. According to this Forbes article...

Supply chain issues were well documented in 2021. The most famous - and literal - example of a supply chain bottleneck was the Suez Canal blockage in March. It was the inspiration for millions of memes. Even a Wikipedia page was created in dedication to the event.  ...

Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: May 13, 2015 Is offering free shipping to your customers worth it? Absolutely! Does free shipping increase sales? Yes. But there’s a lot to take into account before you offer free shippin...

UPS Service Guarantee: What You Need to Know There are some important things to know about a UPS service guarantee. Editor's note: this post was originally published on March 5, 2019. It's been updated with new content and links. When you ship a package with UPS in any way, they offer a ...

Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: April 1, 2016 Dimensional weight - also known as DIM weight - is an important topic for shippers and anyone involved in the supply chain. Here's what you can gain from this post: Variables in shipping rates...

Both UPS and FedEx are raising their rates by 5.9% for 2022. The general price increase (GPI) aka “General Rate Increase” or “GRI” is an annual carrier “tradition,” so it should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that shippers will once again be forced to adjust to even higher shipping costs. If you’re a UPS or FedEx customer, the only constant...

UPS and FedEx have always been willing to meet their customers’ expectations - or at a minimum - they’ve always been willing to hear them out and address certain customer requests for discounts or better rates as a means to maintain a solid client-vendor relationship.  But the dynamic between carriers and shippers has changed drasticall...

Looking for ways to reduce shipping expenses but not sure where to start? Lojistic’s free cost savings automation and analytics platform automatically identifies cost reduction opportunities  for UPS, FedEx and DHL shippers. Whether it's through ...

New FedEx surcharges are rolling out... again. First, some backstory. At the beginning of the year, FedEx announced that they were implementing peak season surcharges. And in June, they announced increases to thos...

At Lojistic, we consider GL coding to be a soft cost savings. We offer it to all of our clients for free. But before we get into that, let's clarify what GL coding is. What is GL Coding? First, GL stands ...

Shipping with UPS and FedEx continues to get more and more expensive - especially during the holidays.   Editor’s Note: We’ll continue to keep this post updated with new information as it’s released by UPS and FedEx throughout the peak holiday season. Bookmark this page and check back often to...

Recently, UPS has taken a hardline position on contract optimization and negotiation. We’ve heard about shippers going to UPS to negotiate their contracts and UPS taking a hard stance on not negotiating. ...

What’s the difference between actual weight, dimensional weight, and billed weight? It seems like a simple question, but the details can have a real impact on your shipping costs. What is Actual Weight? ...

What are controllable shipping fees? Fees in the small parcel industry are often referred to as accessorial fees....

Today we are talking about improving parcel rates and why analytics matter for shippers. More specifically, why analytics are so important for allowing shippers to improve their parcel rates. One of the most effec...

Everyone who creates a new Lojistic account by July 31, 2021 automatically has a chance to win a free month of UPS/FedEx shipping for their business and $500 for themself....

If your business is struggling to control growing shipping costs, or you’re looking for ways to reduce your UPS, FedEx and/or DHL expenses, but you don’t know where to start, use Lojistic. The Lojistic platform was developed for all ...

Are you ready for ReadyPay? What is ReadyPay? ReadyPay is a Lojistic service for auditing bills and paying carriers for shippers. Most often, companies that need a service like this and can benefit...

Today we're talking about all things less-than-load, and more specifically, LTL rates and audits. But first, since shipping terms can quickly become ‘acronym soup,’ let’s discuss what LTL really means. What are LTL Rates? When you have a full truckload of things to ship, you essentially ‘buy’ a whole truck. It moves across the country, and that's what you pay fo...

There's been lots of conversation about guaranteed deliveries and a shipper's ability to file for credits in 2020 and this year. And if that doesn't quite make sense right now, it will. UPDATE March 29, 2021: Shippers still do not have the ability to file for refunds for late deliveries. Both UPS and FedEx have given no i...

Comparing shipping rates, or performing a shipping rate comparison, is essential for shippers who want to maximize their budgets. Why Comparing Shipping Rates Matters Let's say two people operate similar ...

Lots of shippers would benefit from some negotiation tips for getting better UPS and FedEx contracts. We've helped countless companies optimize contracts and negotiate better rates with UPS and FedEx. One of the m...

The future of FedEx service guarantees and delivery policies are in flux right now. And it's important for shippers to know what's happening to leverage that information to make good business decisions. The Futur...

UPS and FedEx have made it increasingly expensive to get your packages to your customers quickly. So, how do you strike the perfect balance of cost-effectiveness and fast delivery? Often, shippers make transpor...

Like so many other industries, apparel and footwear suppliers and retailers are feeling the effects of the global pandemic.  For many, mandatory store closures and in-person shopping restrictions have accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar sales to online sales. While predictions vary, it’s estimated that online sales will increase by 50% industry wide [lumping together apparel +...

Like so many other industries, beauty, cosmetic, personal care, grooming and health suppliers and retailers are feeling the effects of the global pandemic.  For many, mandatory store closures and in-person shopping restrictions have accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar sales to online sales. While predictions vary, it’s estimated that online sales will increase by $10B industry...

Today we’re discussing some of the top misconceptions keeping shippers from a best-in-class carrier agreement. Let’s start by defining what a best-in-class carrier agreement is. What is a Best-in-C...

Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: January 18, 2016 Everyone's heard of Newton's Universal Laws of Motion. Today we’re discussing Lojistic's laws of parcel negotiation. ...

Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: December 2, 2011 Today we’re discussing one of our favorite topics, shipping rate negotiation tactics and negotiating carrier...

Publisher's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: May 1, 2017 In this post, we’ll help you understand how to become a FedEx and UPS power user. Let's start at the beginning with what FedEx and UPS power users are. ...

Optimizing your parcel contracts will not leave you feeling uncertain. No one wants to feel like their contract is anything less than the most efficient in the market. Contracts can be very complex and cumbersome. And if you're not a contract expert with a parcel, there's a chance some ...

Peak shipping season is here and to ensure your packages are delivered in time for the Holidays, download our Holiday Shipping Deadline Calendar below. In addition, please be aware of this year’s Peak Season surcharges. On October 1, 2019, UPS implemented the following Peak Season surcharges: Peak Season Large Package Surcharge* = Additional $31.45 per package Peak...

It's that time of year once again. UPS & FedEx are dishing out another costly general price increase to small parcel shippers effective December 29, 2019 for UPS and January 6, 2020 for FedEx. It is important to understand that the announced UPS & FedEx rate increases are only averages and the impact on your company could vary greatly. Over the past decade (2010-2020), UPS and Fed...

Negotiated Rates Affect Your Business Negotiated rates with UPS and FedEx could help your business and I am here to explain why that is. What I'm answering is the question of, what is a negotiated rate with UPS and FedEx? Inconsistent pricing from FedEx and UPS is something many companies are dealing ...

UPS Billable Weight Is Important To Understand UPS billable weight is an important topic worth talking about. There are a couple of variables that go into determining UPS billable weight. So, shipping rates depend on three variables. You have the ...

UPS Waiver Basics There are a few things to remember about a UPS waiver. For those of you shipping with UPS, you're aware that they guarantee their services. This excludes their hybrid services. For example, let's say that you're shipping a package from Southern California to New York. Based on the service t...

Lowering UPS Shipping Rates: First Steps The best way for lowering UPS shipping rates is to get detailed reports on your current shipping. This should include all the relevant characteristics. It should be things like your average cost is by service level and your average discounts. Take a look at those, especially if your last negotiated contract was about six to nine months ag...

FedEx Shipping Rates: Important Tips to Keep in Mind There aren't unique shipping charges or surcharges in FedEx shipping rates compared to UPS. They actually both have very similar charges and surcharges. The main thing that you want to take into account are the differences in those charges. UPS might call somethi...

Lowering Shipping Rates: Some Basics to Remember Here are some things to keep in mind about lowering FedEx shipping rates. The clearest, easiest way is to renegotiate the contract. So, to do to lower your FedEx rates is to take account the timeframe in which you last negotiated your contract. As long as it's within a si...

Freight Audit Differences to Keep in Mind Now, there aren't a lot of differences between a freight audit from one carrier to another. But there are subtle differences in the rules that each carrier adds to their tariffs. For example, Old Dominion Freight Lines will allow up to 20 linear feet of space on the truck. After that, you get ...

Data Visualization Explained Data visualization is the graphical representation of information and data. Using visual elements like charts, graphs, and maps data visualization tools is valuable. They provide an accessible way to understand trends, outliers, and patterns in data. In the world of big data, data visualization tools and technologies are essential. We need them to an...

Freight Payment Issues Explained It is primary to ensure that all your freight payment invoices are being audited. Much of it starts with negotiating the carrier pricing that you received to begin with. Everything that follows is a result of that contract. What you need to make sure is that all your carriers adhere to ...

Logistics Software and What It Does One of the things about the logistics software is the easy way that we allow people to sign up for audit. One of the things we allow you to do from our website is sign up create an account. You can then connect your carriers. And from that point on we begin ...

Freight Audit Basics First, you should never pay a free bill without a freight audit. Now whether you do that yourself or whether you hire a third party to do that, they should audit every bill. The reason for that is: errors happen. In the case of freight, the errors are usually big dollar amounts. When we analyze an invoice, we have software for those errors. We look at every ...

Service Level Optimization Defined Service level optimization is a powerful tool for a business that relies on shipping. There are a few opportunities that a lot of businesses who are shipping often have the opportunity to do. In particular, to reduce their shipping costs. To do this, they must approach service level optimization on a tactical level. By that, I mean look at these servi...

FedEx Contracts Have Changed FedEx contracts have changed like UPS. In fact, FedEx calls it over-max fee while UPS calls it unauthorized charge fee. It's the same thing. It's for packages that are heavy and lar...

Parcel Audit Defined Parcel audit is auditing your weekly carrier invoices to make sure they're righteous. It also makes sure you're paying the right amount every week. The three things you need to look for in a parcel audit are: Results Visibility Analytics The audit itself is a pretty commoditized service. A lot of folks do it. Also, a lot...

UPS Contracts: Changes to Know UPS contracts changed in 2019. I would say some of the most notable impacts have been in some of the surcharges. So, in 2018, UPS took a massive increase in their over-max fee. That's when you're shipping very large packages, whether it be long or heavy. That fee went from $300 to $650 by the end of the year. This year that fee is still in effect. This is...

Rate Negotiation Considerations Rate negotiation is an important thing for customers to understand. Customers ask, "What's the difference between the different types of negotiations?" And there is one specific term that we like to use sometimes and that's a rate ...

Parcel Negotiation Basics Parcel negotiation is the time of the year when you enter into a negotiation with a parcel carrier. It could be with a carrier like UPS or FedEx. What you're trying to do is get the best of what you can get out of the carrier from a rate perspec...

LTL Basics Have you ever had a bunch of shipping that you needed to do? It was more than would fit inside of a small box, and it's not so much that you could buy an entire truck? LTL fits that middle need. It is a type of shipping that does run full trucks across the country. But the difference is that LTL takes a pallet or a few from you with other customers who also have one or a few...

In a global economy you have internal/external pressures to maintain high levels of performance at the same time managing the costs between customers and carriers. The challenge is managing your parcel shipping costs while continuing to reflect the capabilities that makes your company truly unique and drive its value. These capabilities stand out as true different...

These five rules apply to everything from negotiating the price you’ll pay for your next car to getting a better deal on the donuts you’re bringing into the office on Friday.  When applied to negotiating your parcel carrier contracts however, following these rules may save you enough to buy a fleet of cars, or enough donuts for your whole office building....

“I’m a really bad negotiator”, said no one ever.  Especially in logistics. Case in point, I was on a sales call last week and the gentleman responsible for negotiating the existing UPS and FedEx contracts for his company was VERY confident in his shrewd negotiation skills.  “My new parcel rates are amazing. I just negotiated a 9% savings with my incumben...

Let's start right at the beginning. Most people don’t know what a parcel audit is. A parcel audit is the task of going through each and every shipping invoice to look at carrier service errors you can be refunded for. The process is extremely tedious and time consuming. This is where 3rd party parcel audi...

You have the achy feeling that somehow, someway, your parcel shipping is draining your company of valuable revenue. Every month you see profits melt away with ever increasing shipping invoice bills that you have no idea if they are correct or just plain filled with mistakes and lost saving opportunities. What are you missing in terms of savings and knowledge abou...

UPS Peak Surcharges Arrives in the Parcel World *Updated with SurePost Peak Surcharge After experimenting on several high-volume peak shippers last year, UPS announced on Monday that it is implementing Peak Surcharges on select packages tendered bet...

Parcel Forum 2017 has just announced their conference line-up. Our very own parcel analytics gurus Bryan Van Suchtelen and James Matthews will be proudly representing Lojistic at the Forum this year. ...

From lost packages to damaged shipments, shipping insurance is a great way to protect against everything that could happen when a package leaves a warehouse on its way to a destination. The shipping insurance provided by UPS and FedEx is pretty darn expensive, though. And the coverage isn’t that comprehensive. Usually, shippers will gravitate to the shipping insurance provided...

A parcel audit is a great risk-free way to find out if you’re overpaying your carriers for invoicing errors and late shipments. They are easily implemented, take little to no operational effort to set-up, and can generate significant savings. But what most shippers don’t know is that a parcel audit (or freight audit) can play ...

$13 can buy you a lot of things. Like lunch, a movie ticket, a couple beers, or a large pizza. $13 also happens to be the amount you’re charged for an address correction fee on your shipping invoices. And if you’re a high-volume shipper, those $13 charges can add up really quick. The good news is that there are ways to prevent these charges from being incurred. And if somehow they ...

Freight shipping costs can add up quickly, and as a big shipper, we’re sure you already knew that. But what most freight shippers don’t know is that there is a super easy way to achieve potentially huge freight cost savings with basically no operational costs required. Oh, and there’s no additional manpower required to secure the savings. One of the easiest ways to secure significa...

Not many shippers know that almost all UPS and FedEx service levels have time in-transit delivery guarantees. Crazy, right? Even ground services have a guarantee to be delivered within a certain time frame.  If a shipment is even one minute late, you are most likely entitled to a refund. While a parcel audit will find an...

If you’re starting to get the feeling that UPS and FedEx are taking on the personalities of the Airlines and are charging fee after fee on top of the actual shipping charges, you’re right! Anyone who ships frequently with UPS or FedEx already knows how difficult it is to make sense of the carrier invoices. Often, companies who ship more than just a few shipments each week find it nearly imp...

Over the past decade, UPS & FedEx have increased their Ground tariff rates 54.9% and their Air tariffs 61.8-66.1%. Those aren’t exactly small numbers. Adding insult to injury, these figures do not include the infamous Dimensional Weight pricing changes of 2011 and 2015… ouch! With the 2016 General Rate Increase right around the corner, equip yourself with these best practices to help mi...

Shipping costs are über-important. For an expense that makes up (on average) 10% of your top line, they definitely deserve your undivided attention. Maintaining a solid relationship with your carrier reps can lead to improved discounts, incentives, and more. No doubt you’ve worked hard to negotiate a competitive pricing agreement and it behooves you to protect aga...

Chances are that if you’re reading this, you are already familiar with parcel auditing. If you’re not, feel free to brush up on your knowledge on our parcel audit page. Regardless of your level of familiarity, we thought it pertinent to help inform the general public on some of the common misconceptions...

Six weeks ago FedEx announced what will likely be the single largest rate increase on record for many shippers.  As predicted, UPS announced that they are following FedEx’s lead.  Effective Monday, December 29, 2014, UPS will impose dimensional weight (DIM) pricing on all Ground packages. To varying degrees, this change w...

Freight shippers vary a great deal in what they can offer your organization, and you might find yourself replacing old shippers or looking for new ones for a wide variety of reasons. A freight shipper may have a great record of performance, but may be unable to meet all of your needs as your business grows. On the other hand, it may be necessary to find freight shipp...

The Complex Topic of Air Freight Calculations and Dimensional Weight If you need to calculate freight, especially air freight, you might find it’s a little bit more complex than it appears at first. That’s because you need to calculate freight shipping using something called volumetric weight, dimensional weight, o...

Freight claims can be very complex and even a freight claim form itself can present challenging issues to an enterprise, compounding the problems such a form is meant to address in the first place. If a freight claim form is filled out incorrectly, the end result can be difficulty making and supporting your freight claims, which can cost your business a great deal of money. Every step of gather...

Cost is a perennial concern in everything to do with logistics. Shipping and handling costs make up a major part of the money spent on logistics by most companies in a given year, and so, many efforts are undertaken to reduce shipping and handling costs by improving contract terms and optimizing carrier relationships. However, con...

Are you wondering how to determine shipping costs? Shipping costs are, of course, among the most important factors involved in determining the costs of your entire logistics operation. In order to make sure that you understand your costs and can plan for them in the future, you should standardize them to the extent possible. This requires a thorough, point-by-point review of the most basic oper...

It’s a very common question these days: What is reverse logistics? In many different industries, reverse logistics is becoming more and more important to building brand loyalty and safeguarding the bottom line. Reverse logistic operations can be complex, but they are truly worthwhile to those enterprises who engage in them in an appropriately methodical way. But what is reverse logisti...

When it comes to 3rd party logistics, not every company is familiar with the considerations involved. There are many major third party logistics advantages, but capturing them means first finding the right 3rd party logistics company for you. In a field that is growing very fast, getting a handle on the world of 3PL is not necessarily easy. Still, it is worthwhile for you to delve into 3...

If your organization is serious about capturing true value from logistics, lifting it out of the service role and making it a true profit center for your business, you will have to take steps that many more conventional organizations would not bother with. In so doing, you stand to capture millions in savings and contribute to significant gains in your sales and revenue figures based on the exc...

It’s reasonable to wonder if third party logistics services are truly worth it for your business. After all, you might have concerns that it will take some time to start up third party logistics for your organization. Third party logistics companies vary in quality and in terms of what they have to offer your bottom line. Plus, trusting third party logistics providers means giving a consultan...

Wondering about your true logistics costs? Logistics costs are mutable, not fixed, so any one category of logistic cost is subject to your enterprise’s own efforts. Logistic cost analysis is a crucial first step to finding any logistic cost that is out of step with the needs and expectations of your business. In fact, it is the first thing that you need to do in order to implement a truly com...

No matter how simple or relatively complex your logistics operations may be, there are certain logistics costs that you will have to be concerned with. Luckily, professionals in most industries will have the opportunity to turn these costs over to various carriers and other logistics services and will not have to concern themselves directly with things like the cost of fuel, long haul trucks, t...

Shipping comparison is one of the most important ways that you can save money on your logistics needs, but that does not mean it is easy to do an enterprise-wide shipping cost comparison. When you compare shipping costs, it is important to be methodical and ensure that you are taking all the pertinent factors into account. That being the case, you might wonder if the investment of time and effo...

Wondering how to reduce shipping costs? It is important to cut transportation costs in order to make your supply chain agile and ensure that your logistics efforts are sustainable. Many small and medium-sized businesses do not always realize the magnitude of cost savings as applied to logistics costs. When logistics costs are streamlined, a savings of even a few fractions of a penny per transac...

No matter which method you use for package shipping (sea, land or air), each of them is coupled with an inherent and uncertain amount of pollution. However, with an assortment of services and programs in existence today, you can rest easy knowing that you're doing your part to keep the planet healthily. Here are a few that tips to get y...

Shipping solutions can sometimes feel like more trouble than they’re worth. We know it, and so do you; but this doesn’t have to be the case for the upstart or the entrepreneur. Since the world has grown into an increasingly digital marketplace, more and more solutions to shipping woes are emerging. The legacy ...

Many businesses are hesitant to complain to the shipping giants responsible for getting their customers’ orders delivered to them on time. They may be aware of the fact that auditing their invoices for mistakes or attempting to renegotiate their carrier contract may save them s...

In a span of less than two decades, the Internet has managed to completely change the way we buy and sell goods and services. Can you recall a time when you couldn’t just hop on your computer and buy tickets to an event, apply for a job or even calculate shipping costs? If it seems like a hazy memory, that’s probably because we are a...

The economy is still slowly recovering, and many businesses are still trying to do their best and make the most profit as possible. Some businesses are contending with harsh decisions like cutting personnel or services that may be very crucial and difficult to move on without. The good news is that there are efficient and guaranteed ways to go about creating savings without having to make these...

If you haven’t heard yet, FedEx announced a mid-year rate increase by 6.9% on July 9th, 2012.  This rate increase is not uncommon, happening already at the beginning of the year with rate increases from both major carriers.  However, the question that is sure to appear on many people’s mind is how this rate increase will affect their business.  In past years, these rate increases heavily...

There are many methods to helping to save money for your company, especially in reducing shipping costs that are very efficient and doable.  However, one well over-looked area that could help many companies out is simply a few clicks away - online shipping tools that are many times free to use.  These tools are available from numerous the carriers themselves to companies like Source Consultin...

When you make shipments through either FedEx or UPS, when was the last time you thought about how much of the shipping costs you could actually be saving?  In reality, one of the easiest ways to save money is to focus on reducing your shipping costs.  We’ve gone over a variety of ways you can be saving your company money on shipping from parcel audits to instructions on how to write a shipp...

There are many ways to reduce shipping costs, but many companies are intimidated by the amount of work that they perceive to be necessary for such savings.  However, one solution is very easy-to-find that these same companies may not be aware is right in front of them - their carrier invoice.  Why?  Nearly ...

Reducing shipping costs has become an important point of discussion for many businesses with the recovering economic situation.  However, although it may seem easy to accomplish at first, the actual practice is much tougher to implement as businesses must question whether they need to cut services or shipment options.  The ...

There are many different ways to help reduce shipping costs.  Using a third party company can help not only showcase a different perspective but also bring in both an experienced team and new technology, such as with Source Consulting.  Source has a bevy of different and guaranteed methods to helping shippers watch...

Shipping rates can vary quite a lot among carriers for any given package whether you ship few or many packages.  For this reason, you should be utilizing a comparison tool to reduce your shipping costs! When you use these shipping comparison tools, they make it easier to save on shipping costs.  For example, one tool will let you compare different sets of UPS or FedEx rate schedules fo...

There are many ways to reduce shipping costs.  One efficient way of accomplishing this task is by improving one’s organization policies related to carrier service level selection for shipments. Why? Because nearly all UPS and FedEx service levels have in-transit delivery guarantees, in which packages will definitely be delivered in a certain time frame. Thus, shippers should look to m...

In order to flourish in today’s tough, hyper-competitive business climate, you need an edge. The place to start, naturally, is by cutting back on expenses. If your business is a major shipper, the fastest (but maybe not most obvious) way to do this is to reduce your shipping costs. If you use either UPS or FedEx, which chances are you do, it’s important to perform a FedEx/UPS rate compariso...

Billing errors on your shipping invoice may be a surprise to some companies. With the advancements in technology and the automated process of shipments, why would there be errors on UPS and FedEx invoices?  The problem is that mistakes do happen and are slipping by those companies that do not realize it. Why do billing errors happen? There are two main reasons: One, even though much of ...

There are a number of erroneous charges that can appear on your shipping invoice, the number one complaint of carriers being accessorial charges. But what exactly are they?  These charges are supplemental to transportation charges and calculated using a number of minuscule, but important variables including pick-up and delivery criteria.  There are many accessorial charges just for one packag...

There are discounts available from UPS and FedEx for both small and large businesses.  These deals, however, are not standardized.  A company often must be knowledgeable of what level of discount is possible if they are to receive great shipping rates.  Many companies negotiating with shipping carriers will not successfully achieve best-in-class shipping rates due to a lack of information....

Shipping with FedEx and UPS can be very costly. Over the last year, prices have risen substantially. However, there are some simple things that budget-conscious customers can do to discount FedEx and UPS shipping costs without sacrificing delivery speed. Use Third Party Insurance FedEx and UPS Shi...

Though you may want to reduce your company's shipping costs, you don't want to diminish your customer's experience in the process. When packages arrive on-time, customers recognize, appreciate, and reward such efficient operations in the form of repeat purchases and word-of-mouth promotion. This all sounds great for your business, but how can you slash your shipping costs while maintaining cust...

By closely evaluating your business’s shipping and distribution patterns, you may identify many areas that you can easily discount freight costs. Below are 3 simple practices that will allow you to effectively assess your current practices, and help you identify areas for improvement. Logistics Reporting Logistics reporting is essential in effectively ev...

Besides helping you get the available discounts, a freight audit services provider can assist you to lower your shipping costs. Though FedEx and UPS are reliable, there are instances when they make erroneous billings because of certain factors. Late deliveries, incorrect accessorial charges and address correction charges are some of the c...

In the current, uncertain economic environment, when fuel costs are constantly fluctuating, corporations can overspend thousands of dollars with national carriers like UPS and FedEx. Many executives are unaware that they can achieve substantial costs savings simply by monitoring and challenging UPS and FedEx on-time delivery guarantees and taking advantage of FedEx and UPS discounts. An...

Virtually every carrier invoice received by your company contains erroneous charges that should be refunded to you. Most carrier billing errors are the result of human error and oversight, which occur regularly and continuously. These overcharges amount to much more than mere “chump change”! Your carrier deserves to be paid for services rendered and you deserve to be billed accurat...

Contrary to what some may think, carriers do not have a uniform system for determining the level of shipping discounts and incentives offered to one shipper versus the next. Numerous variables contribute to the carrier’s process of extending any price better than their tariff rates. Certainly there are shipper characteristics that are commonly considered when a carrier is evaluating the leve...

Did you know that nearly all UPS and FedEx service levels have time in-transit delivery guarantees? Even ground services have a guarantee to be delivered within a certain time frame. Many shippers can significantly reduce shipping costs by improving their organization’s policies and practices related to carrier service level selection for any given ship...

Accessorial charges that are assessed while a shipment is in-transit or upon its delivery can present an important cost management issue for businesses. Since many companies charge their customer for shipping when an order is placed, it is problematic when the actual shipping charges exceed expectations due to accessorial fees. With shipping costs that exceed the associated revenue collected fr...

The global economy has increased trade across borders and many businesses have outsourced production to other countries. This has increased the demand for international transport services. While transport safety has improved over the years, goods can still be damaged during transport. Bearing the brunt of this liability is the carrier performing international transports. To avoid liability, a c...

Given the advanced technology and automated systems, it is a common (invalid) assumption that the customer billing systems of carriers such as UPS and FedEx are infallible and afford little to no room for billing errors. Shippers subscribing to this line of thought are committing a considerable oversight. Although many components of a carrier’s billing process are automated, there are ...

Most freight bill auditing companies would tell you that things were going well for their customers until the summer's end in 2008. That's when the credit crisis and worldwide recession hit, causing the commodity and freight markets to collapse. Shipping line operators suffered due to decreased trade, shipyards were inundated with ...

To protect your packages, you have a variety of tactics and seal options to choose from. Yes, freight costs have gone up, but you shouldn't scrimp on package security. For starters, you need to establish just how vulnerable your carrier has been to theft. That means taking a close look at the carriers' t...

Determining the actual cost of a package not delivered on time can get pretty complicated, since there are so many aspects to this "failure in service." A parcel audit using an experienced parcel auditor can help identify some of these costs. A parcel auditor can help recover the economic loss of a late package. A parcel audit will...

Using a qualified freight auditor to monitor your parcel carrier services can help reduce shipping costs. Logistic reporting can provide a wealth of valuable information that you can use day-in and day-out to improve the efficiency of your business’s distribution practices. For example, reporting from a freight auditor can r...

Keeping track of endless shipping charges can be a nightmare. If you ship thousands or even hundreds of small packages every month, it's time you looked into freight auditing services. Dealing with an avalanche of invoices and mountains of data can make it very challenging to keep your shipping costs under control. If you're buried un...

Parcel shipping contracts are becoming increasingly complex. Many of these contacts are written to confuse shippers and protect the carrier. The wording, created by lawyers, is designed to obfuscate the reader to the point where they simply give up, trust the oral explanation and the promised impact of any proposed freight discounts. It's no wonder so many shippers have engaged freight auditing...

While FedEx and UPS guarantee the on-time delivery of your packages, not every shipment is on time. If they're just one minute late, you may be entitled to a 100 percent refund of the shipping charges. They will honor this guarantee—but only after you do some considerable legwork. This can get pretty complicated, especially if you ship hundreds of packages a week or month. After tracking you...

There are shipping audit services that help reduce shipping costs by verifying whether your delivery is residential or commercial. 91 percent of the 140 million Postal Service delivery points fall into the residential category. Most shipping companies charge a higher rate for delivery to a residence...

You can avoid many of the most common international shipping problems if you follow a few simple steps. Keep in mind that it's not easy to compare services and prices when you're dealing with an international shipper. When you negotiate freight rates for international shipments… "let the buyer beware" ...

The goal of any freight auditing service is to help companies with high shipping volumes reduce shipping costs and streamline their distribution processes. Ideally, the audit firm should provide sufficient shipping rate analytics and logistics auditing technology to optimize your small parcel shipping. Best-in-class freight audit companies will be equipped to provide expert shipping contract ne...

Freight auditing services have become critically important since FedEx and UPS errors are present in virtually every invoice. They are often the result of late deliveries, invalid residential delivery charges, and/or incorrect address correction charges. Sometimes packages are manifested but not s...

Shipping costs are going up, especially with the global crises in Japan and the Middle East affecting oil prices. But you can negotiate lower rates with FedEx. When negotiating for discount FedEx rates, work with the manager at the local distribution center and request a lower rate. Ask him or her to analyze your account...

To reduce shipping costs, you need to be mindful of address correction charges. These bill-backs can quickly add tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to your freight cost. Major carriers like UPS or FedEx will impose address correction charges for incorrectly-formatted or improperly addressed mail and packages. This...

Gas prices are up and so are UPS rates. But you can negotiate with UPS if you know how. When negotiating discount UPS rates it's important to establish a rapport with the manager at the local distribution center. After you have asked them to reduce shipping rates they and their pricing depar...

How you reduce shipping costs can impact the profitability of your business. As a business owner, you can opt to raise your prices to compensate for today's higher shipping costs.  But if you're smart, you'll avoid this trap, as it will make you less competitive in the long run. O...

I was dumbfounded last week to learn a prospective client, spending millions of dollars each year on shipping, was unaware that UPS and FedEx ground services are guaranteed…just like air and international shipments.  “Yeah, we perform our own internal shipping audit...