Here's a question we get asked often: Are freight claims the shipper or receiver's responsibility? Let's explore. Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: April 19, 2013 If you are involved in logistics or related fields, or in an industry that depends upon logistics i...
Continue ReadingFeb 28
2022
Oct 25
2021
UPS, FedEx & DHL Invoicing Costs
Posted: Oct 25, 2021
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 ...
Continue ReadingSep 13
2021
Upcoming FedEx Surcharges: Here We Go Again (2021 Edition)
Posted: Sep 13, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingSep 11
2021
Use This GL Coding Tip to Save Time & Money
Posted: Sep 11, 2021
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 ...
Continue ReadingSep 09
2021
What's The Problem with UPS Contract Optimization & Negotiation Right Now?
Posted: Sep 09, 2021
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. ...
Continue ReadingSep 08
2021
Billed Weight, Actual Weight, and Dimensional Weight: What's the Difference?
Posted: Sep 08, 2021
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? ...
Continue ReadingSep 05
2021
Why Analytics Matter for Improving Parcel Rates
Posted: Sep 05, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingJun 03
2021
Lojistic Platform Tutorial Video: UPS, FedEx & DHL Cost Savings Opportunities
Posted: Jun 03, 2021
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 ...
Continue ReadingApr 19
2021
ReadyPay: Is the World Ready?
Posted: Apr 19, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingApr 07
2021
UPS Reinstates Limited Service Guarantees for Next Day Air and Worldwide Express Services
Posted: Apr 07, 2021
UPS just announced its plan for a (limited) reinstatement of service guarantees effective April 5, 2021. Although it’s a step in the right direction, don’t cheer just yet. According to the fine print, this ‘reinstatement’ is only applicable to UPS Next Day Air and UPS Worldwide Express services, and it comes with extended delivery times. UPS Service...
Continue ReadingApr 05
2021
How to Leverage Freight Management Services This Year
Posted: Apr 05, 2021
Today we're going to talk about freight management services. First, what does that mean? Freight management services can cover a wide range of specific offerings. From a third-party provider like Lojistic, freight...
Continue ReadingMar 29
2021
LTL Rates & Audit: The Best Tips for Shippers
Posted: Mar 29, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingMar 15
2021
Comparing Shipping Rates: How to Get the Best Contracts
Posted: Mar 15, 2021
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 ...
Continue ReadingMar 08
2021
Negotiation Tips: When Should You Renegotiate Your Shipping Contract?
Posted: Mar 08, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingMar 01
2021
What We Know About FedEx Service Guarantees Now
Posted: Mar 01, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingFeb 22
2021
Shipping Jargon Secrets: What are Free Audits, Really?
Posted: Feb 22, 2021
If you're in shipping, it's important to understand industry jargon and what the meaning of "free audits" really is. Shipping Jargon and the Meaning of "Free Audits" We speak to people often about our ser...
Continue ReadingFeb 15
2021
Why is the Lojistic Refund Recovery Process Unique?
Posted: Feb 15, 2021
Lojistic helps companies track, manage and reduce their shipping costs, and an important part of that is the Lojistic refund recovery process. The Lojistic Refund Recovery Process At Lojistic, our client ...
Continue ReadingFeb 08
2021
What Shippers Should Know About Refund Recovery
Posted: Feb 08, 2021
Refund recovery is an extremely important topic for shippers. What is Refund Recovery? Refund recovery involves reaching out to the carriers to request money back for any carrier invoice errors discovered...
Continue ReadingFeb 01
2021
What You Need To Know About The FedEx Weekend Advantage
Posted: Feb 01, 2021
FedEx has been making some significant investments into its infrastructure. Today we'll examine how those investments will (or won't) create a “FedEx weekend advantage” over the competition. What is the FedEx...
Continue ReadingJan 07
2021
D.I.Y. UPS & FedEx Refund Recovery Guide
Posted: Jan 07, 2021
“Transparency” and “carrier pricing.” Two terms you’ll likely never see used together in the same sentence. It’s no secret that UPS and FedEx mystify their pricing: invalid charges, hidden fees, buried costs, rate increases, inconsistent pricing and dozens of “negotiables” within every carrier agreement mean that most shippers operate in the dark. In no other industry is ...
Continue ReadingDec 28
2020
Should You Commit To An Agreement with Early Term Language?
Posted: Dec 28, 2020
It’s important for shippers to understand early term language and how it works in our industry. What is Early Term Language? Early term language is a contractual language that the carriers include in th...
Continue ReadingOct 11
2020
Most Important Things You Need to Know About Shipping Prices and the Holiday Peak Season
Posted: Oct 11, 2020
Holiday peak season is the time of the year when there's a large uptick in shipments for the small parcel carriers. FedEx and UPS typically waive their service guarantee, which provides recourse if the shipments a...
Continue ReadingJul 16
2020
What is the Difference Between a Freight Bill and Bill of Lading?
Posted: Jul 16, 2020
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: March 15, 2013 In the parcel world, the terms freight invoices and bills of lading are used frequently. But what is the difference? ...
Continue ReadingJul 02
2020
How To Become a FedEx & UPS Power User
Posted: Jul 02, 2020
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. ...
Continue ReadingMar 25
2020
UPS & FedEx Suspends Service Guarantees Amid Global Pandemic
Posted: Mar 25, 2020
The global novel coronavirus pandemic has created great uncertainty all over the world. The disruptions to travel and commerce has led UPS and FedEx to suspend all service guarantees for Express, Ground and Freight for both Domestic and International shipments immediately and until further notice. This means that UPS and FedEx will no longer honor their promise to give you a refund when your s...
Continue ReadingDec 16
2019
Optimizing Your Parcel Contracts Will Get You Results
Posted: Dec 16, 2019
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 ...
Continue ReadingAug 01
2019
Audit Recovery Is The Best Option For Your Business This Year
Posted: Aug 01, 2019
Audit Recovery Saves You Time And Money Audit Recovery and Audit Recovery Bill pay are both topics that you should know about. Let's talk about the Audit first. Right now, if you went onto UPS or FedEx website, you would find the data that you're looking for will be cumbersome. What the Audit does is it...
Continue ReadingJun 20
2019
Parcel Carriers: Know the Opportunities to Help Your Profit
Posted: Jun 20, 2019
Parcel Carriers: Breaking it Down The two primary parcel carriers offer some innovative billing tools on their websites. And I'm speaking specifically about FedEx and UPS. I'll talk about them one at a time. For FedEx, they offer a program available on their website that you need to sign up for. They call it FedEx Billing Online. They designed it to give you the ability to look ...
Continue ReadingMay 30
2019
UPS and FedEx Billing: Improved Discounts is the Breakthrough You Need
Posted: May 30, 2019
UPS and FedEx Billing Insights from the Pros Hey, guys, Rich with Lojistic here. I'm here to talk about UPS and FedEx billing with any of you that are still on paper invoices. Federal Express and UPS both offer online services. This will allow you to build in so...
Continue ReadingMay 09
2019
Parcel Negotiation: Saving Money and Smart Results
Posted: May 09, 2019
Parcel Negotiation: Saving Money is Smart So, today, I'm talking about parcel contract negotiation. More specific is the role that analytics play in that process. And of how it can be helpful to help you get the best possible contract with UPS and FedEx and ot...
Continue ReadingApr 16
2019
Freight Audit Differences: How to Make the Most of Your Audit
Posted: Apr 16, 2019
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 ...
Continue ReadingApr 11
2019
Data Visualization is a Powerful Breakthrough in Shipping Technology
Posted: Apr 11, 2019
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...
Continue ReadingApr 09
2019
Freight Payment as the Hack to Big Payback on Shipping Costs
Posted: Apr 09, 2019
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 ...
Continue ReadingApr 04
2019
Freight BIll Payment is the Best Boost for Your Business
Posted: Apr 04, 2019
Freight Bill Payment Improved with Lojistic Software Lojistic helps with freight bill payment in different ways. The primary way is how it consolidates all your invoices. It combines them from all your carriers into one spot. There's also often the difficulty of timing. Not to mention when bills are coming in, who they're coming in from. There are different pricing schemas that ...
Continue ReadingApr 02
2019
Freight Bill Audit: Tested as the Sure Fire Way to Success
Posted: Apr 02, 2019
Freight Bill Audit Benefits There is a primary benefit of using a freight bill audit. That is to understand exactly where you are spending your money. Your more reputable auditors will offer GL coding as well. So within your accounting, you can make sure that you divi...
Continue ReadingMar 28
2019
Logistics Software: Expenses Marked Down and Profit Increased
Posted: Mar 28, 2019
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 ...
Continue ReadingMar 26
2019
Freight Audit: Behind the Scenes of Marked Down Expenses
Posted: Mar 26, 2019
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 ...
Continue ReadingFeb 28
2019
Parcel Audit: Savings Emerging from Hidden Sources
Posted: Feb 28, 2019
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...
Continue ReadingFeb 19
2019
Rate Negotiation Helps Compare and Bargain for Best Prices
Posted: Feb 19, 2019
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 ...
Continue ReadingFeb 14
2019
Parcel Negotiation: Savings Delivered from Focused Technology
Posted: Feb 14, 2019
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...
Continue ReadingJan 23
2019
FedEx Delivers An Empty Guarantee and Its Brilliant!
Posted: Jan 23, 2019
FedEx business customers spending around $60,000 or more annually can expect to see a waiver of their “Money Back Guarantee” in their next FedEx Agreement revision, assuming a waiver isn’t already there. A waiver of the FedEx Money Back Guarantee eliminates a customer’s right to a refund when FedEx fails to meet their time in transit commitment (aka guar...
Continue ReadingJul 03
2018
Top 4 Reasons To Use A Parcel Audit Company
Posted: Jul 03, 2018
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...
Continue ReadingDec 19
2016
Freight Audit Benefits And Pricing
Posted: Dec 19, 2016
Freight auditing is an all-encompassing term for a broad mix of service models, modes covered, and pricing structures that are chosen to serve your particular freight shipping situation. No two shippers are completely alike so no two freight audit solutions will work the same for all shippers. Knowing your overall freight shipping spend, what modes you primarily ship, what pricing model you pre...
Continue ReadingAug 03
2016
The Hidden Benefits Of A Parcel Audit
Posted: Aug 03, 2016
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 ...
Continue ReadingMar 23
2016
Frequent, Frustrating, and Costly Carrier Billing Errors... And How to Correct Them!
Posted: Mar 23, 2016
Contrary to what you may think, the moon isn’t made of cheese, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and UPS and FedEx are not infallible. Despite the advanced technology and automated systems the carriers may use to process your invoices, there are still dozens of human inputs that occur between the time a shipping label is created and the time a package is delivered. These human inputs leave a marg...
Continue ReadingFeb 03
2016
Free Lunch? How About A Free Parcel Audit?!
Posted: Feb 03, 2016
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there is such thing as a free parcel audit; and chances are, you need one. Virtually every carrier invoice your company receives contains erroneous charges that should be refunded to you. Most billing errors are the result of human error and oversight, which happens more often than you’d think. Miti...
Continue ReadingJan 26
2016
5 Things You Need To Look For In Your Parcel Bill
Posted: Jan 26, 2016
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...
Continue ReadingDec 03
2015
6 Best Practices To Prevent Shipping Costs From Eroding Your Margins
Posted: Dec 03, 2015
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...
Continue ReadingJul 22
2015
Your Carrier Relationship, Your Parcel Audit, and You
Posted: Jul 22, 2015
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...
Continue ReadingApr 12
2013
Why Does Shipping and Handling Cost So Much?
Posted: Apr 12, 2013
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...
Continue ReadingMar 25
2013
What to Look for in Third Party Logistics Providers
Posted: Mar 25, 2013
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...
Continue ReadingMar 11
2013
What are the Steps to Audit Freight Bills?
Posted: Mar 11, 2013
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...
Continue ReadingFeb 08
2013
Top 5 Hidden Costs of Logistics
Posted: Feb 08, 2013
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...
Continue ReadingFeb 04
2013
Basic Costs of Transportation - How to Save
Posted: Feb 04, 2013
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...
Continue ReadingJan 21
2013
How to Reduce Shipping Costs
Posted: Jan 21, 2013
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...
Continue ReadingMar 28
2011
Address Correction Charges Can Add Up Fast
Posted: Mar 28, 2011
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...
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