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...
Continue ReadingApr 10
2023
Feb 16
2022
How do shipping and supply chain issues impact your business?
Posted: Feb 16, 2022
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. ...
Continue ReadingDec 06
2021
UPS & FedEx Take a Hardline Stance With Their Customers
Posted: Dec 06, 2021
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...
Continue ReadingOct 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 07
2021
Ready to Take Control of Your Controllable Shipping Fees?
Posted: Sep 07, 2021
What are controllable shipping fees? Fees in the small parcel industry are often referred to as accessorial fees....
Continue ReadingJul 01
2021
Win a Free Month of UPS/FedEx Shipping For Your Business Plus $500 For Yourself
Posted: Jul 01, 2021
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....
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 22
2021
Guaranteed Deliveries: How to Get Guaranteed Deliveries and Shipping Credits
Posted: Mar 22, 2021
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...
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 03
2021
Shippers Use The Air vs Ground Dashboard To Reduce Costs
Posted: Feb 03, 2021
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...
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 ReadingAug 13
2020
Top Misconceptions Keeping Shippers from a Best-In-Class Carrier Agreement
Posted: Aug 13, 2020
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...
Continue ReadingAug 11
2020
Applying Newton’s Laws to Parcel Negotiations
Posted: Aug 11, 2020
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. ...
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 09
2020
Modern Day Oligopoly - UPS and FedEx
Posted: Jul 09, 2020
Editor's Note: This post has been updated with new links and content. Original Publication Date: March 19, 2011 FedEx and UPS are a modern-day oligopoly. Let’s explain what that means. ...
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 ReadingDec 09
2019
2019 Holiday Shipping Guide
Posted: Dec 09, 2019
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...
Continue ReadingDec 02
2019
2020 UPS & FedEx Rate Increase
Posted: Dec 02, 2019
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...
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 18
2019
Lowering FedEx Shipping Rates: Had Enough of High Charges?
Posted: Apr 18, 2019
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...
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 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 17
2019
Shipping Costs: The Good, The Bad, and The Best
Posted: Jan 17, 2019
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...
Continue ReadingJan 08
2019
The Art and Science of Negotiating a “Best in Class” Carrier Agreement
Posted: Jan 08, 2019
“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...
Continue ReadingJul 03
2018
How to Hire a Parcel Audit Company: Top Questions to Ask
Posted: Jul 03, 2018
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...
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 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 ReadingApr 09
2013
How to Determine Shipping Cost
Posted: Apr 09, 2013
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...
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 15
2013
Third Party Logistics - Is It Worth It?
Posted: Feb 15, 2013
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...
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 ReadingMay 17
2012
What the Recent UPS Earnings May Mean for Your Shipping
Posted: May 17, 2012
For all businesses that ships a constant amount of items, it’s important to note the changing fluctuations of the shipping world, whether it be the updates in new competitors, as we previously noted in our Amazon blog post, or the quarterly earnings calls. These changes are important because they can help to prepare for and predict certain trends within future pricing and possible action th...
Continue ReadingMar 09
2012
Why A Parcel Audit Can Help Your Company Reduce Shipping Costs
Posted: Mar 09, 2012
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 ...
Continue ReadingJan 20
2012
How to Make the Most out of Your Shipping Discounts
Posted: Jan 20, 2012
When carriers determine discounts and incentives for their customers, they may utilize some similar tactics, but overall, they do not have a singular system to differentiate between one company to the next. Therefore, they create custom, specific shipper strategies for pricing agreements and makes negotiating carrier discounts highly subjective. There are many different factors that the carri...
Continue ReadingDec 19
2011
Why Billing Errors Happen & What You Can Do to Combat Them
Posted: Dec 19, 2011
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 ...
Continue ReadingNov 11
2011
The Confusion of UPS and FedEx Discounts
Posted: Nov 11, 2011
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....
Continue ReadingSep 11
2011
How to Discount FedEx and UPS Shipping Costs
Posted: Sep 11, 2011
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...
Continue ReadingAug 12
2011
UPS and FedEx Rates Comparison
Posted: Aug 12, 2011
In the world of small parcel shipping there are largely only two service providers in the United States, UPS and FedEx. Many businesses feel strongly (often based on a prior negative experience) that the service of one carrier is far superior to the other. On the other hand, there do remain some businesses that are relatively neutral in the consideration of a UPS and FedEx service comparison....
Continue ReadingAug 02
2011
Maximize Your Shipping Discounts
Posted: Aug 02, 2011
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...
Continue ReadingJul 18
2011
Getting Discounts on UPS and FedEx Accessorial Fees
Posted: Jul 18, 2011
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...
Continue ReadingJun 03
2011
FedEx and UPS Discounts: Negotiate Accessorial Fee Waivers
Posted: Jun 03, 2011
Accessorial fees refer to shipping costs that are additional to the base transportation charge. These charges seem to go up every year with new ones being added constantly. Recent fuel service charges for FedEx and UPS recently shot up a "wallet- emptying" 25 percent. Accessorial surcharges for extra, supplemental or special services can easily account for up to 40 percent of your overall frei...
Continue ReadingMay 24
2011
FedEx and UPS Discounts: Small Parcel Weight and Zone Incentives
Posted: May 24, 2011
Every January UPS and FedEx tariff rates change. When comparing FedEx vs UPS rates, one has to consider contracted incentives relative to the carrier’s annual price increase. Your contract incentives will more than likely carry over from one year to the next; however, the incentives will now be ap...
Continue ReadingMay 09
2011
UPS and FedEx Discounts: Revenue Based Incentives
Posted: May 09, 2011
You'll find revenue-based incentives in most small parcel shipping contracts. UPS uses the term Portfolio Tier Incentives. FedEx refers to them as Earned FedEx Discounts. Basically, they amount to nothing more than a quantity or volume discount. Some shippers don't like revenue-based incentives; yet, managed properly, they can be fairly advantageous. Carriers like them because in decades...
Continue ReadingMay 04
2011
Using Freight Auditing Companies to Unravel Parcel Shipping Contract Complexities
Posted: May 04, 2011
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...
Continue ReadingApr 06
2011
Companies Discount Freight Services and Help Save the Environment
Posted: Apr 06, 2011
Many companies will discount freight services on slower, ground shipments to save customers money and protect the environment. Whether companies discount freight services or charge their regular fees, shipping by seas can pose a threat to the world’s oceans and waterways. Shipping contr...
Continue ReadingMar 22
2011
Negotiating UPS Discounts
Posted: Mar 22, 2011
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...
Continue ReadingMar 12
2011
Carrier Discounts vs. Rising Shipping Costs
Posted: Mar 12, 2011
Shipping costs are headed higher than a New York City skyscraper. No thanks to the high price of energy, which contributes to rising transportation costs. Record high oil prices have offset decades of trade liberalization efforts. When you consider the rising cost of shipping raw materials and finished goods, distance to market and ...
Continue ReadingMar 10
2011
How to Reduce Shipping Costs
Posted: Mar 10, 2011
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...
Continue Reading