WorldExecutivesDigest | 4 Best Methods for Shipping Products | Successfully completing and managing the entire sale process is crucial for any successful business, whether it’s a start-up or a seasoned company. Partnering up with a company specializing in fulfilling orders is not just a consideration, but a real necessity if you wish to stay afloat in the sea of competition. In order to prepare for future growth, finding the best way to transport your products becomes that more important. Here are four main ways you can use to transport your goods efficiently and prevent your business from experiencing any transport-related issues.
Shipping by air
Shipping products by air is ideal when dealing with time-sensitive exports. It’s the fastest option on this list, however, it usually is the most expensive one as well. It’s an air freight forwarder, which specializes in arranging shipments for individuals or companies to distribute goods from one place to another. To know about how these forwarders work, you can click here. Shipping by air offers a number of different advantages, including inexpensive warehousing, lower insurance rates and better control of your inventory.
On the other hand, shipping by air is oftentimes far more expensive when compared to other shipping options such as shipping by land or sea. Not to mention that shipping by air relies heavily on the accessibility and availability of airports near your points of arrival and departure. Basically, it’s the fastest option, with the price for shipping being determined by the weight of your cargo and the time required for it to arrive.
Shipping via truck
Shipping products using trucks is by far the cheapest and most popular method of transport. It is used worldwide, although the speed and the quality of transportation service tend to decline the further you are located from major industrialized areas. Even if you’re using an airplane to transport your goods, you will still need a truck to transport them from the port to their actual destination.
Whether you’ll be using LTL (less-than-truckload) or TL (truckload) freight depends largely on the size of the shipment itself. LTL is ideal for smaller shipments and TL for larger ones, but have in mind that TL providers tend to charge per mile, which can be more expensive than you’d think.
Shipping via rail
Another very popular option is shipping using the rail. This method is particularly useful when transporting goods in bulk and shipping over significantly large distances. Similar to transporting via truck, rails are predominantly used to ship goods either to a port or from a port to their end destination. However, unlike using a truck for transporting products, rails often come with various transshipment costs as the products need to be transported to various carriers such as cargo ships and planes. This is why businesses use easy-to-transport containers, which are the next option on our list.
Using containers for shipping
Shipping containers are mostly used when shipping by sea. Freight is securely packaged and loaded into the containers, also known as isotainers. They allow for a fast freight transport between the various vehicles normally used in the intermodal chain of transport. Planes, railroad cars, ships and truck, all of these methods of transport rely heavily on the use of shipping containers to transport goods. If you’re in need of some containers avoid getting the cheap ones and, instead, invest in in some of the best, high-quality, professional shipping containers Australia has to offer.
These are just some of the methods you can use to transport goods. Air transport is the fastest, however, it can be a significant financial setback, especially for startups and small businesses. Trucks are a far more financially effective method, as long as your products don’t need to be delivered too quickly. Rails have been the staple of transport for the last couple of decades and by the looks of things, they will continue to dominate the position for years to come. Pick the method that works best for your company, but also for the customers and don’t be afraid to mix things up if the situation demands it.