When people move, they sometimes need to hire a company and ship their stuff to another location. And people have a lot of problems with this. Because they don’t know how to do it. We will discuss everything on how to ship large LTL freight and how the whole system works. For that, you will need shipping and logistics companies that deal with this. Before you consider hiring a company to do that for you, you need to do a little research and you need to read this text. Less-Than-Truckload or LTL can make everything much easier for you or much harder and more expensive. You just need to find the right company and educate yourself a little bit.
What is Less-Than-Truckload or LTL?
This is a shipping service for relatively small loads or quantities of freight. It can accommodate the shipping needs of different businesses that need to move goods or batches. And we need to distinguish large LTL. These shipments are specific, they are not real LTL, and they are not FTL (full truckload) shipments either. Some carriers will accept to load and ship this kind of shipment as LTL, whereas others maybe won’t. It all depends on the politics of the company. The LTL provider combines the loads and shipping requirements of different companies on their trucks. That is why the cost of transport can cost more and can last longer. You need customs clearance and freight forwarding experts if you are sending to another country.
How does this work?
Less-than-truckload shipment depends on:
- Place of origin
- Destination is important
- The packaging type
- The number of pieces
- Size of shipment
- If there is any need for special handling
- The weight
Shipments for LTL are between 150 and 15,000 pounds. Less than 150 pounds can be sent by FedEx for example. Individual packages in this kind of load are often wrapped together to create one big box. This way they are well protected and secured. The price will be determined after considering all the 7 variables that we listed above. And the price can vary a lot. Be careful when deciding who are you going to hire. And we can say for sure that logistics companies in Saudi Arabia are one of the best that you can hire.
How to be sure that you have the right company?
These are some of the things to know when you ask yourself how to ship large LTL freight:
Diversify your carriers
You need to diversify your carriers so you can get a better price for the relocation of your stuff. How are you going to do that? Carriers may be one of those that increase prices exponentially the more cargo you add. Charges can quickly spiral out of control. That is why you need more carriers! You want to lower the prices as much as possible!
Consult shipping specialists
You need a specialist if you don’t have any experience. Some professionals deal with this type of stuff. They will gladly help you. Some carriers are competitive on specific lanes only for 1 or 2 skids. Others that are expensive for that amount might get super competitive once we get into more serious amounts of cargo. Hire a professional if this is confusing for you. Customs clearing agents in Bahrain can provide you with information.
Embrace New Experiences
A lot of companies that deal with logistics exist for a reason. Not everyone can cover every kind of shipment. Some are specialized as rail carriers, some are experts on the road. Some companies deal with plane cargo only.
Get a Quote
To get the price of moving your stuff, you must include the following information:
- Dimensions of your freight (height, length, width)
- Pallet count (if applicable)
- Description of what the commodity is
- Accessorial requirements of your freight (lift service, pick-up/delivery…)
The company can tell you the price when it has all the necessary information. Always request a few moving quotes. You don’t want to lose your money and overpay relocation of your stuff.
Book Your Load
When it comes to moving and hiring the company for the task, you need to book them early. Booking them early you will maybe get a better price and you will have enough time to organize everything. Be sure to pick a company with a demonstrated history and experience in moving LTL freight. Especially if you have some specific thing to transfer. Book the company that has experience with that. There are a lot of movers and companies that deal with the logistics of moving. Some are specialized for certain things and maybe they can’t relocate your belongings. This is an important step when you ask yourself how to ship large LTL freight.
Track your shipment
Truck drivers need to follow a strict set of governmental rules and regulations that dictate how much they are allowed to spend behind the wheel. Every country has rules about this. Loading trucks is important when it comes to making the most of your budget. You want that done fast. You will get your tracking code and you can follow your shipment. Remember that drivers need to rest by the law. Share your tracking code with whoever’s in charge of handling your cargo when the truck arrives.
Bill of Lading (BOL) and checking for damage
After the truck, ship, train or plane arrive at the station you need to check for damage. First, check for external damages. If there is something strange or you see damage, you must immediately notify the company. Make sure that your consignee or you notates any damage before accepting it. Put that in the bill of lading!
You need to know that you can’t send anything you want
Because goods or your personal belongings maybe need to pass customs, you must respect the laws of the country your goods are going to. When you look online at how to ship large LTL freight, you will always see the list of things that are forbidden to ship. Things like drugs, alcohol, rare and valuable items, stolen goods, hidden money, and cigarettes can get you in big trouble. Don’t gamble with your freedom. Especially when it comes to Saudi Arabia. Respect the laws at any time!
