Freight Consolidation Services: A Cost-Effective Solution for Shipping & Logistics

Most companies have come to accept that the more they ship products and the longer the shipping route, the more likely they will encounter problems. These companies see this as simply the cost of doing business. However, other companies proactively use freight consolidation services to reduce costs, mitigate product damage, streamline their supply chain, and ensure packages get delivered on time.

What Is Freight Consolidation?

Freight consolidation services involve combining multiple small shipments into a single, larger load. Success requires working with a professional logistics company that can plan, schedule, track, and ensure shipments are safely delivered on time.

Financial Benefits of Freight Consolidation

In today’s economy, companies everywhere face increasing supply chain costs. Whether it’s rising fuel costs or growing material and service costs, companies are looking for innovative ways to reduce these costs. Freight consolidation tackles the problem of unabated inflation head-on by attacking the specific cost drivers companies face in their supply chains.

The cost reductions of freight consolidation include a lower per-unit cost for each product shipped, reduced fuel costs, less handling, savings through improved shipping and supply chain efficiency, and reduced incidence of shipment delays and rerouting. 

Supply Chain Efficiency

Damaged products, late or missed deliveries, and inaccurate order fulfillment not only cost companies money and valuable time but also damage their reputation. Companies don’t have to accept the status quo and lose long-standing customer relationships because of supply chain inefficiencies.

LTL Over FTL Shipments

With freight consolidation, a single full-truck-load FTL) shipment is made instead of multiple less-than-truck-load (LTL) shipments. This reduces the time employees and individuals interact, handle, move, load, and unload shipments.

LTL shipments often have multiple routes where shipments are unloaded and loaded several times before reaching their destination. The unloading and loading of shipments are done mainly by forklift operators who may or may not be adequately trained. Ultimately, LTL increases the likelihood of product damage because of increased handling.

Choosing the Right Freight Consolidation Provider

Think about what your company needs from a freight consolidation service provider that will simplify your business and help your customers. Your list will likely include:

• Experience: You want to work with a proactive and reliable partner with many years of experience and established routes across North America. You also need to ensure they have a customs broker on staff to ensure accuracy in cross-border shipments.
• Flexible Service Costs: Affordability is subjective. Be sure you understand your budget before you contact logistic providers, and ensure they can work within your budget.
• Exceptional Customer Service: The company you work with should have a proven track record of customer success. Analyze their customer reviews and see how they respond to these reviews.
• Reliable Support & Real-Time Tracking: Your customers expect to be notified of delays and other unforeseen issues. A company offering real-time tracking ensures you and your customers are getting the transparency you need.

And last but not least, ensure you get along with the company. Even if they are experienced and effective at what they do, you can’t maintain a long-standing relationship if both parties don’t get along. 

Turn to TSI for Reliable Freight Consolidation Services

TSI has over 40 years of experience in cross-border logistics, delivering critical shipments across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We provide 24/7 shipment tracking, door-to-door delivery, and superior customer support.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help reduce your costs and improve your supply chain.