The best shipping line serves as an important component of efficient product delivery for your international logistics company. A quality service can guarantee all the benefits including prompt delivery, effective operation, and competitive prices. It is always challenging to identify the best shipping line that satisfies the needs of your business, especially when there are numerous shipping lines available.
Read on to learn how you can locate the best service for your logistics business.
Know Your Shipping Needs
Remember you can only find the right shipping line when you are well aware of your shipping needs. Among such are the kind of goods you ship, the frequency of shipment, regions you serve, and other special requirements such as temperature control, and the handling of hazardous materials, among others. This will help you narrow down your choices.
For instance, you need containers with refrigerators to ship perishable products like medicines or food. Or if you are shipping heavy and oversized goods, you might need a carrier that specializes in bulk and oversized cargo.
A reliable shipping line helps make the work easier
Reliability is one of the primary decision factors in choosing the shipping line. Delays, missed shipments, or lost goods can severely disrupt your supply chain and break customer trust. To determine the reliability of a shipping line, consider the following:
- On-time Performance : Research the shipping line’s historical on-time performance and commitment to adhering to schedules.
- Reputation and Reviews : Find reviews and recommendations from other companies that have used this shipping line. A reliable shipper will have a good reputation.
- Global Network and Coverage : Confirm that the shipping line has a good network in your regions of business. A good network gives better port handling and, consequently, eliminates cases of hang-ups.
Assess Shipping Costs
Your shipping costs are a significant part of your overall logistics expenses, therefore, finding a shipping line that is cost effective and durable is fundamental. Compare the following when comparing prices:
- Freight Rates : Compare the base freight rates of different shipping lines. Also ask about fuel surcharges, handling fees, or customs duties in addition to the base freight rate.
- Volume Discount : In case one is shipping large volumes, request the shipping line to see if they offer volume discounts or long-term contracts.
- Transit Times : Typically, faster options will cost more. Determine if you are a business that requires faster shipping or if you can wait for a longer for less costly journey.
Special Services and Features
Many shipping lines offer special services that make your shipping easier. Consider whether the shipping line can offer you the following:
- Tracking and Visibility : Real-time tracking allows for greater situational awareness and helps in proactively preventing issues that are liable to arise in transit.
- Customer Support : On-time, helpful customer support can be valuable when problems arise with your shipments.
- Customs and Documentation Help : A shipping line that can assist with customs clearance and documents needed to complete the shipment will make international shipping less of a hassle.
- Sustainability Initiatives : If going green is a priority in business, look for shipping lines with green initiatives, such as energy-efficient vessels or carbon offset programs.
Check Shipping Line Safety Record
Safety should be the first consideration when choosing a shipping line. See that the carrier follows the international standards of safety and has a good record of receiving cargo safely. This may be particularly important with high-value or sensitive shipments.
Try the Relationship
Just in case, test a shipping line on a small shipment before binding oneself to a long-term agreement; this way, one will be able to assess the quality of their service, reliability, and customer support.
Conclusion
Choosing the best shipping line yields long term benefits in operation of business. It is thus important to take into account aspects such as reliability, cost, services, and safety so that you can make an informed choice regarding your shipping needs. Box On Wheel, being amongst the best logistics companies will help you deliver goods on time, helping you improve efficiency and profitability in your supply chain.
