UPDATE: There are times of the year that we know our wonderful, and helpful content may be missed. The week of July 4th is just one of those occasions. We hate to think that you might miss something as important as making a choice between ground and LTL for your shipping, so we decided to post this again to make sure you get this valuable information [well, that and our blog editor is on vacation].
As the distinction between parcel and freight modes continues to blur, smart shippers save money by comparing the aggregate cost of individual parcels with total freight costs.
However, switching back and forth between multiple systems to compare parcel and freight pricing is time-consuming and prone to errors. When time is of the essence, shipping personnel sometimes take the path of least resistance and pick the mode they are most familiar with or easiest to process, which can lead to lost profits.
Transtream makes it easy to save both time and money by enabling shippers to instantly rate shop aggregate parcel and freight services all within a single system.
How does it work? It's simple. You weigh each carton in order and then select a group of carrier services to rate shop, which can include multiple parcel rates and LTL carrier service types. Transtream will calculate the costs of all the carrier and service options selected, and return a list of options, sorted from the least costly to the most expensive. It will also include the expected time of delivery. Alternatively, you can switch to a calendar view, which allows you to compare cost and delivery times in terms of the days and times of the week customers can expect delivery, with associated costs.
Once you’ve selected the carrier and service, Transtream automatically prints labels and, if an LTL carrier service is selected, a bill of lading. Shipping information is sent to the carrier and an advanced shipping notice is emailed to the consignee to alert them about the expected time of delivery.
Watch this month’s Tech Tip Tuesday to see how Transtream’s automated end-to-end process allows you to compare ground and LTL more efficiently and accurately, all from a single system, saving your operators time and your company money.