Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “How To’s”
When someone goes to a supermarket or a store to buy a product, it is only the last step of an extended chain. Before this purchase happens, there is a long path involving suppliers, transportation, and several transformation processes in the production line. The travel routes and time involved in globally manufactured goods before they reach the final customer are …
Proper freight documentation facilitates a smooth shipping process, can help lower costs, and improves your odds of being reimbursed when filing damage claims. The companies that do it best all follow a similar set of procedures, which helps them avoid headaches on the back end. With a little work, any business can implement these best practices and join their ranks. …
Brace yourselves – the holiday returns season is coming – and it’s expected to be one of the busiest on record. How busy? According to Shopify’s 2018 Holiday Ecommerce Returns Guide, 8-10% of sales will be returned to brick and mortar stores, while online businesses can expect return rates between 20-30%, with a 50% return rate on “expensive” items. Further, in …
We all know the satisfaction of finding a good deal online. The rush at seeing our minutes, hours, or even days of searching pay off in a discounted rate on the item we desire. And like-wise, we all know the disappointment, the sinking feeling at check-out, when we realize that the deal we worked so hard to find is offset …
Warehouse management systems can increase inventory visibility, improve order fulfillment, enable automated data collection, and generally boost productivity across your operation. But, with so many options available, choosing the best system for your needs can be a challenge. So, whether you’re looking to update an old WMS, or invest in your company’s first warehouse management solution, we’ve put together a …
If you’re here, you’ve likely received an accessorial fee, also known as an accessorial charge, that resulted in a higher than anticipated bill from your carrier – and it probably wasn’t “received” too well. After all, nobody likes to spend more for a service than they were quoted. That said, there are some things you can do to avoid these …
As the debate between density-based freight pricing and the class-based system rages on, it’s no secret that less-than-truckload carriers in the United States are steadily moving toward dimensional weight pricing regardless of shipper’s qualms – after all, density based pricing is already the standard in most parts of the world. That said, the shift is proving to be gradual as …
In a warehouse or distribution center, slotting refers to the storage and organization of goods in a manner that maximizes storage space and improves the efficiency of picking and pulling operations. It might sound complicated, but it’s actually something we all do every day, whether we know it or not. Consider your pantry as an example. The bread, cereal and …
Pallet dimensioners, also known as “cubing systems” or simply “dimensioners,” are used by shippers to automate the pallet measurement and documentation process – a process which until recently has consisted of measuring freight with a tape measure, taking a photo of the freight with a digital camera or phone, and then transferring that information to a WMS or TMS system …
With major package and less-than-truckload carriers like FedEx, UPS, YRC Freight, Old Dominion Freight Line, Estes Express Lines and others making use of dimensional weight pricing, it’s become more important for shippers to learn how to calculate the dimensional weight of their large freight and parcels. With that in mind, we’ve provided a formula, along with a couple tips to …
It takes a lot of work by a lot of people to ensure that the millions of goods shipped each day arrive at their final destinations on time and in good condition. But for every 100 shipments that arrive unscathed, there are a few that arrive in less-than-perfect condition, and sometimes, the damages sustained during shipment can be attributed to …
We’re all looking for ways to save our businesses money. And when we open our books to seek out opportunities, one place we all inevitably land is shipping and logistics. Why? Well, if your business ships any kind of volume, you probably see a big number in that column, and big numbers tend to stand out. So how do you …
