The shipping industry is growing, and so is the number of cargo shipments. It’s important to ensure that your goods arrive safely and on time, but it can be difficult to know how to do this. We’ll walk through the steps you need to take before your shipment arrives at its destination—and help make sure everything runs smoothly during transit.
Communication is key
The communication between you and your shipping company is key to ensuring that your cargo arrives safely and on time. If there are problems with the shipment, you should be able to contact them quickly and easily.
Additionally, you must stay in touch with your carrier throughout the entire process so that they can communicate any issues that may arise or changes in plans as they happen.
A tracking number is essential so you can monitor your shipment’s progress. You should also be provided with a contact number for the carrier, in case there are any issues or concerns with your cargo.
Choose a shipping company that is thorough and reliable
Picking the right shipping company can be very challenging. There are many factors to consider, including the type of cargo being shipped, individual needs, and budget. However, if you want to ensure that your shipment arrives safely and on time, it’s important to choose a company that has been in business for years and has an excellent reputation within the industry. Here are some tips to narrow down your choices.
- Choose a shipping company that is thorough and reliable. You can check the reputation of your chosen freight carrier by doing some research on them, or asking around with other businesses who have already used their services in the past. You may even want to visit websites like Yelp where customers share their experiences with various companies; this will give you an idea of how they handle customer service and satisfaction levels before making a decision about which one is right for you and your cargo needs.
- When choosing any company for shipping services, make sure all their documentation is up-to-date so there aren’t any delays during delivery time frames because of outdated paperwork. Permits are sometimes necessary especially if you are shipping internationally or with items that are prone to a lot of regulations.
Make sure your cargo is properly packed, stored, and marked
When you have chosen the right company for your shipment needs, you have to be ready to prepare your cargo. Most cargo companies will do their packaging of your items but you can have more peace of mind if your cargo has been properly packed before it leaves your warehouse.
- Consider using waterproof packaging to ensure the items inside are kept dry during transit. You can also label each box with a number or letter so that you know what’s in each one when it arrives at its destination. This will prevent any mix-ups between shipments and save time when unpacking from a truckload of boxes delivered to your destination.
- Pallets are another way to ensure that your goods arrive safely on time: They provide both stability as well as protection for fragile items like computers or electronic equipment (which could otherwise be damaged during transport). Pallets should be used whenever possible because they’re sturdy enough not only to handle heavy loads but also to prevent damage while being moved around by forklifts—or even carried by hand.
Consider using GPS tracking to follow your shipment
In addition to tracking your shipment in real time through your logistics provider, you can use GPS tracking to send alerts if the cargo is delayed, damaged, or lost. The best part about this option is that it’s mostly free! There are many tracking devices nowadays that you can buy at very low prices. These are a mostly small device that has batteries of their own. You can put one of these into your package so you would know all the time where it is. Tracking your shipment is always a good idea. You can follow your shipment live in real-time, and if there’s an issue with it, you’ll be notified immediately. This can help you prevent delays or damage to your cargo before it even happens.
Set up alerts for when the cargo arrives at its destination
To help you keep tabs on your cargo, consider setting up alerts for when the freight arrives at its destination. You can do this via email or text message, and many tracking software programs offer this capability as well.
Once you’ve set up an alert in one of these ways, all it takes is a few clicks to receive an alert when your shipment arrives at either the port or destination city (or both). If something goes wrong during transport—for instance, if some part of your shipment gets damaged in transit—you’ll be alerted immediately so that you can assess the situation and correct any damage before shipping continues.
Ensuring efficient freight delivery
We hope you’ve found these tips helpful in ensuring that your cargo arrives on time. Remember that the only way to make sure your shipment arrives safely is by doing the research upfront and choosing a reliable shipping company—which means finding out what they have to offer before you choose one.
If you want to know how we at Soul Logistics can help in moving your goods or improving your current logistics process, talk to us today. We have been in the industry for a while and have helped a lot of companies with our reliable service.
