Tips when shipping a full truck load through land shipping companies

 We always feel nervous and anxious when we implement something new for the first time, such as the first time we drive a car or the first time we ride a plane and so on. Therefore, we must follow a few tips that help us in the success of this task, which we are carrying out for the first time, and by following these tips, we will find that sending full truck is easy and does not require all the anxiety that we felt towards it.

Tips when shipping a full truck load via land freight companies:

1- Good knowledge of the product market

Knowing your product, as well as the market to which you will ship the trailer loaded with your product, is essential, as each market works differently, even for the same product, for example, if you are shipping medical drugs, it may require a permit in specific markets, but in other markets, a permit may not be required to enter such drugs.

Therefore, you must study the market to which you will ship your product to reduce the risks that you may be exposed to, and increase your success rate.

One of the things that you must study in the market to which you will ship your product is, the language and cultural barriers and the extent of the ability to deal with people in that market, as well as studying the method of selling in the market. There are some markets that require direct selling of products, while there are other markets that would be useful where you use a distributor or agent for your product.

2- Your terms of sale

You must make sure that your terms of sale are clear and unambiguous with your buyer, as you must discuss all the details, even the most accurate ones, with the other party (the buyer), and do not forget that everything in the agreement between the two parties is in writing.

Gather all the information about the buyer, including his public reputation, as well as the products he deals with, as well as his financial and commercial references and accounts, to know the extent of the sincerity and capabilities of that buyer and whether he is suitable to deal with him or not.

Also, all your commercial documents must be compatible with the terms of sale, and all the correct information is indicated in them, to avoid any delay in the export or import phase.

3- Pack your goods properly

You must be fully aware of all the characteristics of your goods, knowing the weaknesses as well as their advantages, so that you can determine the type of damage that your cargo may be exposed to or may cause and take all preventive measures to reduce those damages and avoid damage to the goods.

For example, if you are shipping fragile goods such as glass, here you must know well the extent of damage that may be caused to that type of goods or may cause them when transporting them through the trailer, so that you can take the necessary precautions that are appropriate to protect your shipment from damages of breakage.

Factors to consider when packing your cargo on trailers:

1- Good planning for stowage of goods in the trailer

You must ensure that all weight and height restrictions are met for your merchandise, as there are consequences for misreporting the correct weight and height of your merchandise.

The weight of the goods must be distributed inside the container, and care should be taken to avoid concentrating heavyweights on one side.

Make sure that you do not mix incompatible goods inside the container, such as mixing clothes with chemicals, as well as not placing goods that may be exposed to leakage with other goods, and you must consider the instructions for packing dangerous materials

2- The roles of the different parties

There are some people and entities that you may contract with or employ to be of assistance to you and help you in shipping your trailer. Examples of those entities are the following:

Truck drivers, clearing agents, freight agents, shipping lines, customs inspectors, and insurance agents.

And those entities are just a few, as the entities that need it to vary according to the goods being shipped and the container that is used.

And you should understand the role of each of these entities so that you know who to contact if something goes wrong or your shipment gets stuck at some point.

3- Rules and regulations

There are several rules and regulations regulating the export of your goods, which you must know well before proceeding to ship and transport your goods through the trailer.

You must ensure that all permits and licenses related to your shipment follow the regulations of the country to which you are exporting, and if you are shipping dangerous goods, you must at this time follow the regulations for those goods to avoid any damages because of the improper shipment of dangerous goods.

4- Documentation

An important aspect of any export process is to strictly follow the documentary requirements relating to your shipment to avoid any additional costs.

Incorrect, late, or incomplete documentation is one of the main problems that new exporters face all the time, and in order not to make this mistake, you should review all the documents required for the shipping method before starting the shipping process.

Among those documents are the following: the commercial invoice for the goods, the packing list, the certificate of origin, the letter of credit, the bill of lading.

5- Saving on shipping costs

Although the cheap thing is not always the best thing, saving the costs of shipping your goods is important. For example, among the costs that you can save, for example, find out the loading and unloading period provided by the truck driver to pack your goods in the warehouse and plan a process / Layout the warehouse accordingly so that you can complete the packing during that time.

6- Securing the truck load

One of the things that many new shippers do wrong by shipping their goods, is that they think that if they take all the precautions and follow the instructions for shipping their goods, then everything will be fine and that they do not need to ensure their cargo, and this is a wrong understanding.

If your shipment is not adequately covered by insurance, and damage to the goods or complete loss of the goods occurs due to any fault or aversion, this loss will be borne by you as the buyer or seller.

So, it’s good for your business, you need to make sure that your shipment is adequately covered by cargo insurance.