Tips and Suggestions on How to Ship Freight

No guaranties. Do not assume that a trucking company has any liability if delayed freight shuts down your customer's production line or costs you a contract. Guaranties are offered by some carriers but at much higher rates. You must ask for the service up-front, not in transit. Published transit times are the norm, not generally guaranteed in any way.
Claims: If your freight is mis-classified and lost or damaged, claims will be paid on the classification stated on the Bill of Lading. This frequently happens when shippers use lower classifications to get reduced rates. Often, the amount paid in this instance does not near the replacement cost. It is your responsibility to fill out the paperwork correctly since it is a legally binding document. You can only claim the actual cost of a product if damaged/lost. If lost or un-repairable, you cannot claim additional labor costs for it's replacement.
W&I: There are staff on-hand at most trucking companies whose job it is to catch mis-classified and poorly packaged freight (Weight & Inspection). If your freight is found to be incorrectly classified, weighed or measured, you may get an unexpected and unpleasant surprise on your next bill. They will usually base their assessment off just the density of the freight. You may have shipped a heavy/dense item that took a small portion of the pallet, class 55. However, density is measured from the corners of the pallet, to the top of the freight. The result may bring the density of the product to a class 70 or even higher. Overall density outweighs the straight classification of freight in terms of priority. Additionally, an inspector who catches your freight once will often target it in the future as it passes through the hub.
Mis-Classified Freight: The practice of mis-classifying freight to get lower rates is widely performed. Unfortunately the consequences are often misunderstood and underestimated. I frequently heard shippers say "I have always done it this way" or "I have to ship at class 70 to stay competitive." Unfortunately, that does not protect you from re-classification (see above). If you knowingly mis-classify freight, do it from a position of strength by reading the NMFC guidelines and understanding the consequences. There is nothing worse than being blind-sided by an inspection. They are infrequent enough to give you a false sense of security.
Union/non-union: If you prefer union trucking, establish a relationship with non-union carriers to protect you in case of strike. The key differences between union and non-union are: Union drivers have more strict guidelines as to their duties. They will not usually provide loading or unloading assistance, work between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. (even if their trailer is blocking your dock), or perform extraordinarily service. Non-union drivers are usually more open to offer additional assistance or make special arrangements. These are very loose, generalized statements and do not represent all drivers whether union or not. More importantly, establish a positive relationship with the driver/drivers who will be servicing your account. If your location is deemed troublesome, inconvenient or difficult to deliver to/pick-up from by a driver(s), you may see a higher instance in damage. It is not an accepted practice to "run-off" a customer but it does happen and is impossible to prove.
Rail: Some LTL carriers use Rail to inexpensively get freight across the country. Rail is almost always slower than truck and depending on the commodity, may be more easily damaged. The constant vibration of the rail-car is known to slowly rattle some products apart internally without obvious damage to the packaging.
Regional/local carriers: Use regional carriers for smaller markets. If you ship to more rural or suburban areas nearby, use a local or regional carrier to get your goods there. The larger companies will often not cover the area themselves but hand it off to another carrier specializing in that area (interline). The drawbacks are: you lose some ability to track your freight, cannot establish a relationship with the company handling your goods and possibly additional transit time. Note: Most if not all carriers will show the rural areas as standard serviced areas. You typically will not know unless you ask There will probably be small print somewhere saying "outlying areas require an additional time to deliver." Where those outlying areas are will not necessarily be obvious.
Add-on charges: Know what add-on charges are up-front. Carriers will often add additional charges for: inside delivery, metropolitan and difficult to pick-up/deliver areas, liftgate, appointments, etc. Ask your customer up-front if any special handling is required or if it in a difficult to deliver area. It will help you get an accurate quote for freight charges.
Low ball: Beware of low-ball or significantly less expensive carriers. Often they are just selling price and are reluctant to pay claims or offer good service. Frequently they are near bankruptcy and are simply looking for additional cash flow on their books.
Loyalty is generally rewarded. Trucking companies are more apt to provide extraordinary assistance to their larger customers in emergencies. Keep in mind, just because all of your freight goes to one carrier does not necessarily make you a big customer. It is a good idea to establish a relationship not only with your company representative but also the local Terminal Manager. During their career, he/she has seen every type of emergency possible and know how to work around them.
Freight Brokers generally have a bad reputation with trucking companies. Often their credit is poor because they don't pay the trucking company until you pay them. They are best suited for infrequent or inexperienced shippers. Occasionally they will have over-seas logistics and freight forwarding services which are very useful.