Everyone around the world ships things constantly throughout the year. There are hundreds of different ways to ship products, documents, gifts, and more and you want them delivered properly without any issues. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between freight companies and which is better for your business?
Shipping can be a very important topic to consider if your thinking of owning an e-commerce site or shipping products to other places. Depending on what your shipping and where it is going you have two different freight options available to you. There are asset based freight brokers and non-asset based freight brokers to get your packages from one place to another. So what is the difference between the two options?
Asset based freight brokers own the assets they use when they are shipping from point A to point B. They might own large warehouses to store products they are shipping, or fleets of trucks that carry the freight. Typically an asset based freight company won’t own all the equipment used but they own many of the assets on site. The asset based freight company will work directly with the shipper to send away the freight.
A non-asset based freight broker doesn’t own any of the equipment used they are basically the middle man between shipper and carrier organizing all of the deliveries, drops, and security for your freight. Non-asset based freight brokers have relationships with different carriers that have an outstanding track record and are reputable companies that won’t go out of business and leave you stranded looking for a new delivery company. Non-asset based freight brokers have all the same access to trucks that any asset based freight company would and sometimes even more access depending on the situation. Both freight broker systems are a great way to deliver your freight it all depends on what your looking for.
What should you look for when selecting a freight broker to begin your deliveries? A good way to start is to look at their track record and see how long they have been doing business. Do they have any complaints filed against them? There were 615 cargo theft incidents in 2016 according to FreightWatch International and Cargonet. Ensure theft is not a common issue for your freight company. What have their current customers said about their services? Is the freight broker a flexible one that can adapt to changes easily? Will this freight management company be a good fit for your business? Do they have reliable shipment tracking integrations in place? Don’t just choose the first one you see and stick with that call around and compare and see what they all have to offer. Your business is just as important as their business.
