Freight Forwarding Companies act as an intermediary that is responsible for importing and exporting of goods from one place to another. They are companies that handle the logistics of moving cargoes. They offer freight services via different kinds of transportation like marine, air, land, and rail.
These logistics companies maximize their skills and opportunities to transport your goods to the designated place at the right time and safely. Forwarding companies may work on behalf of public governmental organizations or private companies. We will sight some facts that you can probably use right now with regards to shipping.
Before sending your packages to your loved ones or co-employees, make sure to know these things to avoid misunderstanding and situations that might cause a delay to your package deliveries. A stress-free and hassle-free transaction is a must for a Logistics Company.
Know What You Can And Can’t Ship
Shipping companies have strict regulations, and some of the things you might want to ship outside the city or country will not be allowed or will not pass the customs. You should know that every country has different customs, regulations, and restrictions of goods that are brought in or out of their vicinity. Here are the things that you should be careful not to send to your beneficiary, if possible.
- Dangerous Goods – These kinds of goods include dry ice, lithium batteries, and aerosols such as whipped creams, air fresheners, shaving creams, spray paints, etc. that are compact inside spray cans. These products are probably consumed in our daily lives, but we may not know their capabilities of being dangerous when being shipped via air. The temperature, static electricity, vibrations, and pressure may cause these types of products to leak, may cause fire or generate toxic fumes, and explode if they are improperly handled. Read more here.
- Perishable Goods – as what the name says, perishable means of any goods that are quality decreases over a short time. This type of goods quickly deteriorates because of natural or environmental conditions. These products can be classified as dairy products, vegetables and fruits, fish and seafood, flowers, meat by-products, and pharmaceutical products. However, they can also be shipped via express deliveries and properly packed and secured. If these products are not correctly sealed, they might get contaminated with viruses or bacteria that might affect the health of the handlers severely.
- Sharp Objects – There might be some freight companies that are willing to ship sharp objects to other places as long as it is appropriately packed. There are dangers of exporting these kinds of items and as per regulatory policies should not be shipped illegally or be transported by a person. There are now a lot of companies that sell knives, swords, katana, and other sorts of stuff that offer shipments around the world. Although there are no restrictions for other countries, it is advised that these objects should be packed twice and securely fixed inside to give no harm to the carrier.
- Drugs and Alcohol – the drugs intended for this topic are for both prescription drugs and recreational drugs. There are possibilities that the medicines are not familiar to the other country; thus, it may be looked as a harmful substance rather than a safe one. As far as concerned, only pharmaceutical drugs that already gained popularity worldwide can be shipped to any country because people are more familiar with it.
The goods listed above may be shipped under certain conditions. Remember, you should be honest about what products you are to ship outside of the country to avoid your package to be held in customs and will cause a delay in the shipment.
What Are The Causes Of Shipment Delays?
There are reasons behind every delay in the shipment of your package. Many freight forwarding companies like Packair do their best to offer a fast and reliable service to their customers. Sometimes, these problems occur naturally or because of human errors. These specific shipping problems can be avoided as much as possible. Here are some reasons why your package can exceed the estimated time of arrival.
- Failed Delivery Attempt – It may be that the recipient is away from home during the delivery attempt or there is no one to receive the package at all. There will be times that some other carriers are leaving the boxes on the recipient’s doorstep unattended. Leaving behind unattended packages are often stolen or damaged.
- High Volume of Shipments – There will be days, especially during the holiday season, that there is a massive demand for Logistics Companies. The sudden increase in the shipment volume may overwhelm the delivery companies, especially when they have inadequate software systems.
- Weather Conditions – This naturally occurs, which causes delays to the delivery. The safety of the employees delivering your packages is essential as well. When the weather dictates the pace of the delivery, no one can ever change it, even if we all get frustrated about our packages arriving untimely.
- Traffic – Every country experiences road traffics due to rerouting, unexpected accidents, significant roadblocks, constructions, etc. That’s why delivery drivers should pick routes that do not have heavy traffic to avoid getting stuck in traffic, at this point; reliable traffic software offered to every country should be made of use.
- Lost Packages – The Freight Forwarder may be the one to blame or whosoever responsible. The common question coming out from the clients is “Where is My Package?” This is a result of displacement, a tamper, damaged, or accidental removal of shipment details.
- Motor Vehicles Troubles – May it be a ship, a plane, or only a delivery truck or van, if it is damaged or having trouble to operate may cause a delay at the time of shipment. This will be somehow avoidable if the vehicles are being checked from time to time.
- Inadequate Technology – Today’s technology is compelling with regards to giving information about the shipment process and eta of your goods. Antique hardware or old software might provide an enormous problem for delivery companies. It limits the ability of new technologies to integrate easy access to features that can help mitigate delays of shipment.
There are many other instances that can delay deliveries to and from your destination. It is just the nature of the service; nature is indeed your best ally or worst enemy.
Patience Is Really A Virtue
Your business matters to freight forwarding companies, especially when you’re in line with shipping products to some other countries. If you are shipping for business, it is good to advise your customers to expect a longer time of arrival of their orders to avoid unnecessary complaints that might affect the rating of your business and the rating of the forwarders as well.
Sending a package to your loved one gives them the impression of love and care from you. The smell of the box and its hidden goodies will make them happy and will surely overwhelm you and your family. However, even if you wanted them to receive the package right away, some instances and problems could occur on the way of shipment. Make sure to lengthen your patience with Logistics Companies because this kind of job is not easy.