Freight Management: A Critical Piece of the Shipping Pie

Without freight management, your supply chain processes won’t run smoothly. You’re left in the dark the moment your shipment leaves the warehouse dock. And it’s not just you, your customer will be left wondering where their package is and when it’ll arrive! It’s poor customer service AND poor management on your end to leave this problem unattended.

Importing and exporting goods are a critical component of your business. Some companies deal with parcel shipping, while others must manage freight shipping. With either option, the logistics involved in tracking shipments, maintaining inventory, and hitting deadlines can be complicated for you to handle.   

The details involved also become more challenging to manage the more extensive and busier your business evolves. Accurate and efficient freight management is an essential aspect of a business, which is why it's necessary to ensure your company has the best system in place to track all freight management data. 

What is Freight Management? 

Freight management encompasses the logistical process involved in handling inbound and outbound business shipments. A few of the details often involved in this process include: 

• On-time delivery of products 
• Shipping the right items to the correct location 
• Selecting cost-effective carriers 
• And more! 

All these details must be carefully coordinated to ensure shipments are being sent promptly without wasting money.  

The freight management process also monitors any issues that arise during the shipping process. A few examples of common shipping problems include: 

• Missing packages 
• Slow delivery times
• Tariff management 

All details of the process are recorded to make improvements in the future that will result in a more efficient shipping process. At a certain point, business managers need a new and more straightforward solution for running their companies, which is where a freight management system comes into play.  

How Do Freight Management Services Help? 

A freight management solution is a way to automate many of the shipping aspects associated with your business. Instead of spending hours slogging through email, reviewing spreadsheets, and manually tracking shipments, you can set up automated processes that will manage this information for you. 

A few features included in freight management services can be found below:

• Route optimization
• Rate negotiations 
• Regulation management 
• Load matching 
• Warehouse distribution 

Depending on the solution you integrate into your business, even more services could be available. Other features beneficial to your freight management include data collection, vendor management, freight bill auditing, and department integrations.   

All these features are beneficial to your business in several ways: 

• Route optimization ensures you're shipping items using the fastest and most affordable route available to your business. 
• Rate negotiations help you select the carriers and other services that will help your bottom line.
• Regulation management ensures your shipments comply with government regulations and meet necessary standards. 

With these features, your company can quickly transform your shipping process to produce better and efficient results. 

 
Who Benefits from Freight Management Services? 

Freight management services are beneficial for every transportation and logistics manager. Your transportation and logistics team won't have to spend nearly as much time organizing all your business's shipping details. This will give people more time to focus on other essential aspects of the business plan. 

For instance, instead of spending hours on data entry, your logistics managers can review the company's strategic plan and look for competitive advantages.   

The c-suite of the company will also benefit from a freight management service. Many details will be removed from the plate of the CEO, CFO, and COO once a management service is implemented. 

For instance, a CFO can rest assured knowing the transportation budget is following the most cost-effective shipping options. The CEO can also turn from supply chain concerns and focus more on long-term value solutions for the company. Overall, a freight management service will make everyone's job easier to start focusing on aspects of the business that drive company growth.  

Why is Freight Management an Essential Business Component? 

A management solution is essential if you want to keep your company competitive. Customers are interested in businesses that are timely, accurate, and offer open communication. If your business can't keep up with demand, customers are going to turn to someone else. 

Technology is always evolving, and if your business doesn't adapt to new systems, you'll quickly fall behind. Data management solutions and automated processes help improve the efficiency of your business. Updated technology has a wonderful way of improving efficiencies and simplifying everyone's job. 

Without them, you'll always be one step behind your competitors. Avoid costly mistakes and start making changes based on company data by integrating a freight management solution into your business plan.   

When Should You Implement a Freight Management Solution? 

The quick answer to this question is… Now! 

No matter how big or small your business is, it can likely benefit from a freight management solution. The benefits of the software are just too many to ignore. It's always best to implement a new business solution sooner rather than later. If you wait, you miss out on valuable data tracking the opportunity to enhance your processes as soon as possible. 

The overall cost savings you'll receive from the new management system will outweigh the initial investment in the software. While you should incorporate a shipping management solution as soon as possible, you also want to make sure you're fully prepared for the transition. 

Create a strategic business plan that reviews the long-term benefits of the solution. You should also have a plan for implementing the new system throughout the company. You want to set your team up for success, so take a few steps to prepare. 

1. Start by assigning a project manager to oversee the implementation and training for the new system.
2. You should also have an integration timeline in place. The timeline should include budget details, action points, and employee communications.
3. Next, set up meetings with various departments to discuss how their data will work with the new program.
4. Finally, ensure you have a clear communication method to keep your employees informed throughout the process.  

Freight management system integration may seem like a complicated process, but it's actually quite simple. Once have a clear integration plan in place, you'll be ready to implement a new freight management solution. So, start developing a plan now, and then research your freight management solutions.  

Here's a freight management solution for you to consider: CarrierPORTAL 

Interested in a more efficient shipping process that simplifies assigning carriers and tracking shipments? 

Easily track and manage your freight with a carrier communication software to improve your supply chain transparency. With ShipERP’s CarrierPORTAL, your carriers can send you real-time updates of the freight’s status from pick-up to delivery. 

No need to worry about the location of your shipments! Thanks to the tracking notification capabilities, your customers aren’t left wondering when they’ll receive their packages. Improve your supply chain processes AND satisfy your customers with one freight management solution! 

See for yourself how management solutions can positively impact your business. Sign up for a free product demo of ShipERP's carrier communication software CarrierPORTAL.