Why Freight Quotes Vary So Much On A Single Shipment
If you need to ship something via freight shipping, you may be quite surprised by all of the different freight quotes you receive. How is it that one object heavy enough for freight shipping could vary so widely in costs over several companies? The answer to that question is not so simple but, once it is more clearly explained, you will know and understand why these quotes are so different.
The Quote Given Involves Freight by Air
One or more of your most expensive quotes may involve freight by air. While using air shipping helps move a heavy item much faster, anything as heavy as your object is going to cost a lot of money to load into a plane and fly it across the country. If you see a really fast shipment combined with high freight costs, ask the shipper if they are using air freight in that estimate. The answer will more than likely be "yes."
The Quote Involves Shipping over Land via Train
Slightly less expensive and a little slower than air freight, train freight shipping is still more costly than by truck alone. Your biggest variances in shipping quotes will involve all train shipping, or a combination of train and truck shipping. If you want to ship faster than by truck alone, and you are willing to pay an extra amount, you can choose one of the quotes that will include some or all of the shipping via train.
The Quote Involves Bulk Shipping
If you are able to find shipping quotes that seem unbelievably cheap, it is not that the companies are shipping particularly slow. It is often that these companies are shipping in bulk, and get discounts for shipping by tonnage rather than by item. If you do not mind your item being shipped with tons of other things in the same truck or on the same train cargo box, then you can select this shipping company for your freight shipping needs. It may even leave you with enough wiggle room to buy the extra shipping insurance, which is highly recommended when shipping something with bulk shipping.
The Shipper Makes Regular Trips to Your Destination City Already
Another reason why a quote might be much lower than you expect is that the shipper already makes frequent trips to your destination city. If your object needs to go to San Francisco, and the shipper sends trucks there three days a week anyway, your quote might be quite a bit smaller because the shipper can just put your item on one of the trucks heading into that city next. This is advantageous, but rather uncommon.
For more info, ask your chosen freight company for a specific list of your charges.
