Month: February 2012

Government agencies will often require surety bonds to be posted for occupations where an individual is granted a higher level of responsibility. For example, most states require private investigators, process servers and title agents to post surety bonds in order to keep their license in good standing. A surety bond is essentially an unsecured insurance policy and can be drawn against should your actions damage another (physically or financially).

Determine the amount of coverage required by the institution requiring the surety bond. Also, be sure to determine whether the surety bond or power of attorney needs to be notarized, and the location to submit or “post” the bond. This information can typically be found on the institution’s website or by contacting them directly.

Contact a surety broker to apply for a surety bond. Many brokers are available, each with varying rates, so be sure to shop around for the best price.

Complete the application and return it to the broker. The broker will return a quote for the cost of the bond, typically within 48 hours. Several factors go into the price of the bond, but the most important factors are your line of work and credit history. Depending on these factors, rates can very from 1 to 15 percent of the total surety bond value annually.

Pay the fee assessed by the broker in order to be issued the surety bond. Brokers typically accept payment in the form of cash, check, money order or credit card. The original surety bond and original power of attorney will be mailed to you once payment has been received.

Do not sign the documents until you are absolutely certain that they are not required to be notarized. If they need to be notarized, take them to a notary prior to posting.

Take the surety bond and original power of attorney to the institution and post the bond. Sign the document (if not already signed and notary is not required) and give the bond to the institution representative.

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A surety bond functions as a guarantee in a business transaction. The surety bond company works with the principal, or person guaranteeing to perform work, to establish a bond amount. When you hire a person or contractor who offers a surety bond to you as a guarantee of completing the project, you can feel more secure entering into the transaction. However, if the principal does not meet his obligations, you have to file a claim, which may be approved or denied.

How the Bonds Work
To obtain a surety bond, the principal must apply with a surety bond agent. The agent either approves or denies the principal’s bond. Once approved, the principal agrees to pay a set premium amount to the surety bond company. The principal will communicate with you that he has established a bond and give you a copy of the bond paperwork. The bonding company does not agree to pay for claims, but rather the bond functions as a type of credit. If the principal defaults on the bond and you file an approved claim, the company pays and obtains the money back from the principal.

Types and Benefits
There are many types of surety bonds, but the three most common types of bonds are the bid bond, the performance bond and the payment bond. When you hire a company with a surety bond, you have the assurance that the project will be completed on time, give yourself another layer of financial security and help assure you and your organization that you are hiring well-qualified contractors who are capable of getting a surety bond.

Claim Process
If the principal person named on the surety bond does not fulfill his obligation to you, you or your company can file a surety bond claim. The company who issued the surety bond will investigate the claim, and will pay the damages up to the value of the bond if the company agrees with the claim. The surety bond company then communicates with the principal on the surety bond to receive payment for the claim. The surety company can refuse payment on the bond, and you must then contact the company yourself or through your attorney to request payment.

Claim Denial
A strongly worded letter or threatened lawsuit from your attorney may be enough to cause the surety bond company to approve the claim, provided you have complied with all the requirements on the bond and are able to prove that you did not receive the services or payments promised. However, a Virginia court case in 2007 examined whether the bond obligation was null if the claimant did not file notice in a timely manner. The court ruled in favor of the surety company, because the claimant did not follow the notification process laid out in the bond.

Considerations
When using a surety bond during a contractual process, make certain you have your attorney review the language of the bond. Make note of deadlines for claims, types of contractual breaches covered and how claims are processed and researched. If you cannot afford an attorney, and the amount of the surety bond falls under the small claims court limit in your state, you may file a breach of contract case with the small claims court in your local court.

Transportation is physically moving goods from one location to another. Selling transportation means providing customers with optimum service for an agreed-upon price. Although some customers may enjoy knowing the details of how a package moves by air, ground or overseas cargo container, most are not interested in how transportation works. What customers want to know is, “When and how much?” Transportation sales will try to answer this quickly, accurately and, most important, more competitively than the competition.

Price
Transportation pricing is based on weight and distance. As weight and distance increase, prices go up. The transportation salesperson will provide quotes for shipping to the customer. As with all sales, the salesperson’s job involves name recognition and response as much as the actual product or service delivered. Promptly providing pricing for cargo will lead to customers preferring the salesperson’s company over others that may be slightly less expensive but that are slow on returning needed information. Moving cargo is definitely not suited to waiting for someone to get back with a quote.

Transportation salespersons will know the bottom line for the company to make a profit, and possibly to insure a minimum commission for themselves. The salesperson will then take the base amount and, knowing the customer and the customer’s expectations, add an additional markup that is best for the company but low enough to ensure the order.

Scheduling
A pickup and delivery schedule tells the customer when the cargo will leave and when it will arrive at its destination. Not every transportation company will be able to meet all schedule demands. The salesperson’s job is to coordinate the service availability with the customer’s need to move a shipment in a specific time frame. When regularly scheduled air transport will not meet the deadline, then the salesperson will look at over-the-road transport.

Overseas transport can be the most exasperating to schedule because of ship traffic and intervening ports of call before arriving at a destination. If the cargo is the right size and weight, then airfreight may work much faster. If weight, size and total costs prevent using expensive airfreight, then the salesperson will have to use pervasive people skills to convince the customer that the shipping order will have to be changed. For the successful transportation salesperson, part of the job is explaining to customers that not all their demands are feasible while still getting the orders from the customers.

Packaging
Transportation salespersons also sell packaging and shipping readiness services. These can include crating, pallet loading, strapping, loading and the like. Although many large companies have their own departments preparing cargo for shipping, some smaller companies will need such services from outside. The transportation salesperson will again price for maximum profit while keeping the cost low enough to insure the customer’s order.

http://www.findfreightloads.com/

Trucking Industry plays an important role in providing transportation and distribution service in American economy. It transports and distributes commercial as well as industrial goods by using commercial motor vehicles (CMV), which are most often trucks. You will be amazed to know that over eighty per cent of all communities in the US depend on trucking industry to deliver all of their fuel, medicine, clothing and other consumer goods. The trucking industry employs approximately 10 million people out of a total population of 300 million in jobs that relate directly to trucking. Trucking is a profession that requires patience, diligence and solitude. It is not an easy profession to take part in because of its competitiveness as well as the long hours that it requires. To be successful as a trucker, you can try several strategies to make yourself both more patient and more effective on the road.

Patience
Patience during those long hours on the road is essential. It is easy for a trucker to lose control of himself and succumb to road rage over a minor infraction of another driver. Road rage for truckers is much more dangerous than for drivers of normal-sized cars because semi-trucks command so much space on the road. You have to be able to overlook the actions of other drivers and just focus on your own driving. As long as you drive defensively and patiently, you will be effective and safe on the road.
Speed
Keep in mind that, as a trucker, you are not paid by the hour, but the mile. So a trip of 500 miles will pay the same if you finish it in one day or two. Do not needlessly stop too many times. However, you must maintain a balance between speed and safety. Even though you may be in a hurry to get to your destination, you need to keep in mind that you have a massive metal trailer at your back and failure to heed those around you can cause a lot of problems. Stay safe, but do not dillydally.
Keep Busy
Long hours on the road will cause you to get drowsy. It is always a good idea to bring something along with you that will keep you awake during the long hours on the road. Music, of course, is a good thing to have. Some truckers might find that a book on tape works better. One thing that seems to work the best is sunflower seeds. Eating sunflower seeds causes your cognitive processes to continue working because you are doing something other than sitting. Take a bag of seeds on your trip, and staying awake should be simple. You will also find that the trip tends to go faster.

Shippers are companies that have a product that needs to be transported from one place to another via truck, rail, air or cargo ship. Freight brokers serve as intermediaries between the shipper and the transportation company, but a transportation company is not required to go through a broker to get a shipper as a customer. Both brokers and transportation companies use the same methods to get shippers as customers, however. Calling companies and offering proof of your experience the way to get new business.
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Determine the commodity to be shipped by researching the shipping company. Look at the company’s website to determine the products shipped. For example, if the product is food, find out if the food is canned or shipped fresh.[/box]

[box]Contact the shipper and ask for the freight manager, transportation manager or transportation department. If the product is canned, it can be transported on a non-refrigerated truck. However, if the product is fresh, a reefer, or refrigerated truck, is needed. In addition, the product must be transported at a specific temperature.[/box]

[box]Ask the freight manager if the company’s products are shipped out-of-state or in-town. If the products are shipped out-of-state, ask the start and end points of the loads.[/box]

[box]Offer to send the shipper the details about your transportation company. Obtain the contact information for the shipper. The package should contain the Motor Carriers (MC) number, insurance information, credit references and contact information.[/box]

[box]Contact the shipper in three days. This gives the freight manager enough time to receive and review the package.[/box]

[box]Demand Planner: These professionals match-up inventory levels with product demand. Experience with ERP systems such as Oracle or SAP is a great plus for those hoping to be hired for these positions. In addition, many of these individuals are certified through APICS or similar supply chain associations, and many others have obtained the level of Six Sigma Black Belt.[/box]

[box]Procurement Manager: These professionals ensure that inventory is being purchased at the lowest cost and sourced from the highest-quality suppliers. This is a hard proposition to manage, and these individuals are tasked with both analyzing the business’ supply-base as well as well as negotiating directly with suppliers. This complexity of the position requires individuals with both an analytical rigor and excellent communication skills. Many are certified through the ISM in the US or CIPS in the UK.[/box]

[box]Supply Chain Analyst: These professionals are often recent supply chain, engineering or finance university graduates, or new graduates of an MBA program. This is a great opportunity for individuals with classroom knowledge to get “real world experience” working with some of the top clients in the field. These individuals are often tasked with both analyzing and presenting their findings to important business leaders, making it an excellent destination for those that have aspirations in owning their own consulting firm, or an executive position within the supply chain itself.[/box]

[box]Distribution Center Supervisor: These professionals manage the fast-paced and highly-complex warehouse and distribution center. In addition with managing inventory as it quickly enters and leaves the DC, the supervisor is tasked with managing a blue-collar team of warehouse workers. Many individuals find this task rewarding though, and this talent pool is often sourced when executives are looking for young, talent with hands-on experience. Advanced certifications in supply chain management and logistics aren’t necessary, but basic understanding on engineering, inventory management and logistics is beneficial.[/box]

[box]3PL Business Development Manager: Because companies continue to outsource their logistics needs, third-party logistics firms (3PL) have a great opportunity for business. These professionals are tasked with gaining new clients, managing the communication, and fighting the necessary fires. A background in account management, finance, sales and marketing is great, as these individuals often have to wear many hats.[/box]

Source: http://www.warehousemanagementsystemsguide.com/