Category: Freight Loads

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Freight Loads Trucker News

Truck Freight Charges

If you are planning a business venture that will require you to ship your products by truck, the freight charges to do so will be one of the major expenses you need to plan for. Without properly calculating those charges, you won’t be able to put together a realistic business plan. Truck freight is arranged through trucking companies and freight brokers; charges for the same shipment may differ quite widely between them. To figure truck freight charges you will need to provide as much information as possible on what you’re planning to ship, and time to gather quotes.

Contact someone at the freight’s destination point and find out how the shipment will need to be unloaded. The freight hauler will need to know whether there will be a forklift or a loading dock, or whether hand loading is required. This will determine what type of truck is used, especially if the load needs a truck with a powered lift gate. You will also need to provide similar information about the pickup location.

Weigh your shipment and measure its length, width, and height. Multiply the length by the width and the height to calculate volume, then divide the shipment’s weight by its volume to calculate its density. The density of the shipment determines what freight class it falls in.

Note the type of packaging used for the shipment. This is especially important if your shipment is made up of large objects or objects not packed in the standard form of corrugated cardboard boxes on wooden pallets. You will need to provide this information to potential haulers before you can get a quote.

Contact local trucking lines or a shipping broker. Online freight brokers can be found by searching online for “Truck Freight Brokers.” These companies will obtain quotes from several carriers at once, often with discounts. Trucking companies can be located through your state trucking association. Each state has an association of carriers. Contact the American Trucking Associations for information on how to reach your state association.

Talk to a customer service representative from the broker or trucking line. You will need to provide the information you’ve gathered on the size of your shipment and its loading/unloading requirements. You will also need to tell them if you require extra service such as cash-on-delivery. The companies will then provide you with an estimated price for the shipment.

Compare the different estimates. Check to see whether you could be on the hook for any other charges, such as those for badly loaded pallets or increases in fuel prices. Although these quotes may not exactly match how much you will be charged for the hauling service as the shipment may be slightly bigger or smaller they should be close

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Freight Loads

Freight Handler

Freight handlers load, unload, move and sort freight in many environments using a variety of equipment. When you become a freight handler, you’ll not only be responsible for moving freight safely and efficiently, you’ll have a chance to use your analytical, math and communication skills. Freight handlers work in all industries, from airlines and shipping companies to grocery chains and railroads.

Take note of your potential job duties. Freight handler may load and unload cargo, fill and drain shipping containers, operate lifts and dollies to transport materials through storage facilities and use machinery to band materials together and secure them to pallets.

Develop basic math and record-keeping skills that can be used on the job. A freight handler may weigh and count items, record the condition of items received, calculate the storage capacity of a container and use computers to prepare shipping labels and orders.

Be physically prepared to become a freight handler. Many employers require that freight handlers be able to lift between 30 and 75 lbs. unassisted. Freight handlers must be able to bend, reach, lift and stand for entire shifts. Work environments are often noisy and temperatures may be extreme.

Meet basic employer requirements. Employers often provide on-the-job training for operating equipment such as forklifts, but they may require that you have a valid driver’s license, chauffeur’s license or commercial driver’s license and a clean driving record.

Be prepared to provide documentation such as a high school diploma or GED for most freight handler jobs. Many employers also conduct background checks and require drug screening

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Freight Loads

Find Truck Freight

When you are a trucker who is paid by the mile, you know that if your wheels aren’t turning, you’re not earning. It’s a fact of life in the trucking world. That means scheduling loads back to back is crucial. Sometimes finding that next load can be a challenge though. If you don’t know where to look for loads, you’re going to spend valuable time sitting. Once you learn the ins and outs, however, you’ll be able to find loads with ease.

Purchase a subscription to a freight load board an online listing of available freight nationwide. Average fees range from $35 to $50 per month. These boards contain hundreds of loads for you to choose from. You can sort loads by point of origin, destination, type of freight and other variables. One examples of these board is findfreightloads.com.

Purchase a subscription to an online freight load board and list your services there. Many shippers use these boards to locate an available truck to haul their loads. This improves your odds of finding freight because shippers are able to view your information and contact you directly when they have a load. To list your services, purchase a membership to the board, choose the “post” option and enter your contact information and the types of loads you can haul. Click “save” when done to post your services.

Stop in a nearby truck stop and use one of the free computerized load boards. A limited selection of loads are listed on the boards, with more available when you purchase a subscription. Truck stops are a great place to get a line on available freight from other truckers who are already loaded and headed out of the area. Load boards in truck stops scroll freight listings continuously. When you see a load that matches your needs, jot down the contact information and call the company immediately.

Use a freight broker a business or an individual who matches drivers with loads. While brokers charge for their services between 5 and 11 percent of the transportation charge if the load pays enough, you’ll still make money and avoid the losses that downtime brings. Choose a reputable broker by checking the company’s Better Business Bureau rating or running a credit check on the company.

Contact local companies directly to ascertain if they have outgoing loads in need of a driver. When a company is having a hard time scheduling a pick up, it’ll jump at the chance to get its freight out of its yard and onto the road when you call.

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Freight Loads

Way to Secure Cargo Containers

Cargo is transported by many means, such as truck, boat, train and plane over land, air and sea. In all instances, the cargo must be secured, not only on the outside but on the inside, as well.

Securing the Interior Cargo
The cargo on the inside of the cargo container needs to be prevented from shifting, which can damage the cargo. This is done most commonly with lashing tie-downs that attach to lashing bars, corner posts or steel rings on the floor or walls of the container; the securing straps are then ratcheted snugly to prevent shifting. Expandable braces are also used to fill dead space.

Securing the Exterior of the Container
Securing the exterior of the cargo is essentially the same concept as securing the interior. The transporter doesn’t want the cargo to move, gaining inertia that could damage the cargo or the vessel. Most often, heavy-duty ratcheting tie downs are used to strap down the cargo container to secure steel points. Also, friction increasing material is often affixed to the location of the cargo to prevent unnecessary shifting.

Additional Securing Devices
The following is a list of commonly used tools to secure cargoes: netting,cable, ropes, latching belts, steel wire, plastic wrapping, chains, nylon tape and tensioners.

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Freight Loads Trucker News

How to Voluntarily Revoke Hauling Authority

Long-haul drivers transport goods in semi-trailers across the country. Drivers can work in a freight fleet for a hauling company, as a self-employed transport hauler or as part of the company that needs the goods delivered to customers. To be able to haul freight, drivers must file an application for an operating authority license. A driver can voluntarily revoke his license when stopping his hauling operation due to retirement or closing of his hauling company. The driver must file a Form OCE-46, Request for Revocation of Registration, with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance division.

Request an OCE-46 application. You can request the form by telephone at 866-637-0635 or by downloading it from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website. (See Resources.) Enter the docket number and the name of the carrier, freight forwarder or broker who has requested the revocation of operating authority. Write in the address of the requesting carrier. Select the appropriate box for which operating authority you have: common, contract or broker.

Write the reason for your request. Print the name of the person who has authorization to submit the request along with a daytime telephone number.

Have the signature notarized or sign it in the presence of an FMCSA staff member. Mail the original form to the FMCSA.

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Freight Loads

How to Find Laod Transport

Finding load transport has been made easier with the advent and usage of the Internet.www.findfreightloads.com for instance, is one of the most reliable websites in providing transport solutions and especially for heavy loads that local transport firms may not cater for. However, the telephone directories and classified ad sections of local dailies can suffice for any sort of load transport service.

Information about registered large carriers like light aircraft, cargo planes, helicopter load carriers, haulers or railroad freight movers can be found at state departments in charge of transport and on government ministry websites.

Connect to the Internet and on the search engine search bar, type findfreightloads.com From this site, you can find a host of other services like fleet management, heavy hauling, tracking, lubricants, logistics and moving, indicated by links.

Select the truck or load to be transported from thousands of truck load carriers, freight brokers and direct shippers. Click on the company names to get the details of the services they offer, location and contacts, among other details. Many load transport companies operate within the USA, with a few being transnational within Europe and North America.

Click on Details at the bottom of the page when your load board displays the load. This will give you the routing and mileage information of that company or carrier. The details on mileage and direction of the road from the origin to its destination in this page will offer you the choices for the destination of your load from which you can pick the most fair-priced.

Fill in the details of your load or truck request in the areas indicated as well as the origin and destination of the load. Complete the process by sending the details. Load transport firms can be accessed from Rightnowloads.com Checking under the sub directory will yield names of freight carriers, load companies, carriers, cargo firms, haulers and general transport companies.

Pay for the load transport service. Depending on the kind of load transport, the location of the load and its destination, clients are required to make payments using their debit or credit cards if the transaction is online. In case the physical location of the company is verifiable, payments can be made by cash or check.

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Freight Loads Lifestyle

How Does a Freight Forwarding Company Work?

When you had to get a product from one place to another, it used to be that you’d call a shipper who would send a truck over, pick it up and take it to wherever it was supposed to go. Today, though, international trade, fuel prices and economic considerations have conspired to make that trip for one pallet of widgets increasingly more expensive. Container shipping has solved the problem of distance, allowing one or more companies to combine shipping to a single destination.

The people who coordinate the movement of goods from place to place and put together a series of carriers to get it there used to be called “brokers.” Today they’re called “freight forwarding companies,” since they are responsible for delivery of goods as well as coordinating their movement.

Freight forwarding companies may have begun as direct shippers, but they all act as brokers, too. Your products may be picked up on pallets at your warehouse by a truck with the name of the freight forwarding company on it, but between your warehouse and your “load’s” destination, it may switch carriers from truck to airplane to train or ship and back to truck again. The logistics of this is up to the freight forwarder. He’s responsible for keeping track of the shipment as well as arranging for a network of carriers that provide the fastest or least expensive alternative–whatever you the shipper wants. Most freight forwarders have a computerized reporting system to locate a shipment that customers can check to find out where their property is at any time.

Freight carriers have only their own licensing, accounting and legal compliance with which to concern themselves. Freight forwarders must be licensed as carriers in all states where they operate, and forwarders who operate internationally must have the appropriate import and export licenses in each country in which they work. In addition, forwarders, acting as prime contractors, must check to make sure that each carrier they employ has proper licensing for the assignment, including maritime and aviation licenses. A freight forwarder must develop a unique system, known as logistics, to track each shipment, confirm carrier changes and follow up on deliveries as goods move along. The broker must package shipments properly, order containers and deliver them in place for carriers that require them.

Forwarders also frequently employ customs specialists to manage international shipments, including export and import declarations. Since freight forwarders act as authorized agents with power of attorney for clients, most have accounting and legal staff to ensure compliance with interstate and international regulations. The forwarding company collects and consolidates all carrier and supplier billing, bills the customer and distributes payments to individual carriers and suppliers. Modern freight forwarders are much more than just shipping brokers or freight carriers. They are managers responsible for the efficient movement of billions of dollars worth of goods over dozens of countries every day.

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Freight Loads Lifestyle

How to Load Pallets

At first blush, the issue of pallet loading may seem mundane put some boxes on a pallet and load it onto a truck. Yet the money, research and mathematical studies that have been invested in the subject are extensive. When talking about pallet loading, there are two issues: the actual loading of the pallets themselves and the loading of the pallets onto truck, train or plane.

For the transportation industry, pallet loading like parcel loading or any other type of cargo has to weigh factors of labor, efficiency and time. It’s a juggling act that has been elevated to an art form.

Inspect the cargo on the pallets to be loaded onto the truck. This is the most critical step in the entire pallet-loading process. Square or rectangular boxes are the simplest cargo to handle. Round or cylindrical-shaped objects pose a bigger challenge. Odd-shaped cargo calls for an entirely different approach. Weight also is a major consideration. All these factors will determine how the pallets will be loaded.

Check the size of the trailer or container to be loaded. Standard tractor-trailer trucks have a trailer size of 8 feet 6 inches wide by 14 feet high and 53 feet long. Shorter single-body trucks have 40-foot-long cargo spaces. Your loading technique will be determined by these factors, and whether or not the trailer already contains any freight.

Straight-load your pallets if the cargo is very heavy and there is little or no chance of the load shifting during transportation. Straight-loading is the quickest method because pallets are 40 inches wide by 48 inches deep and there is plenty of room for the forklift operator to maneuver and load two rows of pallets. This technique also must be employed if the pallets are “two-way,” meaning that they are built in such a way that allows the forks access on only two sides—namely on the sides of the pallets that are 40 inches wide. This method doesn’t maximize trailer space, however, and may make shifting a problem with lighter or unstable freight.

Load the pallets in the “turned” or sideways method to maximize space utilization and to ensure a tight, secure fit. The 48-inch-wide profile of the pallets using this method, multiplied by two, leaves only six inches of space width-wise in the trailer. The pallets must be four-way, or capable of accepting forks on all four sides.

Use the “pin-wheel” method to load tall or unstable cargo. Pin-wheeling is basically alternating the pallets between the straight and turned styles. This interlocking technique increases the stability of the load. The method is particularly effective for loading items such as light cartons or boxes that are stacked high and are unstable, often even when not in motion.

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Freight Loads Trucker News

Delivery Jobs That Pay Per Mile

Many people who do delivery jobs get paid for their work based not on how much time it takes them, but on how many miles they travel. This helps to provide a wage that is related to the amount of useful work the deliverer does, as well as the amount of wear and tear on the delivery vehicle, which the deliverer often owns and must maintain.

OTR Truckers

OTR stands for “over the road,” and refers to long-haul truckers who deliver between cities, usually in large tractor-trailers. Many of these truckers own their own vehicles and work as sub-contractors for contractors who need materials moved.

Truckers who are paid by the mile submit a bid to the company for the work. They try to bid low enough to get the job, yet high enough to make some money. The amount per mile that OTR truckers make can vary widely, from 25 cents to a dollar per mile, depending on the size of the load, the distance that it needs to be taken, and sometimes other factors, such as whether it is hazardous material.

Delivery Drivers

Delivery drivers of all kinds exist in large cities, where thousands of different items need to change hands every day. Some delivery drivers work for a fixed hourly wage, while others are paid by the mile. Some work for a wage, but also get a mile-based stipend that covers the cost of wear and tear and fuel for their vehicles.

City driving is far harder on a vehicle than OTR driving, because of the frequent starting and stopping. So, the reimbursement for vehicle degradation is an important part of a delivery driver’s pay. If a driver does this work for any length of time, his vehicle will very quickly begin to show its age.

Couriers

Couriers are similar to delivery drivers, but often deliver only information or papers, often of a nature that requires very quick delivery. Some urban couriers work in cars, others on scooters, and others on bicycles. Bicycle couriers are effective in large cities because they can bypass the automotive gridlock that slows traffic. Couriers may be paid by the mile directly, or indirectly in the form of sector-based rates: the more sectors a courier is required to pass through, the higher the pay for the delivery.

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Carriers Freight Loads

Canadian Transportation of Dangerous Goods Training

Transportation of dangerous goods training in Canada falls under Transport Canada, a department of the federal government, which regulates the transportation of dangerous goods by road, rail, water or air and sets out training criteria for companies transporting dangerous goods. Transport Canada does not accredit specific courses or training centers, but enables companies to use whatever methods are best suited to their operation and the needs of their employees.

Transport Canada’s definition of adequate training includes having sound knowledge of all topics related directly to the required tasks and specific kinds of dangerous goods a worker moves, offers to transport or handles during the course of their work. Topics that training may cover include dangerous goods safety marks requirements, safe handling and transportation practices for dangerous goods, and how to operate equipment used to handle or transport dangerous goods. Other important topics include reasonable emergency procedures to reduce or eliminate danger to public safety that results or could result from an accidental release of dangerous goods.

Transport Canada requires workers who handle, offer for transport or transport dangerous goods to be trained and possess a training certificate in handling or transporting dangerous goods or only perform tasks involving dangerous goods while under the direct supervision of an employee who does possess a training certificate in transporting dangerous goods. Handling encompasses loading and unloading, packing or unpacking and storing materials and covers jobs such as cargo handler, lift truck operator, dock worker, shipper/receiver, freight handler and warehouse operator. Examples of workers whose jobs include offering for transport include dispatchers, office workers who prepare documents, shippers, freight forwarders and billers.

Training in the handling and transportation of dangerous goods can be delivered through formal classroom training, on-the-job training or experience gained under the supervision of an adequately trained employee.

Employers who are reasonably satisfied that their employees are sufficiently trained to perform duties related to that training are required to issue those employees training certificates that include the name and address of the employer’s place of business, the employee’s name, the expiry date of the training certificate and the aspects of handling or transporting dangerous goods that the employee is trained for, including specific topics.

Those who employ a person who is a member of a ship’s crew may have a reasonable expectation that the employee’s certificate of competency, issued under Marine Certification Regulations, is acceptable evidence of adequate training. In this case, the employer does not have to issue a training certificate. Training certificates are valid for three years, except in the case of transport by aircraft, when they expire after two years. Training certificates or copies of them must be provided to inspectors immediately upon request.

Valid documents issued to a truck driver of a vehicle licensed in the United States or to a member of a train crew for the transportation of dangerous goods in the U.S. are considered valid evidence of dangerous goods transportation training in Canada. Documents certifying training in dangerous goods transportation issued to members of airport flight crews or ship crews from outside Canada are also accepted as proof of training, as long as the aircraft or ship is registered in a member country of the International Civil Aviation Organization or the International Maritime Organization.