Category: Freight Loads

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Freight Loads Trucker News

How to Determine Freight Class for Truck Shipping

All items that move by ground in the United States are subject to regulations administrated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Commonly know as the DOT, this agency regulates safe ground commerce by enforcing guidelines for trucking companies that handle freight. The NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) breaks down all shippable items in categories into which all freight must be properly classified prior to being shipped. To the surprise of many first-time shippers, each classification code affects the cost of transportation. In order to avoid confusion and possible fines for infractions, it is imperative to properly classify freight.

Determine what item is going to be shipped. Make a list of items to be shipped if there are more than one. Describe in great detail what the item is made of, its purpose, its value and its condition. Weigh and measure the dimensions of all packages being shipped. MNFC classification codes are extremely detailed, so any additional details, such as types of packaging, is helpful.

Contact a local LTL carrier. An LTL (less than truckload) carrier is a trucking company that consolidates various customers’ orders to fill trucks. Contacting a local LTL carrier is easiest by calling during business hours, but is also possible in many case online.

Give a description of the item to ship, along with all additional information, to LTL carrier. List all items that follow under different classification numbers, so that an accurate price can be quoted. The trucking company will help you classify the items by looking up the freight in the MNFC classification manual.

Calculate the density of the freight. Density is calculated by dividing pounds by cubic feet. Classifications are determined not only by classification number, but by density.

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Freight Loads Lifestyle

How to Get Started in Hotshot Trucking

Freight companies normally hire and use huge semi-trailer trucks when transporting goods across the country. Hotshot trucking refers to using trucks that are smaller than a semi-trailer. Hotshot trucking takes up less space than a semi-trailer, the ride is more smooth, and looking for contract work Is much less of a hassle. In this article you will easily learn how to get started in hotshot trucking by learning what kind of truck to buy and how to look for work.

Determine who you will be hauling for. Leasing yourself and your rig to a trucking company is the preferred route to making fast and easy profits. Trucking companies find all the loads for you and take care of any bills and collections due. Normally you keep eighty percent of the profits, while they keep twenty percent which is a good deal.

Contact the terminal manager of the company you chose to work with. Submit to him your application and wait to get accepted. Once you get accepted he will send you out for a complete medical exam and a drug test which you must pass. This process can take a day or two.

Purchase your trailer. Buy your rig only after you get accepted by the company you chose to haul for. This is because you want to buy a rig that meets their requirements. The best and affordable type of rig you should buy is one that is 10.71 tons, spring loaded dove tail, dual tire and a tandem axle. These specifications will meet most shippers’ requirements.

Buy your truck. Your truck has to be a dually and diesel. If it isn’t diesel, trade it for one that is. A gas engine will not last long enough to complete those numerous trips you will be assigned to do. Get the biggest and longest truck which has four-wheel drive if you can afford it. Longer trucks will make your ride better compared to the short ones. Also make sure the cabin is spacious so you can sleep in it after completing a long drive. Keep your truck simple and don’t spend too much on designs.

Get your truck and trailer inspected by the United States Department of Transportation. After the DOT inspects your truck and trailer, you will receive stickers that say your truck and trailer have met their requirements. It is important that you make sure you get the correct inspection or your trucking company will send you back. Now you are ready to report to your terminal manager for your first job. Bring a notebook so you can write down what they want you to do and not forget anything.

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Freight Loads Trucker News

How to Calculate Trucking Rates?

Over-the-road trucks transport everything from food to electronics to construction equipment. Truckers get their loads from companies and brokers, even other truck companies. Regardless of where the load comes from, the company must set a reasonable rate for the load. When trucking companies are asked to transport a load, they often quote a per-mile rate. For example, if a broker states that she has a load from Miami to Los Angeles, the trucking company will state that they need $2 per mile to run the load, while the shipper will quote an overall price for the load. Trucking rates are calculated on a per-mile basis.

Calculate the mileage between the starting and destination points. For this example, the trip begins in Atlanta and ends in Miami.

Divide the overall rate by the number of miles from the start to destination. The rate in this case is $3,100, and the mileage between Atlanta and Miami is 680 (3,100 / 680 = 4.56). The per-mile rate is $4.56.

Calculate the cost of transporting the load. On average, the truck gets 5.5 mpg. The truck will use 123 gallons of diesel for the 680-mile trip, and $3 is the cost per gallon of diesel (123 x 3 = 369). The transportation cost is $369.

Multiply the truck driver’s hourly rate by the length of time needed to complete the trip. The truck averages 60 mph. The 680-mile trip will take about 11 hours (680 / 60 = 11.33). If the driver pay rate is $12 per hour, the cost for the driver is $132 (11 x 12 = 132).

Add the gas cost and the truck driver pay ($369 + $132 = $501).

Divide the total cost of the trip by the number of miles in the trip (501 / 680 = 73.7). The cost of the trip is 74 cents per mile.

Subtract the per-mile cost of the trip from the per-mile rate to arrive at the per-mile profit of the trip ($4.56 – $0.74 = $3.82). The per-mile profit is $3.82.

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Freight Loads Lifestyle

Advantages and Disadvantages of Inter modal Freight Transportation

Intermodal freight transportation involves moving freight by using two or more modes of transportation. Typically, transportation modes include truck, railroad and steamship. Although transportation by air also is possible, the method is costly. Intermodal freight transportation positively influences our global economy by controlling the way we move our goods. Nevertheless, some factors need to be kept in consideration to avoid restricting the value of intermodal fright transportation.

A truck moves an empty container to the shipper. The shipper loads the container with goods. The truck transports the loaded container to port. At the port, the container is loaded onto the steamship, which is forwarded to the port of destination. The container is driven to the warehouse of the receiver shortly after being discharged at the port of destination.

Intermodal freight transportation gives you flexibility with how you want to move your freight. Additionally, you have the opportunity to be creative in finding the most efficient way to move your freight. Generally, this process involves at least two modes of transportation. The more efficiently you plan, the more money you will save.

Intermodal freight transportation may be costly depending on the number of modes of transportation. Some downfalls to intermodal freight transportation involve the high costs that are associated with moving freight by using several types of modes of transportation. Lack of communication and idle time of equipment will increase transportation costs. Similarly, equipment that moves from one location to another empty also adds to the costs.

A supply chain is defined as three or more organizations that are directly linked upstream or downstream in the flow of products or services as they move from the source to the customer. Intermodal freight transportation plays a major role in enabling organizations in a supply chain to respond to market changes by providing them with options. Organizations within a supply chain use intermodal freight transportation to cooperate and assist each other in maximizing profits. This cooperation is achieved by sharing information and communicating their needs to each other.

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Business Freight Loads

Elevated Methods of Moving freight

Several different types of equipment move freight from one location to another. Depending on whether you are moving freight inside a building or outside in a storage area, you should use the best equipment to stack the freight.

Elevated freight equipment uses chains and hooks to pneumatically lift the freight high off the ground. Workers should engage in safety practices and have the required training concerning the equipment they plan to operate to elevate the freight for movement.

Move freight inside the warehouse with hoisting equipment. This hoisting equipment consists of a mechanical crane elevated above the warehouse floor that can be moved by a hoist operator. Attach the freight to the hoist with lifting cables and hooks.

Push the button on the pendant control to hoist the equipment off the warehouse floor. Guide the hoist with the freight by using the pendant control, which is a control box on a long cord that operates the hoist above. Lower the hoist and freight once you have moved it to a new location in the warehouse.

Move the freight from the warehouse with a telescoping boom attached to a forklift. Slide the lifting cables around the freight and hook the chain to the telescoping boom at the rear of the forklift. Ensure the freight is stable and centered on the forklift to prevent the machine from tipping over by the sheer weight.

Drive the freight to the necessary area. Lift the freight to the required height and stack it. Detach the chain and lower the telescoping boom to a normal height.

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Freight Loads

Ford, Toyota Partner for Light-Truck Hybrid System

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK. Ford’s former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of India in March 2008. In 2010 Ford sold Volvo to Geely Automobile. Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines. Henry Ford’s methods came to be known around the world as Fordism by 1914.

Toyota Motor Corporation commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world’s largest automobile manufacturer by production. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father’s company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Three years earlier, in 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries, it created its first product, the Type A engine, and, in 1936, its first passenger car, the Toyota AA. Toyota Motor Corporation group companies are Toyota (including the Scion brand), Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino Motors, along with several “non-automotive” companies. TMC is part of the Toyota Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

Today, Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation have announced plans to collaborate on development of a rear-drive hybrid system for light trucks and SUVs.

While both companies have been working independently on hybrid setups for trucks, they found common ground upon entering discussions about a possible collaboration, according to a news release. The system will be based on all-new architecture and share common components, but Ford and Toyota will individually integrate the system into their vehicles and calibrate the system’s performance, according to the release. The companies believe they can introduce hybrid technology to trucks and SUVs faster and more affordably together than either could by working alone.

“This is the kind of collaborative effort that is required to address the big global challenges of energy independence and environmental sustainability,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda called the deal, “an important building block for future mobility in the U.S.”

Ford and Toyota will also work together on standards and technologies to help improve their vehicles’ telematics systems. While currently in the preliminary stages, the companies expect to formalize the agreement next year.

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Freight Brokers Freight Loads

Freight Broker Training Course – How to Become A Freight Broker

The freight broker training program by FreightBrokersCourse.com is a meticulously designed and planned training program by the industry experts. If you are aspiring to become a successful freight broker then, you can lay the foundation of this reaping freight broker business with FreightBrokersCourse.com. The Freight broker course offered here is exceptional when compared to other similar training programs. Our program targets at the comprehensive assistance that is required by new candidates especially when they are new to the industry itself.

Freight Broker Training
Freight Broker Training
The FreightBrokersCourse comes at half the price and double the features of other online broker courses. Moreover, we don’t only sell the course and leave you wandering in the industry. We back you up with our strong transportation network which we have developed in last so many years being in the industry.
The training manual is very easy to understand and outlines all the minute details which you might want to know before you start the freight broker business. This handy manual is a must have as it will resolve many of your queries at different stages while you are in the business. It comes along with the purchase of the course or can be purchased separately. The topics covered in the manual are:
• Freight Broker/Agent job description
• Setting up your business
• Becoming a freight broker
• Members involved in a freight movement transaction & their roles How to find shippers (customers)
• Contacting Shippers
• Shipper Cold Call Script
• Paperwork between broker & shipper
• Approve a shipper for business
• Calculate a freight shipment rate
• Locate trucks to move your loads using load boards
• Make sure a truck is legal & reputable
• Calculate the rate for the truck
• Paperwork between broker & carrier
• Load Tracking
• Billing & Payment
• Step by step guide to freight movement
• Factoring
The most amazing part of the FreightBrokersCourse.com is if you purchase the comprehensive course then we will offer you one year free membership of our leading load board FindFreightLoads.com. The value of this deal is $360 which you get absolutely free. This is the deal which you can get nowhere. This exclusive load board team up will provide you with immediate and effective loads and shipper matching.
Our service not just stops after providing you the required training. We at FreightBrokersCourse.com provide extensive license filing service. We assist in BOC-3 form filing, receiving the Motor Carrier Number (MC#), completing formalities for $10,000 surety bond, searching appropriate insurance agent in all 48 states. This license filing package is included when you purchase the comprehensive course or you can even buy this package separately.
At FreightBrokersCourse.com we will provide you with the needed factoring service to secure your business in any time of financial upheaval. We also offer website designing service to start your full-fledged freight broker business without a loop hole.
With our passion to serve you the best, we have arranged this all inclusive package at an unbelievable price. To know more about our service and products and to learn about our package price do visit the website: http://www.freightbrokerscourse.com. Who knows you are just a step away from your dream career.

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Freight Loads Newbies Trucker News

Load Board 2011 New Features

New Features in admin load board

How to video on how to search for available truck loads.

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Freight Factors Freight Loads

Interstate Capital Corp: Freight Factoring Services

If you are in to some trucking business then this article will help you a lot to improve your business skills and business itself. Most of the times the cash flow of the shipping and trucking industries gets interrupted because they wait for the payment which is to be paid by the enlisted companies who utilize their services. So to avoid this interruption of cash flow freight factoring is utilized.

In freight factoring the truckers are immediately paid after they have completed their work. And this payment is not concerned with the payment of the shippers for which they are actually working. The freight factoring companies like Interstate Capital firstly purchases the shipping company’s invoices and then releases funds for the carriers. Shipping companies then pay to their invoices within 30 to 40 days. The owner operators in the trucking companies keep repairs, salaries, maintenance and fuel in their minds because these are the most vital expenditures of any trucking company. And these expenses are needed to be full filled regularly after a particular time interval. Utilizing freight factoring can help you to get the payment on time to full fill all these basic expenses
Now days this freight factoring facility is also available online you can utilize facility of freight factoring by simply getting an access to the internet. You have to invoice your trucking company with the freight factoring facility providers online and they will pay you the amount immediately. Among this freight factoring providers’ one name is “interstate capital”, which is a reliable online factoring facility providing company.
Interstate Capital provides categories of freight factoring facility depending on the size of the business and automobiles used for shipment or utilized in business. They also provide fuel advances up to 40 % which helps to manage the expenses of the trucking company. Factoring rates per invoice starts at as low as 0.49% per invoice. They will mail you the invoices regularly so that you must be informed. The company provides 24/7 access to the invoice records and reports through an efficient online system. Freight factoring is more reliable than taking loans, because of the fact that the Interstate Capital charges according to the payer’s payment scale and then makes their decisions. And it is very easy to get factoring as compared to getting the loan for your business because while getting loan you have to full fill certain formalities, while Interstate Capital online proposal takes just 2 minutes. And it takes only 3 business days to fund the freight companies.
While availing the freight factoring facility, Interstate Capital provides you with the professional services of preparation of the invoices, their postage and collection. The company also provide you funding without considering the original bill of shipment and the fund transfer is also online, so it is completely electronic, which is the need of recent times. The payment is posted every day on time with out any delay. There we see that Interstate Capital gives fast and efficient solutions for the smooth running of the trucking business.
Get more of information on freight factoring at our Freight Load Board.

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Freight Loads

Best Practices For Efficient Load Safety

Although the practices followed differ a little every time with the type of commodity, location and rules pertaining to the specific sites but the general guidelines for the loading of the trucks carrying freight will be more or less the same. The safe loading of the tuck is essential to avoid any injuries to people and loss to the goods. The box truck freight that reaches the destination intact and on time is profitable to all associated with the activity.

Load restraining is the most crucial step in the loading of commodities. Load restrain helps the goods to stay in their place while the truck is moving. The best load restraint practice should be able to handle maximum force in the forward direction, followed by the force of weight sideways and rearwards. Partial weight force should be restrained vertically too.

There are few facts that should help to get the best load restraint for your trucks carrying freight:

  • Use of rope is an ineffective way to restrain loads as the tension it can bear is very less, though it may look very strongly tied.
  • It is not that the chances of loosing the goods are higher in a speeding truck; it is even more when the truck is slow.
  • Long webbed strap should be used in restraining the load, as the short chains could not be tied around well.
  • An assumption that the heavy weight load is able to restrain itself is very wrong. Both the heavy as well as light loads are likely to fall in a similar way.
  • If A load while loading is retrained well then it can withstand the same even when fully tilted and will never dislodge even in the worst of braking and swerving.
  • Load accidents are likely to happen when the journey is of city areas where the speed is low, because the restraint applied in such cases are less than for regular long distance travel. Therefore the same load restraint should be used irrespective of the journey.
  • The common assumption of checker plate deck providing more restraint than smooth plate deck is very wrong. Both are slippery the same way. The grip on the deck as well as rack can be efficiently attained by putting a strong rubber load mat underneath the load. Wood timber is effective as well.
  • Use of Conveyor belt is not as effective as rubber mat, as the conveyor belt provides slippery surface.
  • Lashings should be regularly checked during the journey as they tend to loosen up after the load settles.
  • In case the deck and the load both are slippery. Proper calculated webbing strap of required lashing capacity should be used. Inefficient lashing capacity may prove hazardous.

If proper loading techniques are followed especially the application of effective load restraint with specified performance standards it is to benefit all the parties involved; the forwarder or the consignor, the receiver or the consignee and the freight forwarding or the trucking company

Find more loads on our trucking loadboard