The State of Freight
Better Days Ahead

Challenging Times
The U.S. economy and the economies of nations around the world have seen some very difficult times over the last 12 months. Crises in the housing, credit and financial markets have sent repercussions through virtually every corner of our society, and the transportation industry has not been immune.

As inventories and orders have decreased, so have carriers' volume and the number of lanes they service. With the recent near-insolvency of two of the country's largest automakers, and the ripple effect their plight has on thousands of support businesses, the situation for the logistics sector has only gotten more troublesome and tenuous.

Optimism Ahead
It's not all doom and gloom in the freight industry, however. While a few carriers have closed their doors and others have closed terminals or trimmed lanes, those carriers weathering the storm are positive about what the future holds. Many of Unishippers' carrier partners are adapting to the tumult in the market and are well positioned for explosive growth when the inevitable turnaround begins.

Like all recessions before it, the one we currently find ourselves in will come to an end. Surviving and thriving during tough times is the true test of a company's mettle, and Unishippers and its carrier partners are up to the challenge.

The Unishippers Advantage
Better than any other shipping provider, Unishippers is prepared to help its customers weather this economic storm and emerge all the stronger. Our commitment to quality service, unmatched support, outstanding discounts and a wide variety of superb carrier choices has never been greater.

One of the greatest advantages Unishippers enjoys is its Freight Manager tool. This invaluable online shipping program offers access to more than thirty national, regional and super regional carriers and is constantly updated as lanes change and carriers close or shift terminals. This means that Unishippers customers will always have access to the most accurate transit routes and estimates, with the least chance of lost or damaged shipments.

Unishippers also uses its partnership with freight carriers to negotiate even more competitive rates than have been available previously. There has never been a better time to ship with Unishippers. With more carriers and more lane options, Unishippers customers enjoy unparalleled levels of choice and control over their shipping.

As glimmers of hope begin to appear on the economic horizon, Unishippers and its valued carrier partners have positioned themselves to provide their customers with the best tools, service and value proposition in the industry. And in an uncertain economy, there's no better feeling than knowing you have a rock-solid, trusted shipping advisor.

Customer Chronicles
Laurentano Sign Gets the Word Out

For over 60 years, Laurentano Sign has been in the business of spreading information. As one of the top full-service sign manufacturers in the United States, Laurentano has acquired a reputation of excellence in its industry, and has hundreds of customers that will testify to the quality and craftsmanship of its products.

Laurentano manufactures a wide variety of signage items, including monuments, marquee letters, enormous displays, and small interior signage. Though quite different in size and content, all of Laurentano’s products share the same goal: getting the customer’s message out as professionally, attractively and quickly as possible.

To this end, Laurentano often finds that its customers have unique needs and extremely tight timetables. That’s where Unishippers, Laurentano’s trusted shipping partner, comes in. “A lot of times I will call to do a shipment, and there’s not even a day’s notice,” says Darren Madigan, Laurentano’s head of Purchasing. “Unishippers is able to get me a truck in a timely fashion, and the Bill of Lading is done accurately. They seem like they just drop everything to meet my needs, and I really appreciate that.”

Unishippers has been meeting the shipping needs of Laurentano for over a year, and the partnership has been extremely beneficial. “Unishippers dropped in at a good time,” recalls Darren. “At the time, we were using a single freight expediter, and we found out we were not getting the best service or the best deal. We felt like there was something better out there that would save us money and not compromise service.”

Unishippers turned out to be the perfect solution to Laurentano’s situation. Beyond the pricing advantage Unishippers was able to offer, its exceptional reliability and dedicated customer are what have kept Laurentano’s business month after month. According to Darren, “The great thing about Unishippers is it’s not just the money you save - the reliability factor is huge. I can just call them up and know that they will see my shipment through from start to finish, any time.”

Overall, Laurentano couldn’t be happier with the exceptional shipping and customer service Unishippers provides. “I love my Unishippers shipping consultant, Darren declares. “He’s always available, and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. We have some unique needs, and Unishippers has gotten great at accommodating that. I can’t imagine a company being more flexible and adaptable to our needs.”

Did U Know?
Perfecting the Packaging Process

There are many items to worry about when making shipping arrangements: arranging pickup time, filling out the label or BOL correctly, accurate rate estimates, etc. While all of these things are important, an item that is equally important, but often overlooked, is proper packaging.

Using too much, too little or the wrong kind of packaging can result in higher parcel charges, and delayed or damaged shipments. A little knowledge and extra effort goes a long way in helping to avoid these issues. The following tips are easy ways to ensure that your packaging process is a help, and not a hindrance, to a successful shipment:

• Used equipment can often be bulky and unwieldy. Such items should be crated or otherwise protected for shipping. All too often, industrial equipment is shipped unprotected, resulting in damages and claims.
• Palletize, palletize, palletize. It takes a little longer to load and square a pallet, but it is always worth the effort. Make sure that all the boxes in the pallet are visible or make sure to note the number on the label so there is no confusion upon delivery.
• Pallets are often double-stacked, which can be very damaging to fragile items. Be sure to prominently label on fragile shipments that they should not be stacked.
• Wrapping your pallets tightly will ensure their arrival with all boxes intact.
• If the item you are shipping is of high value, consider purchasing additional insurance, even if you have properly packaged the item.

By perfecting your packaging process, you can ensure that your shipment arrives at its destination in the most cost-effective, timely and undamaged manner possible.

Saving You Time, Trouble and Money
Dim Weights: What You Need to Know

Accurately declaring shipment dimensions is more important now than ever before. As carriers struggle with lower shipment volumes and revenues, they are performing more audits that result in back charges.

The easiest way to avoid these issues is to ensure that you are consistently and accurately declaring the dimensions of every item you ship. It only takes a few seconds to measure the exact height, length and width of your shipment, but it can be very costly in terms of time and money to have a dispute with your carrier when back charges are incurred due to incorrect information.

A good rule of thumb with dim weights is that it is generally more cost-effective to ship smaller, denser packages than larger, lighter ones. This is because boxes of large, light items take up more valuable space in trucks without adding much weight. Being judicious in your usage of packing and filler materials, along with compressing your shipment into the smallest boxes common sense dictates will help you avoid unnecessary charges.

The formulas for calculating dim weight vary between ground, international and freight shipments. For both domestic air and ground shipments, the formula is Length X Width X Height / 194. For international shipments, the formula is Length X Width X Height / 166. For domestic freight, the factors of 194, 225 and 250 are commonly used. Your local Unishippers representative will be happy to assist you with this and any other aspect of your shipment. As noted, when it comes to dim weight, a little up front effort saves a lot of time, trouble and money later.

Correct Classification and Reweigh

Unishippers customers often have questions about proper classification of their freight shipments. It is extremely important to be educated on your shipment's classification. Failure to do so will result in a reweigh and reclassification by the carrier, which can be accompanied by additional costs and possible delays. It is up to the customer, not the carrier, to know a product's class.

Because there are many different types of products shipped every day; each is defined according to their makeup by classification. There are 18 classes total; what class a product falls into is determined by its density, loadability and stowability. Your Unishippers shipping consultant can quickly and easily help you determine which class your shipment falls into.

Once you have determined the class of your shipment, make sure the correct class or NMFC number is clearly coded on each bill of lading in order to accurately declare the identity of the shipped products. Besides incurring additional fees and transit time, an incorrect class code can be costly if your shipment is damaged or lost, because carriers use the commodity description when determining what they are liable for.

Reweighs are becoming an increasingly common method for carriers to increase revenue. Providing a correct weight of a shipment on a bill of lading is a simple way to avoid this hassle and enjoy a smooth shipping process. Be sure to add the weight of the pallet with the product.