The world of logistics works with increasingly reduced times and the tendency is to try to reduce these even more. Express transport is a fundamental part of supply chains, since it makes it easier for them to work with less stock, solve emergencies and offer new possibilities to their customers.
But haste is not a good adviser. The faster we do things, the more likely we are to make mistakes, which makes our logistics operator’s job more difficult and causes us to incur undue costs. To help you grease this process, we have compiled a list of common mistakes in urgent transport that you should avoid.
Avoid these mistakes in your express transport
pay more than you owe
Is that urgent shipment really that urgent? Logistics operators know first-hand that many of the shipments that are processed as urgent were not so urgent. Getting to the extreme that there are not even people at the destination to receive the merchandise (something especially common in establishment openings). To solve this, the key is good communication between the shipper -the person or company that sends the goods- and the recipient. You will have paid more for express delivery and you may even have to pay again for a second delivery if there is no one to receive it; a bad deal.
pay less than you owe
At the opposite extreme is a peculiar case: when we are not aware of the urgency of our shipment. As in the previous point, the solution is to have a better information system. If you make a shipment with a slower delivery time than what you need and try to change it on the fly, you may have problems: you have lost a link for more urgent shipments or the delivery in your area has already left and is already there is no possibility to route it for that day.
be in too much of a hurry
The proverb is wise and we all know the saying “dress me slowly because I’m in a hurry”. Using an express transport service does not mean having to do everything on the run or having to respond to an unforeseen event. If you need an urgent transit, make sure you have all the rest of the things planned in advance: the merchandise prepared in time for you to pick it up, all the information about the recipient -telephone numbers, contact persons, schedules, peculiarities of the delivery- , document it correctly and complete the paperwork that may be necessary depending on where you are sending. Remember, what is urgent is the transit of the merchandise, not the rest.
Calculate costs by eye
Another common problem is overestimating expenses, only to find surprises later. It is possible that we are used to a type of shipment -whether due to its dimensions, its delivery times or its destinations- and we believe that a shipment that we consider to be similar will have similar costs.
It is something especially common and especially harmful in international transport, where the jumps in prices are going to be bigger than in the domestic territory.
not doing homework
This section also has special repercussions when we talk about international transport. If you have to send merchandise outside your borders, make sure you have everything well tied up. What laws affect you? What merchandise is prohibited or restricted? What taxes may you have to face and who is going to pay them? And do not only look at the country of destination, your shipments will have to comply with the legislation of all the countries through which the merchandise transits.
The two keys to avoid these mistakes: knowledge of our needs and prior planning.
Not using the appropriate packaging
There are many problems that can occur with packaging, but one of the ones that will penalize you the most in express transport is using packaging (or packaging) that is too large. Company catalogs are increasingly extensive and this increases the number and variety of sizes of their products. But this growth does not always correspond to the acquisition of packaging for transport that respond to the different dimensions. Consequently, many shipments end up using excessively large boxes.
In addition to the security problems that this implies -and that must be solved by spending more on bubble wrap or other elements that eliminate free space in order to reduce movement damage during transport-, we will end up paying to transport air, since our The shipment will weigh less than its volumetric size, which will be what you are billed for.
Wait until the last minute to request the shipment
We know that within three days we are going to finish preparing our product and that we are going to hire the most urgent delivery possible to send it. However, we wait until the last minute to notify our logistics operator. Logistics operators rely on having resources to be able to optimize transit and meet needs, including unexpected ones, but that does not mean that they will have a vehicle stopped waiting for your merchandise. The more time you can give it, the easier it will be for everyone (and you might get better costs too).
A good example to visualize it is maritime transport, in which containers are usually used. If you notify us in advance, it will be easier for your merchandise to enter without problems. If you wait until the last minute, no matter how rushed you are, you may have run out of space and have to wait until the next boat (and the difference can be days); something fateful for an express transport.
lack of realism
It is true that in urgent transport many things can be solved by assuming higher costs. Paying a direct van to move a small package is one of those things that every logistics operator has experienced due to the urgency of a client. However, being willing to pay more does not mean believing that everything is possible.
For example, an extra cost will never eliminate the obligation to go through customs or the delays that may occur there due to the retention of the merchandise. Another common clause in transport is that the delivery occurs in places with access by paved roads and your operator may be inflexible and it is not enough for you to be willing to pay more. Nor does it seem feasible to find a plane immediately despite our agreeing to pay the extra cost of air transport.
In summary, we see that these fundamental errors can be solved to a large extent through two keys: knowledge of our needs and previous planning.
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