Why Accurately Entering Freight Characteristics is Important

Entering Freight Characteristics

When it comes to getting a shipping quote, entering the characteristics of your freight correctly is essential to getting an accurate quote. Detailed and exact information about your freight not only gives you an accurate quote, it also saves you stress, time and money.

If you enter freight information incorrectly, it could lead to delays, unexpected costs and frustration on the part of both you and the carrier. Because of this, it's important to get information right the first time and avoid the frustration of an error from the start.

Our easy instant quote tool is built to guide you through the process of entering freight information. We created this guide to help explain the importance of entering freight characteristics correctly and to detail how to enter them into our tool.

What Are Some Key Freight Characteristics?

Freight dimensions are often the first characteristic people think about when shipping goods. As much as it is important to properly describe the size and shape of your freight, there are other key characteristics when it comes to shipping.

Lift Gates

One of the most misunderstood elements of shipping is the lift gate. Your shipment will need a lift gate if it is too heavy or unwieldy (over 100 lbs or more than 72 inches tall) to manually lift into the back of a truck. If a customer indicates that a lift gate is not needed when one is necessary, that can result in delays, increase the cost, or even require the rescheduling of a shipment.

Freight Location

Though it may seem obvious, the location of your freight at the time of pickup is of paramount importance. Misstating the location of your shipment can cause the carrier to arrive with inappropriate equipment for the job at hand. If the carrier arrives with the wrong equipment because of this error, it could increase the cost of the shipment or force the shipment to be rescheduled to a later date.

Freight Description

Properly describing your shipment is an area where many first-time shippers get tripped up. Much like the previous categories, describing your freight inaccurately can lead to unprepared carriers and unexpected costs. When detailing your freight, provide a thorough description of freight dimensions, package weight and package appearance.

Our instant quote tool also includes areas to indicate whether or not the package contains hazardous materials or is temperature sensitive. It's extremely important to identify hazardous and temperature-sensitive items to prevent physical harm or damaged freight.

Get a Shipping Quote Now

Now that you know the importance of accuracy when entering freight characteristics, you're ready to get a quote for your next big shipment! Head over to our free quote tool to find the best deal for your next shipment.