With temperature-controlled shipping vital for moving goods from many industries, understanding the logistics can benefit the shipper. Failure to know what to expect before shipping can result in product damage leading to monetary loss.

Domestic shipping accounts for over 70 percent of the U.S. overland freight movement. With how big the trucking industry is, it’s a significant contributor to global warming.

Shipping fragile cargo by truck can be stressful, with items like glass, artwork, and electronics requiring special care to avoid damage. From delicate porcelain to valuable jewelry, these shipments demand extra attention.

The transportation process can be broken down into stages: first-mile, middle-mile, and last-mile. This article will introduce the logistics of the first mile and explain what may go wrong during this stage.

When transporting cargo domestically, the standard method uses 40ft and 20ft containers. A less conventional yet very beneficial way to ship freight is called breakbulk. Breakbulk is a method of shipping in which the hauler moves the goods without an intermodal container. Instead, the cargo is loaded into the carrier individually utilizing crates, drums, hazmat boxes, or pallets. Liquid breakbulk shipments are stored in barrels before being shipped. This differs from regular bulk, where carriers transport goods without packaging or containers.

Alongside the declining spot rates in the trucking market has been a concurrent decrease in freight volume moved. The DAT Truckload Volume Index (TVI) listed the dry van, reefer, and flatbed TVI from January to February. Both dry van and refrigerated truckloads fell close to 8%, while flatbeds surprisingly were up 7.9%. It is unclear if the decreasing amount of cargo moved is a direct cause of the lowering of transportation rates. The same can be said vice-versa; however, this can also reflect a deceleration in the trucking industry.

As technological advancements have progressed, so has the capacity of numerous industries to use AI in their services. One of the industries that have increased the use of AI in the last decade has been transportation.

With the significance domestic shipping has for cargo movement, what’s equally significant is finding a suitable carrier for cargo movement.

Choosing the wrong freight broker can turn a routine shipment into a costly mistake. A broker plays a critical role in coordinating domestic freight, and having a bad one can disrupt the shipping process.

Shippers should know what detention charges are and what causes these fees to avoid receiving them.