INFOGRAPHIC: Merry Christmas in Other Languages

INFOGRAPHIC: Merry Christmas in Other Languages

At Logistics Plus, we celebrate the multi-national diversity of our employees, customers, friends and family throughout the year – and especially throughout the holiday season. It is, therefore, appropriate that we take a quick look at different ways to greet coworkers, friends and family in their native language (and put smiles on their faces by trying).

Use the infographic below (from Pixaal.com) to learn how to say “Merry Christmas” and “Santa Claus” in other countries.

Merry Christmas in other Languages

Logistics Plus Inc. (LP) provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Visit our Company Overview page to learn more about us.

INFOGRAPHIC: Shipping and the Holidays

INFOGRAPHIC: Shipping and the Holidays

It’s no secret that the holiday season has increasingly become a season for shopping. But with the development of technology, more shoppers are turning to online retailers to find the perfect gift for their loved ones, putting even more pressure on shipping companies. The infographic below shows just how busy carriers like UPS, USPS and FedEx were during the 2009 and 2010 holidays. Just imagine what these numbers must look like today!

ShippingNumbers

Logistics Plus Inc. (LP) provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Visit our Company Overview page to learn more about us.

A Holiday Greeting for Our Customers, Partners and Friends

A Holiday Greeting for Our Customers, Partners and Friends

It has been another great year, and I would like to thank all of our customers and partners for playing an important role in the growth and success of Logistics Plus. This year, your loyalty and support have helped us to be recognized as: the non-manufacturing Employer of the Year in northwestern PA (by the DevelopErie economic development agency); a top 50 freight brokerage firm (by Transport Topics magazine); and a 2015 Great Supply Chain Partner (by SupplyChainBrain magazine). It has also allowed us to give back to the community through our support of the United Way, the American Heart Association, and many other charitable organizations.

In North America, we continue to negotiate great transportation rates on your behalf, and we expanded our network to include even more reputable freight carriers and agents. With 24 locations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, we continue to provide best-in-class LTL, truckload, and freight forwarding services. We also opened a new general purpose foreign trade zone (FTZ) warehouse in Erie, PA; and we moved our Dallas/Fort Worth, TX warehouse to a larger facility – also with activated FTZ status.

On the global front, we continue to open new offices in strategic locations such as Bahrain, Egypt, and UAE, giving us over 20 more offices in 16 additional countries around the world. Our international staff continues to do an amazing job handling global shipments and unique project cargo from start-to-finish, and doing the things that other logistics companies either can’t or won’t do. As a licensed customs broker with a fully-staffed global trade compliance department, we are well-suited to help customers with all of their import and export shipping needs in the years to come.

If you worked with Logistics Plus this past year, on behalf of all our employees – thank you for your business! If we haven’t yet worked with you, I welcome the opportunity to do so in 2016. As you’ll see in the video above, we have a diverse mix of talented and caring people here at Logistics Plus – people who are creative, resourceful and willing to work 24/7/365 to help our customers be successful in all aspects of shipping and logistics. That’s how we put the “plus” in Logistics Plus.

Best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Warm regards,

Jim Berlin
Founder & CEO
Logistics Plus Inc.
www.logisticsplus.com

INFOGRAPHIC: Christmas By The Numbers

INFOGRAPHIC: Christmas By The Numbers

As one of the most observed holidays in the world, Christmas has become a time for exchanging gifts, attending parties and putting up Christmas trees. Each Christmas season, Americans alone buy more than 30 million real and artificial trees. In 2010, the United Arab Emirates spent more than $11 million to break the record for the most expensively decorated tree in the world.

Take a look at the infographic below (from History.com) for more fun facts about Christmas.

GeneralInfo

Logistics Plus Inc. (LP) provides freight transportation, warehousing, global logistics, and supply chain management solutions through a worldwide network of talented and caring professionals. Visit our Company Overview page to learn more about us.

Less Than Truckload (LTL) Accessorial Fees Explained

Less Than Truckload (LTL) Accessorial Fees Explained

Accessorial Fees imageOne of the many factors affecting LTL rates are what are known as “accessorial fees.” These include any charges applied when additional services are required to handle shipments. They are oftentimes applied and assessed after the shipment has been made, thus making them a very challenging factor to include in transportation budgets. While base rates represent the main portion of LTL freight costs, accessorial fees can easily add up leading to a significant increase in the total expense. Understanding the impact that accessorial fees have on your overall expenses can go a long way, and in some instances may even help in reducing or waiving them altogether. Here is a list of just a few of the most common LTL accessorial fees and what you can do to reduce or avoid them.

Common LTL Accessorial Fees:

 Fuel Surcharges: These are the most common accessorial fees charged by LTL carriers and are typically included on every shipment. This additional charge is due to excessive costs of diesel gas and is applied as a percentage that is based upon indices published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Fuel surcharges can vary by carrier (or 3PL/broker), so it’s always import to look at your total net costs when doing comparisons.

Lift Gate Service Fees: Lift gates enable carriers to lift and lower shipments from the ground to the truck and vice versa. Shippers usually require this service when the shipping or receiving address does not have a loading dock and since having this equipment costs carriers more money, an additional charge is required from shippers. The cost of this service can vary widely by carrier, so it’s important to find the right carrier with an acceptable fee if you have many of these types of shipments.

Oversized Freight Fees: Most shipment pieces that are equal to or exceed 12 feet in length, usually require more space thus leading to an accessorial fees applied by carriers. Again, this fee varies by carrier and can often be reduced.

Residential Fees: Carriers typically charge additional fees when they are required to navigate residential areas to pickup or deliver shipments. This fee may also apply to your business if it is located in a residential zone (among personal homes). Again, this fee varies by carrier and can sometimes be reduced.

Reweigh and Inspection Fees: If the carrier suspects that the weight or classification of your freight is inaccurate, they will charge a fee to reweight and re-class the shipment. For this reason, it is important to enter accurate weights and descriptions (including NMFC item numbers when available) to your bill of lading.

Limited Access Pickup Fee: Carriers may also charge fees when they pickup or deliver shipments at limited access areas such as schools, prisons, military bases, convention centers, construction sites, airports, ocean docks, wharfs or piers. All of these fees can be negotiated depending upon your specific situation.

Fees for Additional Services: There are many other instances – too many to name here – when carriers will add an accessorial charge. Other examples include; having to enter “inside” a building to pickup or deliver a shipment, collecting (“COD”) the sale price of goods shipped, and notifying consignees before making a delivery (“appointments”). Carriers will generally publish complete details regarding all of their accessorial fees in a “Rules Tariff” and make it available on their website or upon request.

Reducing / Waiving LTL Accessorial Charges

Now that you are aware of the different types of charges that may be applied to your shipment, it is important that you put that knowledge to good use. Take the following steps to ensure you never overspend on your LTL rates:

  • Track, measure and record the characteristics, dimensions and weight of your shipments. This way you will be able to foresee potential charges and even dispute any errors in billing by carriers.
  • Use an experienced and qualified third party logistics provider such as Logistics Plus to analyze and audit your freight invoices and negotiate rates and accessorial fees with carriers on your behalf.

Our LTL experts help thousands of companies save on their LTL shipping every year. We can provide you with a no-obligation freight analysis for multiple shipments, or we can help you get a quick and accurate freight quote for individual shipments.

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