A listing of all the things that go wrong with LTL shipping viewed from a shipper’s perspective.
LTL Shipping Problems – Prior to Pick up
1. Poor packaging
2. Difficult to obtain or inaccurate shipment dimensions, weight and freight class
3. Managing freight quotes
4. Obtaining good carrier pricing
5. Booking shipment / carrier notification
6. BOL creation / Paperwork issues / Lack of or incorrect NMFC
7. Managing and arranging inbound shipments
LTL Shipping Problems – Pick up
8. Wrong type of truck / special equipment required, but not available
9. Not enough room on the truck
10. Truck arriving too late or too early
11. Freight loading issues / mishandling of freight / stacking
12. Freight not matching Bill of Lading (BOL)
LTL Shipping Problems – In-Transit
13. Interline shipments (delivery time delays, damage, responsibility)
14. Shipment tracking / lack of shipment visibility once a shipment is picked up
15. Missing connections at terminals
16. Delays due to weather, traffic, mishandling
17. Expediting / rescuing freight from carrier terminal due to delays of critical shipments
LTL Shipping Problems – Delivery
18. Shipment arriving too early or too late, nobody available for unloading
19. Appointment issues
20. Lift gate or other special equipment required, but not specified
21. Shipment arrived damaged / partial shipment
22. Not recognizing damage and or partial shipment
23. Lost shipment
24. Filing freight claims
LTL Shipping Problems – Auditing / Bill Payment / Freight Information
25. Freight claim resolution
26. Difficult to share freight information within various departments (accounting, logistics, etc.)
27. Auditing freight bills / incorrect bills
28. Visibility and control over freight spending
29. Lack of metrics and reporting
LTL Shipping Problems – Relationship with Carriers / 3PL
30. Freight brokers / 3PLs that add cost but not much value
31. Poor communication with carrier / 3PL
32. Carrier profitability vs. fair price to shipper
33. Selecting the right carriers / 3PL