When you're getting started in eCommerce, you can get away with good old Royal Mail. When orders come in, you pack them individually and you sent them directly to customers. Simple.

However, as your business grows, things change. You need to start shipping SKUs in bulk. The postal service that served you so well in your early days just isn't practical or financially viable anymore. You need a freight shipping partner, pronto.

But what exactly is freight shipping? And how could it benefit your eCommerce business? To help answer these questions, let's take a look at the basics of freight.

What is freight shipping?

Freight shipping is the transport of bulk goods by land, air or sea. eCommerce businesses use freight shipping to ship their products to retailers, customs brokers and third-party logistics (3PL) companies.

How is freight shipping different to parcel shipping?

Freight shipping is much larger in scale than parcel shipping.

With freight, there are often hundreds of items in a shipment. However, parcel services usually only ship a set amount of items with limitations on maximum product size and weight.

Freight shipping does not have these limitations, so you can even ship cars or large machinery in bulk.

Different freight shipping methods

There are five freight shipping methods commonly used by eCommerce businesses and 3PL companies. These methods are:

Full truckload

If a container gets filled with the cargo that needs to be shipped, it is called full-truckload (FTL) freight shipping. FTL freight shipping usually acts as direct transportation between a supplier and a destination (such as a fulfilment centre). It is also usually done through land and railroads.

Less-than-truckload

A less-than-truckload (LTL) freight shipment consists of fewer items, only using around six pallets' worth of space on a truck. An LTL freight shipment can have cargo from multiple shippers bound for the same destination. This type of freight shipping is more economical but can be slower.

Partial truckload

A partial truckload (PTL) freight shipment consists of more cargo than an LTL but less than an FTL. It has less chance of changing hands between trucks during shipping. This makes it faster (typically) than LTL freight shipping.

Intermodal

An intermodal freight shipment combines transportation via trucks and railroads. This helps reduce fuel costs during shipping. In some cases, ships may also be used.

Expedited

Expedited shipping is the most expensive type of freight shipping. It is only done for time-critical tasks. It also tends to involve shipping by air since it is much faster.

The benefits of freight shipping for eCommerce businesses

There are many benefits to using freight shipping. These benefits are:

It's economical

Freight shipping can be very economical. It tends to be much cheaper than other options, such as parcel shipping. Choosing freight can help a business save money and maximise its profits.

Plus, when you combine freight with the services of a 3PL company, you no longer have to deal with complicated shipping management. Instead, you can focus more on other things, like marketing your products.

It's convenient and reliable

Freight shipping is a very reliable way to transport cargo. There is very little stress and hassle you have to deal with when having your cargo shipped. Since less effort is required on your part, you can save lots of time.

Additionally, delays are relatively rare in freight shipping since every aspect of the shipment is planned.

It offers visibility

Many freight shipping services allow you to track your shipment in transit. Not only does this gives you peace of mind knowing the status of your shipment, but it also helps you ensure that your shipment will arrive on time with no delays. If any delays occur, you will know instantly so you can take proactive measures.

It lets you ship bulky products

As mentioned before, freight shipping can handle larger cargo loads. But it can also handle more bulky item shipments. You can transport large items such as cars or large machines that you wouldn't be able to ship through a parcel service.

It has high standards of compliance and safety

Freight shipping also takes out the need for you to worry about compliance and safety during shipment. Most freight shipping companies can ensure compliance with the relevant cargo shipment and safety standards on your behalf.

This can be especially helpful for international shipping, where compliance with customs requirements can be pretty difficult. A 3PL or a shipper can hire customs agents at the ports to ensure proper management of customs clearance.

Freight shipping: things to keep in mind

When shipping your products by freight, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

Transportation mode

Freight shipping services usually let you pick a transportation method. It's up to you to choose the method that best fits your needs.

Rail transportation is fairly quick and fairly cheap. However, it needs additional transportation at the beginning and the end of the journey.

You can also go for a by-road shipment, which is very affordable and can often go directly from door to door. 85% of freight moved in Britain in 2020 was by road, which shows how popular this transportation mode is among eCommerce businesses.

For international shipping, you can choose sea or air freight. Shipping by sea is cheap but slow, while shipping by air is blazingly fast but bogglingly expensive.

Shopping destination and origin

The price of the freight shipping is affected by the distance between the source and the destination. If you're near a major city, then the costs of shipment may also be affected.

Additionally, hard-to-reach destinations are more expensive to ship to. International shipments are generally the most expensive.

Special handling requirements

Some cargo requires special handling during the shipment. You may need a truck with cooling or a special vehicle for transporting hazardous substances. The special care required will add more cost to the shipment.



Stowsafe Fulfilment is the UK's most flexible online fulfilment centre. We can receive goods via any method, whether it's parcels, pallets, containers or breakbulk. Want to learn more? Get in touch with one of our friendly logistics experts today.