Freight Shipping Strategies for Small Businesses in North America

In the age of e-commerce, having a smart shipping strategy is vital for businesses both big and small. Especially small.

In this article, we’ll cover the right shipping methods and various tips and tricks to make your shipping more affordable and more sustainable.

Choosing the Right Shipping Options

Match the shipping method to your needs. Start by understanding the different ways to ship your products and which best fit your business:

• Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight: When you need to ship heavier items or multiple boxes on a pallet (typically over ~150 lbs but not enough to fill a whole truck), LTL freight is ideal. LTL means you share a truck with other shippers and pay only for the space your freight occupies, rather than renting an entire truck. For most small businesses, LTL is the “sweet spot” that offers affordable rates without compromising service.
• Full Truckload (FTL) Freight: If you can fill an entire 48’ or 53’ trailer (or have goods requiring a dedicated truck for faster delivery), FTL shipping is the way to go. With FTL, your shipment alone uses the whole truck. This is cost-effective for very large orders or wholesale deliveries.

If your products need special handling. Consider specialty shipping modes like temperature-controlled trucks for perishable goods, flatbed trucks for oversized machinery, or even intermodal rail shipping for long distances. You can learn more about various freight services here.

Your small business has plenty of options nowadays. The key is to compare costs and services before committing, and use the mode or carrier that best fits each shipment’s requirements. LTL, FTL, special equipment, refrigerated trucks, and more are all available on Freightera.

Optimizing Shipping Costs and Efficiency

Here are some practical tips to optimize your shipping process and budget.

Compare rates. Don’t assume the first shipping price you get is the best. Shop around. However, keep in mind that doing so by calling carriers and brokers is tedious and time-consuming. Your best solution is to get rates from multiple carriers instantly in one place, which you can do on Freightera.

The way you package products can significantly impact your rate. Carriers use both weight and dimensions to calculate fees. A lightweight but bulky box can incur a high dimensional weight charge. Use the smallest box or envelope that safely fits your item, and eliminate wasted space in packages. Always measure and weigh accurately. Incorrect weight or size info is the number one cause of unexpected freight fees.

Consolidate shipments and schedule smartly. If you have several orders going to the same region or a repeat customer making multiple purchases, see if you can consolidate those into one shipment.

Verify addresses before shipping. A wrong postal code or a missing lot number can lead to a charge for address correction.

Pack properly to avoid handling fees. If your package is very large, oddly shaped, or unsafe to ship, carriers may add extra handling charges. Keep your pallets within standard size limits and reinforce them to avoid breakage.

Need a liftgate at pickup or delivery? Need inside delivery or call-ahead appointments? These are accessorial services, and they cost extra. Request them when quoting so that you’re not caught off guard later. It’s cheaper to pay the fee upfront than to have a truck show up unprepared and then charge a failure fee plus the service fee on redelivery.

A lost or damaged shipment is costly too (not to mention upset customers). Consider additional insurance for valuable shipments. Carrier insurance often covers about $2/lb, but if you’re sending expensive products, third-party coverage can be worthwhile.

Diversify carriers and services: Resist the urge to use only one carrier for everything “just because”. No single carrier is the cheapest or best for all scenarios. Many small businesses fall into giving all their business to one big carrier and then end up overpaying for certain shipments that could be done cheaper elsewhere.

Embracing Technology and Multi-Carrier Tools

Freightera online shipping platform allows you to compare rates across multiple carriers, print shipping labels, and track shipments in one place. Freightera helps you make smarter decisions and find better shipping rates. Think of us as your personal logistics coordinator working behind the scenes.

We will also protect you from unfair carrier charges and dispute them on your behalf. It’s what our unique industry Rate Defense™ program was designed for.

If your business stores products (in your garage or a warehouse), an entry-level Warehouse Management System (WMS) can make a big difference. These systems help keep track of stock levels and order picking/packing. If you know exactly what you have in stock and where, you can fulfill orders faster and avoid inventory issues and mistakes.

Cross-Border Shipping Considerations

Many Canadian businesses aspire to sell to customers in the USA (and vice versa). Shipping across the Canada-US border, however, introduces some additional complexity compared to domestic shipping.
When goods cross an international border, they are subject to import laws. This means customs paperwork and potentially duties or taxes apply.

The paperwork is critical. A missing or wrong form can cause your shipment to be held at customs. Prepare a commercial invoice (listing shipper, receiver, item descriptions, values, country of origin) in advance. Be very clear and honest in describing your goods. Never try to mislabel or undervalue to dodge duties, as that can lead to penalties and confiscation.

Cross-border shipments can face delays due to customs inspections, especially if documentation isn’t perfect or if the border is experiencing high volumes. You can proactively contact the carrier or broker to see if any additional info is needed. It’s also wise to ensure cross-border shipments because they pass through more handling.

Be mindful of the total landed cost when selling abroad. This includes not just shipping, but also duties, taxes, and customs clearance fees.

Cross-border returns can be tricky. If you offer returns or exchanges to international customers, plan how you’ll handle that. It might not make economic sense to pay return shipping across the border for a low-value item. Many companies instead offer a refund and let the customer keep or discard the item to avoid costly reverse logistics internationally.

Cross-border shipping just requires some extra planning and paperwork. After a few successful cross-border shipments, you’ll wonder why you ever hesitated to go international! You can do it, especially if working with one of our logistics specialists for your first cross-border shipments.

Sustainable and Green Shipping Practices

Today’s consumers and regulators are increasingly focused on sustainability. In fact, the transportation and logistics sector contributes just over a third of global CO₂ emissions, so businesses of all sizes are being urged to reduce their environmental impact. Small businesses might think “we’re too small to make a difference,” but adopting eco-friendly shipping practices can both help the planet and appeal to eco-conscious customers (and even save money!). Here are strategies to make your shipping greener and more sustainable:

Use eco-friendly packaging: Start with what you send your products in. Customers notice if a company uses excessive or unsustainable packaging. Ditch single-use plastics and Styrofoam peanuts in favor of recyclable or compostable materials.There are innovative options like mushroom-based packaging and seaweed packing materials that are biodegradable alternatives to foam.

Less packaging means less waste and often lower cost! Every square inch of unnecessary packaging is an added environmental burden (and unnecessary weight or unused truck space). Many carriers charge based on dimensional weight (size of box vs weight), so efficient packaging helps there, too. And here’s a tip: encourage customers to reuse or return packaging.
Choose greener delivery options. Use ground shipping over air shipping when speed isn’t critical. Airplanes burn a lot more fuel per parcel. For instance, moving a ton of freight by air emits over 500 grams of CO₂ per kilometer, whereas by truck it might emit around 60–150 grams, and by train just 30–100 grams. For most shippers, this is a given, considering that air shipping is much more expensive than ground transportation. But it’s good to know the differences.

How you store and handle inventory matters. Use energy-efficient lighting (LED bulbs) in your storage areas, which can cut energy usage dramatically.

If you have a warehouse or workshop, consider investing in some green upgrades like smart thermostats or even solar panels on the roof if feasible. Recycle your cardboard and plastic scraps (many carriers will collect used packaging for recycling if you ask).

At Freightera, you always get insight into the emissions reductions of your shipping and carrier choice compared to the industry standard. Over half of our shippers have cut their emissions by 20%, and over 100 companies have slashed their emissions by over 70%.

Returns are an inevitable part of retail. Encourage your customers to consolidate returns (send back items in one package rather than multiple), or consider returnless refunds for very low-cost or unsalvageable items.

Look at what you do with returned products: if something comes back slightly damaged, instead of tossing it, can it be repaired or refurbished? Reverse logistics is the practice of recovering products to re-use or recycle them rather than sending them to a landfill.

Educate and involve your customers: Many consumers want to do the right thing but may not know how. Use your platform to share tips. Encourage customers to recycle the box, or even offer an incentive for returning packaging to you. When customers see that 83% of Canadian packaging waste currently ends up in landfill, they might be more motivated to recycle yours.

A report noted 57% of consumers would be less likely to buy products if the packaging is not sustainable.

Here’s a useful article on what to do with pallets once their lifespan has ended.

Conclusion

When you understand your shipping options and choose the right carriers or shipping modes for each situation, you’ll get your goods to customers reliably and on budget. By using a reliable service, you can keep your shipping habits in check and make life easier for both yourself and your customers. And throughout all this, sustainable practices will make both your wallet and your environment a better place.

Your one shipping solution for all your shipping needs is waiting at Freightera. Register for free now and get access to instant online freight quotes from 100s of carriers, along with the best shipping experts and 5-star client care service at your disposal.

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