Cleaning Up Your Supply Chain By Getting Rid Of Weight & Inspections
It used to seem like motor carriers would "look the other way" when it came to the way shippers filled out their bill of ladings
. As long as the class that went along with the description was close to what they were shipping, no one bothered them. Freight carriers were just happy to have the business.
However, with carriers generating millions in revenue with Weight & Inspections, shippers can no longer be lax in this area.
The way it is nowadays is if a shipper does not fill out their bill of lading accurately they get nailed not only with the extra charges but also with a "Weight & Inspection" fee (which can be as high as $30.00 or more).
When visiting with a prospect or customer, I always review their bill of lading. Sometimes there will be a vague description on their bill of lading. In many cases, the description has nothing to do with their product line.
This past year, a prospect had a hand written description of "TOOLS" on their bill of lading. However, they manufactured drive shafts for race cars and other engine parts. They do not manufacturer or ship any kind of tools.
This vague description is very likely to get flagged by a carrier auditor and billed at a class that will likely be higher. What was interesting in this example is that when we properly classified their products, most of the engine parts were actually a lower class than the class the carriers were billing them at under "TOOLS". By doing nothing more than helping them fill out their bill of lading properly, they lowered their freight cost by about 12 percent. Of course, the president of that company and I are friends for life now.
Don't laugh, this happens more than you think. This is a good lesson for many people reading this article. In fact, many companies I call on are putting vague descriptions on their bill of ladings that are actually getting billed higher than if the description was properly filled out.
Most companies are really not at fault. What seems to be the culprit is that years ago, a local trucking rep came in to help the shipper to properly fill out the bill of lading. Back then, they told the shipper of a description that they felt they could "get away with" or they actually gave the correct description. But through the years, two things have happened first, the carriers have sharpened their inspecting skills, and second the National Motor Freight Classification has updated many of their classes (either to a higher or lower class).
Now, incentive craved dock workers and clerks search out flaws in bill of ladings to generate revenue. The vaguer it is the better it is for their commission. That is because if any part of the bill of lading is left to speculation, they will speculate at the highest possible class.
What can you do?
There are two things that you can do to eliminate carrier inspections. First, get the weight right. Once the carriers determine your company to be one who "guesses low on weight", then you are flagged in their system. You will be nailed every time.
Second and most important: be detailed as you can be with your description. Make sure you have the most up to date NMFC number followed by the description (the way it is read in the NMFC). What happens is, when your bill of lading is properly filled out, the clerk at the carrier is more likely to move to the next bill of lading. But when it is vague, that is when they have you in their evil web. However, a very descriptive bill of lading is less likely to get audited by a carrier.
It is very important to follow these instructions more than ever. Industry experts predict that freight carriers will eventually move away from the freight class system to a density only system, similar to the way UPS calculates their packages. Some carriers are actually measuring pallets and boxes when they come to pick up freight now. You may have seen them doing this and wondered why they were doing it. Its because carriers are trying to get the most revenue out of each shipment.
Copyright (c) 2010 FreightSavingsTips.com
by: George Muha
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