Canada Shipping Services: Mistakes You Need To Avoid During Road Transport
Shipping plays an essential role in modern society, especially in trading businesses. In order to thrive in today’s competition, business owners have realized the importance of shipping services. In today’s world of rapid urbanization, industry growth, and technology, shipping goods from one place to another is of the greatest importance.
There are several mediums of transportation for shipping goods and cargo but the major ones are via air, water, land, and rails. Depending on the nature and volume of goods and cargo, business owners choose their transportation mode for ease in transporting goods.
The nature of the cargo actually determines the shipping mode, which must be decided upon considering other factors as well. Out of all the other transportation modes, road transportation stands tall because of the benefits and convenience it provides. But many times, several business owners make mistakes while transporting their goods from destination A to B. Let us see what the mistakes are so that one can avoid this in the future.
10 Mistakes To Avoid During Road Transport In Canada
Road transport is one of the oldest modes of transportation that has proved to be beneficial to mankind for ages. It is considered a priority while transporting goods over small distances within the nation’s boundaries. Road freight can even be used for transporting between other countries, following different nations’ protocols.
Road freight is undoubtedly one of the best modes, but there are some things that one needs to keep in mind while transporting goods via land. It will not only help you prevent your money from going to drain but also helps your customers reach their goods on time without any hassle.
1] Make Sure The Service Providers Have Proper License To Transport Goods Around The Nation
Lack of proper documentation can result in a major problem, especially while transporting goods to other nations. It is often deemed illegal to transport goods to other parts of the country or to another country without proper documentation. This often stalls the process of transportation. Before your goods successfully cross the border, it is often stopped at the boundary to check on the documentation and authorized licences. If your service provider doesn’t have proper documents, then it results in delays in the transportation of products. In extreme and unfavourable cases, you might even have to pay a hefty penalty.
2] Pack Your Products Well
Another important thing to keep a check on while transporting your products via land is to pack your cargo well. It is extremely important in the case of transportation of fragile items, which might break in coming to contact with other items or shock from falling down. The contents inside the packages must be well packed to ensure they do not get damaged or break easily. Look to it that your service providers have good quality, sturdy and different sizes of packaging materials for effective transportation.
3] Avoid Transportation Of Restricted Goods
When we talk about transporting goods via different modes, there are certain restrictions on some goods which can only be transported via a particular mode. In that case, you must ensure that the products you are sending through roadways are eligible for transport. Some restricted goods that you cannot transport via land are perishables, foods, animals, and related products that pose risks. Trying to send restricted items might land you shelling money on paying a heavy penalty.
Also read: How to Maximize Cashflow for a Trucking Business
4] Service Providers Must Give You Access To Track Your Goods
Having access to the tracking of goods is a God-sent technology. It helps you in tracking your goods’ location which comes in handy when they are lost or move off track. Your service providers must be equipped with advanced technology that offers GPS tracking of your goods to offer more productivity and efficiency while transporting goods. Vehicle tracking software helps in providing you with full visibility of the carrier and your products.
5] Check The Volume Of Your Products
One of the biggest disadvantages of roadways transportation is that it cannot ship large numbers of products due to safety and overloading concerns. If you require to ship large volumes of goods, try to send them in different batches or opt for another transportation mode. Not implying the rules might come in the way of the safety of your drivers, and you might also be charged for overloading a vehicle beyond its limit. Measuring the volume and weight of the consignment is a crucial aspect of choosing the appropriate carrier for your goods and delivering them safely to your customers.
6] Invest In Shipping Insurance
Several business owners do not invest in shipping insurance in order to save a small chunk of money but need to realize the importance of it. Investing in shipping insurance ensures safeguarding cargo from loss, theft, damage, or any other kind of inconvenience. It ensures that your shipments are delivered to their customers safely and soundly. Most carriers do not take any responsibility for delays or other problems while transporting goods, but insurers take care of this stuff and help in hassle-free transportation.
Also read: Why You Must Get Insurance For Your Small Business
7] The Drivers Must Be Skilled
Winter driving in Canada is a challenge that is even fatal to non-experienced drivers. Driving in extreme winter conditions poses a major challenge for drivers because of difficult roads and obstructed visibility. Look to it that your service drivers have a bunch of skilled drivers to transport your goods safely on snowy and slippery roads.
8] Faulty Labelling Of Goods
The faulty labelling of goods is a major mistake that sometimes happens due to negligence. In supply chain management, it is considered a major problem leading to delivery at the wrong locations and destinations. This problem can break the trust of your customers due to dissatisfaction and can become the reason for your company’s loss and bad brand reputation. It is important to see that these things are managed digitally rather than manually to increase efficiency.
9] Look For The Service Provider’s Past Records
Before finalizing with any transport solution provider, it is important to check their past records thoroughly. They hold a lot of significance as they give you an insight into their historical driving and maintenance records. Checking their reviews and testimonials will give you an idea of how they are as a company and their ethics. It is also important to check their years of experience in their logistics career.
10] Avoid Inappropriate Packaging
Inappropriate packaging is another problem that causes a problem in the process of delivering products to their destination. The service providers must ensure that the products are packed according to their weight, height, and level of fragility. It is seen that appropriately, and proportionately packed goods do not face any negative consequences in transit or long transportation.
Conclusion
Transportation of goods is an essential aspect of any business, which needs to be carefully monitored. But some mistakes lead to damage to the contents inside the box. The above-mentioned are some of the most important things that must be kept in mind or commonly made mistakes that lead to delays or other problems in the transportation of goods, leading to customer dissatisfaction. We hope our above-mentioned pointers help you in rectifying your mistakes to make the transportation of goods a hassle-free experience.