And when these times arise — for whatever the reason — expedited shipping is there to save the day.
Expedited delivery is exactly what it sounds like: It’s a delivery service that moves items and goods from Point A to Point B much faster than standard shipping times. It ensures on time, or even early, delivery for time-sensitive or just very important shipments. Essentially, expedited shipping prioritizes certain items and uses different routes and tactics to ensure they’re processed and then delivered in the timeframe that’s needed. Because when time is of the essence, waiting isn’t an option.
Guaranteed Delivery
Like we said in the opening, if you need product moved quickly and time is of the essence, you can’t be left hanging on the edge of your seat wondering if the items will arrive at their destination on time. That’s one of the big benefits of working with a credible, qualified expedited transportation company: They will guarantee the product will be delivered within the necessary timeframe. There are various ways that they ensure this will happen, including fewer stops along the way, using faster routes and more.
Fewer Touch Points
Fewer stops along the way translates to fewer touch points. That is, there’s a lesser likelihood that the items you’re transporting will be lost or damaged along the way. A package or item that is shipped via standard means may be touched by dozens — perhaps even hundreds — of people throughout the supply chain. However, a package that is expedited interacts with far fewer. A reduction in touch points often correlates to a direct increase in reliability and delivery success.
Reliable Pickup
When you work with an expedited transportation company, you’ll never have to wait long for your items to be picked up. A good company will work with you to be at the origin in hours, perhaps even minutes, to begin transportation of your items.
Comprehensive Package Tracking
Good expedited transportation service providers are backed by a comprehensive logistics system that helps streamline the product delivery process from origin to destination. Part of this logistics system also allows customers to track the status of the shipments every step of the way. This can help deliver peace of mind that items will arrive where they need to be on time and without incident.
Same Day Trucking
As the name implies, a same day trucking company works to move items or goods from origin to destination within one day. Same day trucking services are fast, efficient and reliable.
Air Freight
Air transportation is generally the fastest way to transport items, especially when they need to cover long distances in a short period of time.
Hot Shot Freight
Essentially the "minutemen" of the trucking world, hot shot trucking consists of transporting smaller sized items to their destination in short order. Typically, a hot shot delivery service specializes in making local deliveries within a few hours of the origin.
Overnight Trucking
Don't need items to reach their destination on the same day? Overnight trucking might be the best option, as these items travel through the night to reach their destination.
Next Day Freight
Similar to overnight trucking, next day freight is an ideal expedited service for deliveries that need to reach their destination within one day.
Expedited LTL
Less than truckload, or LTL, trucking typically consists of the delivery of smaller sized goods.
The Network
On some deliveries, drivers may need to trade off behind the wheel to ensure product can reach its destination on time and without incident. That said, how expansive is the trucking network of the company that you’re considering? On a similar accord, what if something were to happen while en route? For instance, how quickly could another driver or help arrive if a truck were to malfunction while en route? A good company always has a backup plan for if the unthinkable were to happen.
Customer Service
How easy is it to get a hold of the transportation company should you need to? Will you get the runaround from whoever is on call or will you work with a single point of contact? Will you have to leave a message or will someone pick up the phone? These are all important considerations because when you’re working with a time sensitive delivery, you shouldn’t be grasping at straws to get any information you want or need. We’re proud to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year — and we assign all of our customers with a single point of contact for ease in communication throughout the entire shipping process.
Logistics
We mentioned it above, but it’s worth mentioning again: A good logistics platform can make or break an expedited delivery. It’s why it’s at the heart of our service, to ensure that product gets from Point A to Point B when it needs to. A comprehensive logistics system is critical to accomplishing this.
Reliable Pickup
The first step in any type of expedited delivery is at pickup. How quickly will the company you're considering be at the origin point? Are drivers standing by?
Where They Work
The reach of a network will help dictate how far a company’s service spans, but it’s an important consideration based on how far you need products to ship. We’re proud to offer our expedited services all throughout North America.
