How to avoid re-bills!
Re-bills are an unexpected bill you receive after the freight has been booked, shipped and delivered. They typically are a result of stating a lower weight on a bill of lading, using the wrong NMFC and/or Freight Class, having to re-consign your freight, or any number of other reasons. You may not be able to completely avoid re-bills, but you can help to eliminate the more common of them by following a few simple practices BEFORE you book the shipment.
Get an accurate weight. If you have a scale, use it. If you guess at the weight, guess on the high side, and YES, the carriers do weigh your freight. The cost of adding on an ‘extra’ 50-100 to your estimated weight is far cheaper at the time of booking, than it would be if the carrier sends you a re-bill for that same 50-100 lbs after it’s delivered. You can also do a web search for your item(s). Don’t forget to add the weight of the packaging and pallet.
Use the correct NMFC/Freight class. By not having the correct NMFC listed on the bill of lading, there’s a very good chance you will get a re-bill. You can guess at the weight, but don’t guess at the freight class or NMFC. If you’re not sure what your freight should be classed at, call our office and we’ll help you out. If you guess at the class, you could be paying too much for your shipments. Be aware that NMFC’s and freight classes do change. Just because you’ve shipped your widgets at a class 85 for the past 17 years, doesn’t mean that they are still a class 85. As an example, at the beginning of this year, the freight class for clothing changed and in a number of cases, it changed to the advantage of the shipper! With the cost of shipping today, you don’t want to be giving the carriers more money than they deserve.
Did you know…?
At Global Source Logistics, we can ship most anything, to most anywhere on the planet, at most any speed you want. Not only do we handle less-than-truckloads, we also ship Expedited Domestic and International, Inbound/Outbound Ocean cargo, Flatbeds, Stepdecks, Dedicated loads, etc. Call our office and tell us what your freight needs are and lets us handle it for you.
