The Importance of Expedited Shipping

What is Expedited Shipping?

We’ve all heard the saying “Time is money.” This is especially true in the transportation and logistics industry, where meeting critical deadlines is not just a suggestion, but a requirement in this fast-paced world of business and commerce. If you are needing a shipment to arrive or depart as soon as possible and without interruption, standard shipping is not going to be able to meet those deadlines nowhere near as effectively as expedited shipping can. Understanding this, it’s important now to know the difference between expedited shipping vs. standard.

What does Expedited Shipping Mean?

Expedited shipping and delivery are a specialized method of shipping that requires a more hands-on and attentive approach to the shipping process. The main objective is to eliminate all shipping processes that would eat up your freight’s transit time while also taking the required measures needed to ensure the freight is moving along the most optimal route available. On top of this, drivers must have been trained to be able to perform in the safest, most efficient, and most direct manner possible. The equipment also has zero leeway for failing, which means preventative and intensive upkeep and maintenance of vehicles has to be a routine procedure for the carrier. Weather reports should be observed preemptively so that even Mother Nature will not be able to create a reason for an excuse that your freight was not delivered most efficiently and on time. 

Expedited shipping means that your shipment is given priority over other shipments so you can rest assured knowing that your carrier is primarily focused on making sure that your freight is on its way to the destination before they start looking at coordinating their other shipments. When you sign on for an expedited shipment process with your carrier, normally a full sized truck with two drivers will be used so they can switch shifts and keep the truck running non-stop in order to get your shipment to the final destination as quickly as possible. This also means that going directly from your origin to the destination will ensure less hands are touching your product, further reducing the downtime and also the potential chance for damaged goods during the transit.

How Long Does Expedited Shipping Take?

Normally when expedited delivery is thought of, we tend to think of same day or next day delivery. Though it primarily depends on the transit distance when estimating travel time from shipper to receiver, a successful expedited shipping operation is not defined by just being able to go from point A to point B as fast as possible. Other criteria like those mentioned in the paragraph above will be the glue that holds the whole operation together. This means that just because you need your product moved as quickly as possible to meet your deadline; it doesn’t mean that you should overlook service quality when comparing options that are offering to move your freight. 

 A carrier that is able to offer effective expedited shipping services will be equipped to be able to have your freight at the destination the next day when the business opens up to receive, as long as the transit distance is below 900 miles for a solo driver or 1,600 miles for a team. With electronic logs becoming the tools used by most drivers these days, there are some carriers that utilize “glider kits” as a part of their fleet to be able to bypass the requirement set to be governed by this hardware. A glider kit is exempt from having to follow the hours of service mandate set in motion in 2017 due to it being classified as a different engine type, which allows for extended drive time. This creates an uneven playing field in the expedited shipping services market because it allows these carriers to go above and beyond what a trucking company restricted by hours of service is able to provide their customers in terms of transit times. Also when looking for carriers for your expedited needs, it makes sense to look for a carrier that focuses solely on FTL (full truckload) shipments vs. LTL (less-than-truckload) due to being able to secure access to exclusive use of the equipment which will prevent additional stops from being made while out on the road.

How Much is Expedited Shipping Going to Cost?

The cost of shipping expedited will be on a case to case basis depending on the details of the shipment but requiring the most efficient expedited shipping service does not mean that you will need to overpay for the services required. You should be looking for the service provider that is able to provide you with the shortest transit time, while also taking into account the safety of your shipment and the cost-effectiveness for your books. This is important because your expedited shipments will need to make it safely to their destinations without any added headaches during the process, which would completely negate the expedited aspect of expedited delivery that you initially searched for. What you are looking for is a reputable carrier that has developed their name in the industry by putting into practice urgency, safety, and cost-effectiveness into the service that they provide to their customers.

Below we have listed a few qualifications to look for when searching for your expedited shipping provider:

• Average transit time for your lane

• Pickups made on-time as a percentage

• Shipment traceability and real-time tracking

• % of freight cost counted as claims

Here at Migway, we have found the success of our company through being able to succeed for our clients and customers in the specialized niche of expedited shipping and receiving. Beginning from our company’s origin, we decided that expedited shipping was going to be a staple of expertise for Migway and that we would be able to perform this at a level of service that our customers would not only be impressed with, but also glad to be a part of. Over the years we have learned and have developed a system that allows us to confidently guarantee that Migway Expedited offers no room for competition when comparing the level of service received when you require for your expedited needs to be met.

We are not looking to replace your current shipping operations. We would like to become a reliable partner of yours for your urgent and critical orders. We strive to be known as a company that comes to the rescue for our customers, one call at a time, by guaranteeing the most direct routes with perfectly-suited drivers, 24/7 access to a single point of contact and real-time tracking, and on-time delivery every time: all at a competitive rate.

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We welcome you to the way Migway does business!