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Some of the services to expect from a good California freight shipping company are the generation of customized solution for LTL, trade show shipping, eBay shipping, and other types of shipping, the generation of Bill of Landing (BOL), negotiations, and handling everything else behind the scenes. A good company also advises you on such things as what different weight classes, according to the National Motor Freight Traffic Association or NMFTA, mean, how to fill the paperwork, how to properly package before shipping, and how to get low freight shipping rates.

One way of ensuring you get low freight shipping rates is weighing shipments in-house. The charges for freight are based on weight and you should therefore not entrust this to the company doing the shipping. Doing in-house weighing enables you to remove superfluous filling materials that are adding to the weight.

Consider consolidation to lower your freight shipping rates. This means combining your deliveries by week where possible. Consolidation is particularly important if you pay for storage containers. You could do zone skipping for lower freight shipping rates. This is the sending of goods to hubs owned by carriers, which will then complete the delivery. You could make use of consolidators for lower rates. A consolidator is a private company that has different hubs in a city. These companies offer efficient pick up service.

Stick to one freight company to save money. Sticking with one company leads to low freight shipping rates since the company will appreciate the loyalty and will therefore give you lower rates and/or other financial incentives.

Go through the freight shipping quotes of the company you are considering carefully to ensure you pick the right solution for your particular needs and to ensure there are no hidden costs. Go through the company's policy carefully to avoid hidden costs.

Get an online freight company or a company that has a strong Web presence. There is intense competition for new clients and to retain old clients and online freight companies therefore usually have lower freight shipping rates. You also save money with an online freight company since there are no transport costs. Other than saving money, hiring an online freight company is also advantageous in that it offers unparalleled convenience. This is because you can get the service you need 24/7 and from anywhere in the world. Your anonymity/privacy is also protected with an online company.

Do not shy away from haggling over the rates. Most Los Angeles freight shipping companies and freight companies from elsewhere in California have flexible rates, as they try to attract new customers and to retain old ones.

You should know the freight class according to NMFTA for low freight shipping rates. There are eighteen freight classification levels. This ensures you do not jump into the next class just because of a few pounds, which could have been removed. Determine the loading and unloading environments. You want an environment that is near a fork truck or that is easily accessible to the same. Ensuring compliance using auditing technology prevents penalties. Go through the invoice to ensure there are no errors and you are not overcharged.

Adam Franklin is the author of this article on The Freight Dude.