Posted by MikeC on Friday, February 25, 2005 at 10:13PM :
In Reply to: cost of motor freight posted by m.bolyard on Friday, February 25, 2005 at 7:11PM :
Much depends on what you are shipping, the class of freight, how full the lane is for the carrier, distance, the type of carrier, etc. If you're looking at at LTL carrier, freight classification can play a big role in the cost of the shipment. Many LTL carriers figure about $1500 in revenue per pup trailer to break even.
So shop different carriers. Find one that that has full trailers in the lane and you'll get a terrible price (they don't want to add another truck and trailer just for your freight). Find one that has empty trailer space and they'll likely cut you a break.
Many terminal employees that you will talk to over the phone have the ability to give you up to 50% off the standard published tariff right off the bat. Deeper discounts could be had for volume shippers.