Small Business Holiday Shipping With a 3PL

Small business shipping during the holidays is hectic for everyone, especially supply chain managers. Shipping freight without expert guidance can be daunting. Not only do you need the right shipping solutions, but you need them at the best rates and on a deadline. So how can you meet all these needs and ship easier? Third-party logistics companies like FreightCenter make it easy for small businesses to get all the solutions they need at a cost-efficient rate, especially for small business shipping during the holidays.

What Is a 3PL?

A 3PL is a third-party logistics company or a freight brokerage that serves as a facilitator who connects shippers with carriers, lanes, and more. 3PLs serve as a comprehensive shipping department for small businesses and integrate themselves into anything from warehousing to transportation solutions.

A 3PL is a one-stop-shop for everything shipping-related. However, some 3PLs are better than others.

Benefits of Partnering with a FreightCenter

There are many benefits to partnering with a 3PL for small businesses everywhere, especially when dealing with the classic holiday rush year in and year out. These benefits include:

Affordability is a vital metric in small business holiday shipping strategies. 3PLs have an extensive network of carrier partners. These carriers give 3PLs discounts for the volume of business 3PLs send them, and 3PLs pass those discounts on to shippers. These discounted rates aren’t always readily available when going straight to the carrier yourself, so going through a reputable 3PL gets you the most affordable freight shipping rates right off the bat.

Technology is a big part of any business nowadays and in the freight world. Most 3PLs use a transportation management system (TMS), a centralized platform listing out available carriers, lanes, and rates based on your shipment details for easy comparison and solution searching. With limited capacity during the holidays and stricter deadlines to meet than usual, a TMS saves you a lot of time searching for carriers, provides rates side by side for comparison, and helps manage all your shipping paperwork and tracking for your shipment.

Additionally, small businesses holiday shipping with a 3PL offers customers the human touch they will always need for logistics. Shipments get watched by an expert shipping agent who knows the industry’s ins and outs and knows how to communicate with all parties involved in a load.

Helpful Small Business Holiday Shipping Resources

We have put together a few resources to help you ship as efficiently as possible during the holiday season. Check out some of our blog posts below for various holiday shipping tips, predictions, and more.

FreightCenter Is Your 3PL Partner

FreightCenter has served the shipping industry for over 20 years, and we pride ourselves on helping small businesses get the logistics solutions they need at any time of the year. We are your one-stop shop for small business holiday shipping thanks to our powerful TMS to our world-class shipping agents. It’s like having your very own shipping department. Partner with FreightCenter today and optimize your holiday supply chain!

Get a free online quote or call us at 800-716-7608.