You already know that ShippingDiscounts.com can help you save money on your one-time shipments. But we can also help you save time and money if you’re shipping freight on a monthly or weekly basis.

Your account with ShippingDiscounts.com gives you access to our online system, which will allow you to quote discounted LTL rates from our over 40 nationally and regionally recognized carrier partners in seconds. You won’t need to call five different numbers to find the carrier with the price, transit time, and service that meets your needs; it’s all there with just a few keystrokes. Additionally, you can:

Get back to your customers fast.

Make informed buying and selling decisions fast.

Be billed with one easy-to-use invoice, even if you use multiple carriers.

Curious about what our accounts can do for your business? Give us a call or email contact@shippingdiscounts.com and we’ll be happy to walk you through it.

Summer is upon us and that means it’s moving season! Here at ShippingDiscounts.com, we often assist customers who are moving house and need to ship freight. If you’re moving, here are some shipping tips just for you.

Furniture must be crated for freight shipping. See our post on LTL furniture shipping for details.

Personal items like clothes, books, and DVDs should be boxed. They can be moved as-is or you can palletize them to protect them further.

Mattresses must be covered for freight shipping. Covering options include plastic film, mattress boxes, and fitted mattress covers.

Washers and dryers can be shipped via freight as long as they are crated or boxed.

Insure valuable items, such as televisions, when you ship.

Happy moving!

If you’re just shipping one or two freight items, you may have a pallet left over after you ship. Here are some creative, green ideas for repurposing your packaging.

Transform your pallet or crate into cool, unique furniture like this shelf by Katrin Arens.

Or turn it into art like this piece by Sibylle Stoeckli.

Extra brownie points! Use your pallet to create a compost bin.

Here is a how-to.

At ShippingDiscounts.com, we work with both new shippers and seasoned pros. If you’re new to shipping, you might not know what type of shipping service is best for your item. Here are some guidelines to help you make that determination.

My item weighs less than 150 pounds. If the dimensions of your package are not oversize, you can ship lighter items with a small package carrier. Small package carriers consider “oversize” to be a package of over 165 inches in length and girth combined. Some examples are a notebook computer, a small box of clothes, or a small care package.

My item weighs more than 150 pounds. The best option will likely be LTL (“less than truckload”) freight shipping. LTL shipments are less expensive because, as the name implies, they take up less than a full truckload and can share truckspace with other freight. LTL shipments are usually no more than twelve feet in length, but some carriers can accommodate overlength items for a fee. Most LTL shipments are under 7,000 pounds. Common LTL shipments include automobile engines, crated furniture, and pallets of books.

My item weighs less than 150 pounds but is too large to ship as a small package. Commonly, this includes automobile hoods and fenders or other large, light items including some sporting goods. These items are best suited for LTL freight shipping.

My item is over twelve feet long or eight feet high. For heavy, bulky items like farm or industrial equipment that cannot fit into an enclosed van, flatbeds are the best option. Tarps draped over the item help protect your item from the elements during transit.