How to Find The Right Shipping Partner For Heavy Item Delivery?

Are you an eCommerce business looking for the ideal heavy items courier partner? But what defines ‘best’ today in the world of eCommerce shipping? Buyers’ shopping habits have undergone a major transition since online purchasing became a trend. Your customers’ delivery expectations are off the roof these days. About 80% of shoppers in India want same-day shipping and 61% desire even quicker deliveries within 1-3 hours of order placement. 

You need a trustworthy and efficient shipping partner in such a fast-paced environment. If you don’t have a fleet of vehicles to make the bulk deliveries, it’s time to outsource your shipping to fufill your orders safely in a dedicated time frame. It will not only delight your customers, but the astounding customer service will also enhance your brand’s reputation. Customers always like coming back to businesses that serve them well. 

Moreover, with a shipping partner, you don’t have to worry about fuel costs, necessary licences, and other charges like driver training and taxes. A good shipping company can give your customers a 360-degree experience through its excellent services and profound experience in the industry. However, unprofessional delivery services can disrupt the delivery process and tarnish your firm’s image for good. 

Therefore, it’s highly important to choose the right shipping partner for your business. Do you need help choosing one? In this article, we’ll take you through the factors that will help you find the perfect shipping company for transporting heavy goods. 

Heavy Parcel Transportation: Features to Look For in a Shipping Company

Just like you test the quality of raw materials or machines before purchasing, a shipping partner is also an investment that needs assessment from your end. You can’t just unquestioningly pick one and hand over your precious shipments to them. That way you run the risk of losing customers and future sales. 

So, use this list of factors to judge and select the right shipping company:

1. Affordability, Quality, and Delivery Time

Suppose, you manufacture or sell furniture, it can be expensive, challenging, and time consuming to ship the products. You’ll require huge containers and big vehicles to transport these heavy items. So, cost, service quality, and time guarantee become important considerations when you’re shipping high-value or oversized items. 

The most viable thing to do here is to find a shipping company that offer heavy item courier services at pocket-friendly rates. They should also provide high-quality services and speedy deliveries. 

2. Serviceability

All shipping companies may not offer the same services, and these may differ depending on the company’s size. You need an amalgamation of various services to make one successful delivery, as it’s not any easy task. Now you can imagine the expertise required to materialise thousands of timely and safe deliveries in multiple locations. 

Therefore, it’s vital to figure out the shipping partner’s ability to meet your heavy item courier requirements. You must check if a company is providing some of these essential services: 

• Door-to-door service for collecting items from your location and delivering products to your customer’s doorstep 
• Real-time tracking ability to track and monitor shipments in transit and provide instant updates. 
• Insurance coverage to protect your shipment against any damage or loss on the way
• Customs clearance service for dealing with shipping paperwork 

3. Reliability and Handling Attitude

Despite the fact that you may need to ship high-value or heavy items, delivery partners handling the shipment with care is non-negotiable. Lot of times inexperienced shipping companies damage products during delivery. From packaging to tracking products, everything is crucial in this process. 

So, try looking for online customer reviews or testimonials about the company’s performance. It will give you a fair idea of the firm’s reputation. Choose a renowned and reliable one that handles your shipment promptly and delivers it on time. Such a shipping partner will also consistently update you with the status and location of your products, keeping you informed and at peace.

4. Carrying Capacity, Size, and Weight Limitation 

How many containers or vehicles do you need to transport heavy items? Well, the answer is you require a massive fleet of trucks, trailers, and more to move these jumbo products around smoothly. That’s how you measure the capacity of a carrier for heavy items courier. The larger the fleet size, the better the possibility of efficient and timely delivery.

Moreover, inquire about the size and weight restrictions of the cargo, as your shipment may be well above the allowed limit. In that case, you’ll need a logistics partner with greater capacity. 

It’s one of the most important things to factor in while choosing the right eCommerce logistics partner. Go for a company that has cargo transportation facilities around the region or nation, with minimum or zero weight limitation.  

5. Areas Covered

A shipping company may service only domestic locations, barring the international ones or they may deliver at limited destinations globally. If your business caters to international orders, you’ll have to ensure that the heavy item courier service you pick delivers internationally. 

You’re likely to benefit from a courier partner that covers a large number of areas within and outside the country. It will help you skip the need to switch shipping partners when you need to make overseas deliveries. 

6. Safety and Security

Safety should be your utmost priority when shipping high-value goods. Let’s say you need to dispatch a grand piano; you might prefer transporting it using specialised moving equipment and secured in a climate-controlled vehicle. It will ensure protection from temperature fluctuations and physical damage during transit.

The shipping containers of logistics companies are often full of different types of goods, like hazardous and fragile items. Falling short of proper handling can cost you losses. A whole batch or several products are in jeopardy if things go haywire.  

So, your shipping ally must be able to keep the shipments safe throughout the journey with stringent security protocols in place. For instance, they must know the export or import rules and regulations for different destinations, if shipping cross-borders. They should have special arrangements in place while transporting temperature-sensitive items, like perishables, and more.

7. Sustainability Practices

Sustainability resounds in the minds of customers in almost every aspect of shopping these days. From eco-friendly product packaging to the carbon footprint of air cargo, they prefer shopping from businesses that keep up with their corporate social responsibility. Therefore, to please your customers, it’s crucial to opt for a heavy item courier service that follows sustainable practices. 

Such shipping companies work hard to reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption. Partnering with an environment-conscious logistics firm is like killing two birds with the same stone. They’ll offer you the best services while preserving the environment and striking the right chords with your eco-conscious customer. 

8. Level of Experience in the Industry

A company may have a certain level of experience in shipping goods, but may lack the expertise of transporting heavy items. A seasoned eCommerce logistics firm will know and understand the demands and needs of a business better compared to a novice. 

When shipping bulky goods, it’s best to tie up with a partner with a proven record of safely and efficiently delivering such items. You can sit back and relax when your shipment is in the hands of an expert who’s been playing the field for years. 

9. Durability and Authenticity   

One of the best qualities of a well-reputed company in the industry is its knack to stay consistent with the quality and availability of their services. You can rely on them anytime and for as many shipments you want. They are able to sustain and support large orders and volumes of shipments over the course of a long time. 

Especially with heavy items couriers, you need a shipping service that can go a long way. Besides that, attempt to ensure that your logistics partner owns all the required licences and certifications for complying with regulations during international transits. It confirms the authenticity of the company.

10. Type of Carrier

There are mainly two types of carriers; asset or non-asset-based. You must pick one looking at the value each can provide for your business, depending on your requirements.  

An asset-based carrier possesses a fleet of vehicles, warehousing facilities, and trucking companies. However, the non-asset-based carriers partner with third-party logistics providers to deliver shipments. 

You may benefit from choosing an asset-based carrier as they offer better economies of scale. These carriers can keep their stock low and divide the risk throughout the supply chain.

Contrastingly, if you’re a small business, a non-asset-based carrier may be the best match for you. That’s because they have more reasonable rates and provide you with customised services, offering proximity to customers and flexibility.

11. Customer Support

Buyers often give the credit for their shipping experience to the business instead of the courier service involved in the process. Similarly, they also accuse the business when things go south during the delivery. 

So, you must choose a logistics company that treats your customers like their own and does everything to make their experience spectacular. Quality customer service is a very important part of this alliance. Your delivery partner must be available to resolve any issues at hand promptly at all times. 

Ask them the right questions, like where to find in such emergencies and how quickly they can get problems fixed, before finalising your courier partner. 

Shiprocket Cargo: Your Reliable Partner For Bulk Shipment

If you’re headed in this direction, let us help you on this journey of acing your heavy items courier every time. We, at Shiprocket Cargo, are a one-stop shop offering you tech-enabled shipping solutions for all your bulk and heavy shipments. 

We do the heavy lifting for you at just INR 6/kg initial rates. You get up to a 40% reduction in cost and many other benefits, including:

• Wider reach: We cover more than 24,000 pin codes across India.

• Multiple carriers: We have 14 carriers to help you streamline your supply chain with digitised B2B logistics.

• Real-time tracking: You can track your shipments right from order placement time until delivery.

• AI recommendations: We have an AI tool in place to help you choose the best courier partner.

• Affordable rates: Enjoy the ease of PTL, FTL , LTL and cargo shipping at minimal costs.

• Dedicated customer support: Get 24/7 assistance from our experts as and whenever you need it.

Conclusion

Deciding on the right shipping partner takes a considerable amount of deliberation and effort. You need to invest your time and evaluate many factors to stumble upon the best one. From having the ability to safely deliver heavy item couriers to providing prompt customer service, searching for a shipping partner is a difficult task. 

You should be able to tick all the boxes on your checklist before tying up with a logistics partner. It assures you that your shipment will reach your buyer in a safe and timely manner. These tips will act as your guiding light in finalising the best shipping company to transport your high-value items without a snag.