Why a Van Might be the Right Choice for You

Considering making your first van purchase? Trying to decide if getting rid of your compact car and upgrading to a larger size vehicle is the right decision for you? Wondering about the safety of a large van versus your current automobile? Here are a couple of factors to consider when looking into your first full-size van purchase:

– Am I looking for a lot of storage in my vehicle?
Vans are notoriously roomy, with plenty of storage space for your travelling storage needs. If you own your own business and often travel with many tools or large equiptment, getting a van is a “no-brainer”.

– Do I need to transport many people?
Many types of vans come with extra seating, making vans the roomier choice if you need to travel with a large group. Whether you are leading an organization, taking many field trips, or just have a large family, a van will help you take a trip with many people involved.

– Are vans safe?
Most vans are fully equipped with seatbelts for driver and all passengers, and many have to pass certain standards that regular cars do not. For more information about the safety of your van prior to purchase, make sure to do extensive research.

– Should I purchase a van or a flat-bed truck?
If you would like to store your work equiptment inside your vehicle, a van is the obvious choice. In addition, you will have extra room for passengers, as mentioned above.

There are many different things to consider when looking to purchase a large vehicle, several of which are mentioned above. There are also many resources available for the first-time van buyer to make your selection process easier. Ultimately, vans should be your preferred choice for lots of storage, passenger comfort, and safe travelling.

Are Your Shipments Carrying a Proper Bill of Lading?

Have you ever lost a shipment in transit? Maybe it is because the bill of lading was missing or maybe part of the info was missing. Trying to remedy this situation can be a real headache.

There are a few really simple steps to making sure your shipment gets where it is going. First, make sure the bill of lading is completely filled out. This should include shippers address and receivers address, but that is not all that needs to be on a bill of lading. A tag that says “to and from” will get a box from Santa to all the good little boys and girls but freight carriers need more than that. A bill of lading needs to include the number of boxes or skids in the shipment. The contents should also be a part of the bill of lading. Typically, a packing slip is included with a complete item count and may be attached with the bill of lading. The bill of lading will still need a general description of the goods being shipped written directly on it. Another piece of information that needs to be on a bill of lading is the name of the carrier that is supposed to carry the shipment. This is very important if you have many shipments with different carriers picking them up. Having to much information on a bill of lading is much better than not having enough information on there.

Once the bill of lading is complete, the best practice is to make a total of three copies. Give the carrier the original; keep a copy for your own records. The third copy should be attached to the shipment in a document envelope that sticks to the freight. This is a fail safe measure that only takes a second but can save the shipper a lot of time if the original paperwork gets lost along the way.

Making sure your bill of lading is complete and using three copies will save time searching for or worse yet trying to reproduce paperwork in the future.

How Much Does Shipping Cost?

Are you looking to ship something, whether it be across a few states or across the world? Depending on the size of the packaging and the distance it will need to travel, the shipping costs can vary greatly. There are also a number of places through which customers can ship items which can further change the cost. Usually, the best bet for shipping smaller items is the United States Postal Service. Here are an example of some of their shipping prices.

First-Class Postcards and Letters (within general size limitations): $0.28-$0.44. Additional services such as Priority or Express mail, as well as anything exceeding general size limitations will raise the shipping costs.

The USPS offers different size envelopes for shipping a variety of items and weights. Depending on the size of the envelope and how much the final item weighs, the shipping can range anywhere from a few dollars to over $20. Once again, using Priority or Express mail, as well as any other additional services such as tracking or insurance, will raise the costs.

Shipping packages is a feasible option with the United States Postal Service, but can be rather pricey at times. Media Mail is usually the best bet, and depending on the size/weight of the package, will generally only run you a few dollars. However, the the shipping speed and quality of this method may or may not be worth the cheap price. Other methods again vary per size, weight, and distance, but will usually be above $10.

UPS has decent rates for bigger shipments. For example, a package weighing 10 pounds, can be shipped halfway across the states using UPS Ground for only $15. However, consider that the USPS would charge only around $13 if I have my own box.

International shipping begins around $1 for letters and works its way up for anything larger.

Send By Courier Or Cargo?

When you have a parcel to send across the state, country or to another nation, there are two main ways to do so; one either chooses to send it by courier or cargo. There is a difference between the two services, each with advantages and disadvantages.

First of all, consider what type of parcel or package you are sending; for smaller packages and documents, the courier service is the best because they specialize in quick delivery in a specified time frame. There are several courier services ranging from the local ones in your town to those who handle parcels across the country. Many have online web sites where customers can find how much it will cost them to send packages by courier and what is or is not accepted. This is where a little time of research can save you money and time when sending parcels or packages from one place to another, by using the internet.

Certain cargo is better if a cargo service is used because the items being shipped are bulky or may need special handling and care. Several cargo services provide efficient service across the United States, UPS and FedEx are the best known providers. Cargo freight providers are best known for their ability to handle larger quantities of materials such as household goods or machinery from one state to another or one country to another, often by air or ship when it is necessary.

If you are shipping goods to another country, you need to be aware of the costs and regulations that are required. Many of the cargo services can help with handling these regulations, which is part of the service you pay for. The internet is a good place to research these companies before you choose a certain one to handle your cargo.

The Top Express Courier Companies in the World

Are you in need of a worldwide express courier or wondered how many there are in the world? Are you also like most people and have only heard of UPS and Fed Ex, don’t feel left out you are not alone. I have done some research and there are other express courier companies in the world.

DHL Express founded in 1969 to deliver documents only between San Francisco and Honolulu, then the company expanded their service throughout the world by the mid to late 1970s. The company was very interested in offshore deliveries but with the success of FedEx already in those countries they decided to expand in the United State which started in 1983. DHL finally took the plunge to expand to countries that could not be reached by other delivery companies. Some areas that they were able to expand too were Vietnam and the People’s Republic of China, noone else had attempted to do this before.

When I think of shipping anything I think of UPS first before any other company. UPS is considered an express Courier that I am sure you have heard of and have used many, many times. They offer Worldwide Express Plus, Express Critical, Worldwide Expedited. UPS has a very popular store called the UPS Store as well as UPS Drop Boxes, UPS Customer Service Centers, UPS Alliance Locations and UPS Authorized Shipping Outlets.

Express Courier International is one company that comes to mind when we are talking about worldwide shipping. They have been in business since 1984 and are great for shipping items either express, express flight, standard, next day service, and even out of town service.

World Express Courier have been shipping items via express for over 30 years now. They are a low cost world provider of express and logistic services.