3rd party shipping can mean a fulfillment provider, a discount label platform or a billing arrangement. When a shipment is too big, heavy or urgent for parcel service, ExpeditedFreight.com arranges a dedicated truck driven direct, or air freight for long distances.
Three things, one phrase
3PLs, label platforms and third-party billing.
3rd party shipping is used for three different things. The first is a third-party logistics provider, or 3PL, which stores a business's goods in its warehouse, picks and packs orders and ships them out, so the business does not run its own fulfillment. The second is a third-party shipping platform, which sells parcel labels from major carriers at a discount and lets small sellers print them online.
The third is third-party billing, an arrangement in which someone other than the shipper or the receiver pays the freight charges. All three involve a party outside the buyer and seller, which is why the same phrase covers them.
Knowing which one you need saves time. ExpeditedFreight.com is a freight provider: it arranges dedicated trucks and air freight for shipments that are too big, heavy or urgent for parcel service.
Who pays, in writing
Agree third-party billing before pickup.
Third-party billing means the freight charges go to someone other than the shipper or the receiver. A common example is third-party collect, where the shipment is billed to a third party's account rather than prepaid by the shipper or collected from the receiver. The third party might be a parent company paying for shipments between its divisions, a customer using its own freight account, or a logistics provider managing freight for a client.
The arrangement is agreed before pickup and written on the bill of lading, with the third party's name and billing details, so the invoice goes to the right place. If the details are missing or wrong, the bill can end up with the shipper or receiver by mistake.
ExpeditedFreight.com confirms who is paying, and the billing details, when each shipment is booked.
Bigger than a box
Pallets, heavy items and deadlines need freight service.
Parcel platforms and parcel networks are built for boxes. They move packages through sorting hubs on set routes, with limits on size and weight. A shipment outgrows them when it is a pallet or several, a heavy or oversized item, fragile freight that should not be sorted and handled many times, or anything with a deadline that a parcel schedule cannot meet.
At that point a freight provider fits better. A dedicated truck is dispatched for the shipment alone and driven straight to the receiver: a Sprinter van for a pallet or two, a box truck or straight truck for several pallets with a liftgate, a hot shot for heavy parts, or a 53 ft dry van or flatbed for full loads. For long distances, air freight on the next suitable flight is faster still.
ExpeditedFreight.com arranges both when a shipment is bigger or more urgent than a box.
Outsource what you do not run
Third parties fill the gaps in a business's shipping.
Many businesses rely on third parties for the parts of shipping they do not want to run themselves. E-commerce sellers use 3PLs to store inventory and ship orders, and parcel platforms to cut label costs. Manufacturers use 3PLs to hold finished goods near customers and freight providers to move raw materials and urgent parts. Distributors and retailers use third parties to restock warehouses and stores across regions.
Trade show and event teams often send exhibits through a third party, with the freight billed to the company running the event or to the exhibitor's account. Businesses with several divisions often use third-party billing so one office can pay for shipments between locations.
The common thread is outsourcing what the business does not run. ExpeditedFreight.com handles the urgent freight piece, from a single pallet to a full truckload.
One call for urgent freight
A provider handles the truck, flight and updates.
When a shipment is urgent, a freight provider acting for the shipper can handle the whole move: choosing the truck or flight, dispatching it, following the freight and confirming delivery. The shipper or its 3PL makes one call instead of searching for a truck.
To book, share what the freight is, the number of pieces, the weight and dimensions, how it is packed, the pickup and delivery addresses, contacts at each end and the deadline. If someone other than the shipper is paying, include the billing party's details so the invoice goes to the right place.
ExpeditedFreight.com uses those details to dispatch a dedicated truck or book a flight and keeps everyone updated until proof of delivery. 3rd party shipping covers many things, and for urgent freight, one provider handling the move is the simplest of them.
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Call (800) 704-7145
