When it comes to your supply chain strategy, cartage agents are a little different from the other providers you may typically work with. Before you start working with a cartage agent, it is important to understand how your cartage agent fits into the rest of your supply chain strategy.
This overview of your freight’s journey when using a cartage agent provides you with just that: information about how your regular provider will work with your cartage provider to get your freight where it needs to go.
The Beginning
Your freight begins its journey when it is packed up and leaves it’s original location, such as a warehouse or storage facility. Typically, your freight will start its journey by being packed into a truck, even if it is eventually going to become air freight.
Mid-Journey
Over the course of your freight’s travels, it may change hands a few times. If it is air freight, a truck may have picked up the freight from it’s original location and dropped it off at the airport. But once the plane lands, the freight will most likely need to be picked up again, most likely by a truck.
Even if your freight is making the journey by land, there may come a point in its travels where your freight finds that it has gone as far as it can with the agent that it began the journey with. This is where the cartage agent comes in.
A cartage agent basically takes your freight the extra mile. Perhaps the original company cannot go quite as far as they need to in order to complete the delivery, or maybe they are not able to complete the delivery in the needed time frame. A cartage agent can step in and pick up the freight from the location that the original company is able to take it. This may mean picking it up from the airport to deliver it the final leg of the journey, or picking it up from another trucking provider.
The End
Once the cartage agent picks up the freight, the delivery is usually completed fairly quickly. The cartage agent simply takes the freight that final leg of the journey, ensuring it arrives at it’s final destination safe and on time. And with that, your freight delivery is complete!
Depending on your logistic needs, a cartage agent might be the missing piece in your supply chain strategy. Whether your freight travels solely by ground or takes to the skies, the right cartage agent can ensure your freight gets where it needs to go.
Ready to learn more about how ZIP Delivery can help you with your cartage agent needs? Call us today at 214-373-1999 or contact us by filling out an online form.