Freight Transportation Companies & Quotes

Freight transportation services are offered for all sizes of moves: less than truckload or container load (LTL/LCL), truckload (TL), container load (CL) and bulk cargo. There are also different methods of transportation such as road, rail, air, sea, ocean or intermodal. Finding a freight company or freight forwarder to meet your needs can be a daunting task, but with our quick form below, you'll find the process a lot easier. Just fill it out to get started and soon you'll receive up to 5 free quotes from various service providers in our network!

Transporting your goods by water might be the slowest method, but it's much more cost efficient and environmentally friendly than using trucks or airplanes. And since the international shipping industry is responsible for approximately 90% of world trade, you will most likely use an ocean or sea freight company if you find yourself moving goods frequently. Alternatively, if you have a large amount of materials to transport, ocean freight is definitely the way to go because one container ship can hold the load of 10,000 trucks. Can you believe that a bulk carrier can hold enough grain to feed 4 million people for an entire month? And one tanker can be big enough to carry enough oil to heat a city for a year!

Airlines carriers might be more beneficial for you if you need a fast freight transportation method. Some will use the cargo hold, or undercarriage, of a passenger airplane, whereas other airlines have planes specifically dedicated to air cargo. Such all-cargo aircraft are also called freighters and they are built for transporting unit loading devices (ULDs) like pallets or containers. These ULDs are generally kept on the main deck, but bulk cargo is usually stored in the lower deck of a cargo plane. Moreover, the cargo holds can be temperature-controlled to preserve even the most sensitive items.

If you need to move your goods from your warehouse or factory to the airport, investigate the option of employing an air freight forwarder or indirect air carrier. They can arrange transportation via truck, rail or water and act on your behalf to make the entire freight transportation process a smooth one. For example, if you have LTLs / Less-Than-Truck loads or LCLs / Less-Than-Container loads, a freight forwarder can coordinate the move with other smaller shippers to consolidate the goods onto pallets or into one larger container. Then not only do you share the space, you also share the cost. Upon arrival, your freight forwarder will also unpack the loads and deliver each one to its appropriate final destination. You also have a degree of protection in this case since the freight forwarder assumes responsibility for the goods along the way.

The European Intermodal Association (EIA) encourages consignors to use more than one method of freight transportation, while the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy and Transport supports Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). ITS is applicable to air, water, road and rail transport and capitalizes on freight forwarding software and technology such as sensors and satellites to improve existing systems and offer new services. Other organisations also work in the best interest of people, the environment and the economy, such as the UK-based Freight Transportation Association (FTA) and the Federation of Asia-Pacific Aircargo Associations, representing 16 countries.