Common carriers offer you transportation of people or goods by providing its licensed, regulated service to the general public. Because they are regulated and offer their services to the general public, they cannot discriminate. Common carriers must also prove to their regulator that they are able to continue to offer their services.

Whether they are common LTL carriers, common carrier freight companies or other public transportation common carriers, they usually follow a defined and pre-published route, according to a preset schedule (e.g. a bus route, a train schedule or a daily flight plan). Common freight carrier companies such as FedEx or UPS also follow such schedules for their normally planned pick up and delivery routes in addition to their additional business deliveries. This route schedule also applies to smaller, lesser known trucking common carriers that may be a great fit for your supply chain needs.

To find out more about common carriers basics:

1. Begin with defining common carriers.

2. Consult federal sources on common carrier services.

3. Take advantage of common carrier truck sites and portals.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Start with definitions on common carriers

See what the definition and explanation information on common carriers is. If you are looking to use the services of one of the many common carriers, understand the general information on using their services before making first contact.

I recommend: The Lectric Law Library's Lexicon offers definition and historical information on common carrier companies. Answers Corporation offers a brief description of their own, but goes on to offer multiple definitions from different sources.

Look at federal regulation of common carrier services

Find out how the federal government oversees common carriers. Also look at other government resources on common carriers.

I recommend: Check out common carrier tariffs from the Federal Maritime Commission. Take a look at their extensive question and answer section. Take a look at the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations from the National Archives and Records Administration. Review such subjects as "Procurement of Common Carrier Transportation" and "Accounting for Common Carrier Transportation."

Use trucker resources sites for common carriers

Trucking carriers can take advantage of the many resources sites available in the industry. Truckers are great at consolidating information into one area, so there are many portal sites that offer a wealth of information to help those in the common carrier trucking industry.

I recommend: Etrucker.com is the common carrier's journal resource for the latest news and information. Find fuel prices, road conditions, routing, permit information and more. Trucking Resources offers a portal of information for common carriers ranging from journals, bulletins, directories to catalogs, associations and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When making initial contact with potential companies that offer common carrier services for transportation of goods, have your list of questions ready. Discuss pricing, including fuel surcharges. Talk about who does the loading and unloading. Some companies will save you money if you take care of the loading and unloading, and they just do the driving. Also ask for a list of references that you can call to discuss. Follow up with that list to ensure satisfaction in terms of pricing and customer service.

Common freight carrier services can be advantageous for your small business. Common carriers are available on demand using a load-by-load contract with no long-term commitment for either party. Without the need for an extended service contract, your business is free to utilize common carrier freight companies as frequently–or infrequently—as desired.

Trucking carriers come in all sizes; from small companies with a single truck to huge corporations with terminals in numerous states. You can access these common carrier trucking services by contacting carriers directly, or by hiring a broker to act in your stead.

Savvy business owners streamline their shipping and receiving departments by knowing:

1. Where to find common carrier trucking companies with available trucks.

2. When to use brokers to obtain common carrier services, and when to avoid them.

3. How to lessen risk factors by screening trucking carriers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Utilize load boards to find common carrier services in your area

Expedite your shipments by choosing common carrier trucking companies that have empty equipment nearby. Load boards can show you which common carriers have local trucks available for immediate or scheduled pickup of your product.

I recommend: Take virtual tours of Getloaded.com and Internet Truckstop, two of the most comprehensive load boards in the industry.

Keep brokers on standby to provide common carrier truck backup in a pinch

Access additional equipment as needed through brokers; but be aware of their drawbacks. The middleman element provides more opportunity for miscommunication and shipment delays. Use a brokerage with stringent requirements for its brokers. If an unscrupulous broker refuses to pay the carrier, the shipper can be held legally responsible even if the shipper has already paid the broker for the move.

I recommend: Always investigate brokers before committing to a service contract. C.H. Robinson is an umbrella brokerage with hundreds of brokers at your service. To check an individual broker's track record, RTS Credit Service offers payment history and customer satisfaction rates.

Screen a potential common freight carrier to lessen risk factors

Before loading a carrier, find out who you're dealing with. Limit your financial risk by verifying every potential freight carrier's common authority, insurance coverage and safety rating.

I recommend: The FMCSA’s L&I Report and SafeStat system can provide you with all the tools necessary to ensure a potential freight carrier has an adequate safety record and is in good legal standing.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Small owner operators are typically eager to please shippers in hopes of return business. Large corporate carriers often lack customer service skills; with statistically higher driver turnover rates, you may never see the same driver twice. This means with large carriers, you'll have to give directions and explain shipping and receiving procedures again and again.

Establish yourself professionally with up-to-date knowledge in common carriers education and training. Keep current with changes in industry regulations and equipment. People are more likely to want to work with you if they see that you dedicate your time to safe practices and keeping up-to-date with regulations.

Learn safety tips geared specifically for common trucking carriers and learn smart business practices to take your common carrier trucking business to the next level. To do this you might want to:

1. Educate yourself via online course offerings for trucking common carriers.

2. Obtain common carriers education and training to determine different facets of the industry.

3. Brush up on common trucking carriers rules and regulations and practices through media resources.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take online classes for trucking carriers to educate yourself on industry changes

Expand your knowledge base by taking advantage of common carrier trucking classes offered online. This gives you a chance to learn around your work schedule and in the comfort of your home.

I recommend: Transport Training International offers lessons, along with exams and quizzes, which offer training in details related to becoming a common freight carrier. It offers email support to graduates as well as a Certificate of Completion when each student completes the course. AdvanceOnline Solutions, along with the Virginia Trucking Association, offers online motor carrier training. It focuses on safety courses and classes on federal policies as well as regulations.

Glean information about common carrier trucking services from others through formal classes

Learn about a variety of common carrier services by attending courses and workshops pertaining to carrier consulting and economics and industry regulations.

I recommend: The University of Texas at Arlington provides several courses related to the motor carrier industry. Learn the basics of becoming a carrier, train to become a consultant for transportation or brush up on training you already have with its "Getting the Most out of Your Transportation Authority" course. DOTAuthority.com offers a series of training seminars for common carriers. It offers freight training and safety training as well as regulation training.

Use interactive media to learn more about common carrier trucking practices

Learn pertinent information for common trucking carriers by using DVDs and interactive CD-ROM programs that update you on requirements, safety tips and government regulations.

I recommend: Delmar Cengage Learning offers a DVD for truck drivers who want to learn about common carrier trucking. It has a how-to guide and workbook that cover safety and general policies and practices. The Transportation Security Administration offers a CD-ROM with a program for motor carriers, which details requirements from the Federal Regulations. Its focus is on security.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider consulting with an expert who deals specifically with trucking carriers to optimize business practices.

If your bottom line takes into account shipping costs, it's worth learning as much as possible about common carriers. It might be more cost efficient to ship your goods by air rather than ground, or vice versa, but unless you understand the key terms often used by common carriers, it can be tricky finding the best price and the best service for your company.

By taking the time to learn the jargon of common carriers, you can implement the terms into your own shipping process. After reading through the frequently used common carriers key terms, you'll know how to save time by consulting a load board and whether to hire a freight broker to handle the legwork for you.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Logistics

In its broadest sense, logistics refers to the movement of materials, services, information or people. Often, shipping companies are described as logistics companies because they move goods from the supplier to the consumer.

I recommend: Read through logistics case studies at the Penske website. Learn about current issues in logistics at Logistics Management.

Freight carrier

Freight carrier is the general term for trucks, planes and ships used to transport materials. Unlike logistics, which can refer to the movement of people and information, freight carriers are used specifically for shipping.

I recommend: Browse through the various types of freight carriers at UPS. Additional information about air and truck freight carriers can be found at FreightBrokers.com.

Freight brokers

Freight brokers work as the middlemen between the business that needs to ship goods and the logistics company. Freight brokers shop around for the best quotes and find the logistics company that is best suited for the manufacturer's budget and shipping needs.

I recommend: Read an article by Entrepreneur about freight brokerage businesses. A1 Freight Broker Training offers a detailed job description of a freight broker.

Hazardous materials

Hazardous materials include explosives, radioactive material, flammable and nonflammable gas, oxidizers and corrosive materials. The shipping of hazardous materials is strictly regulated, and common carriers may impose their own guidelines in addition to governmental regulations.

I recommend: FedEx offers a guide for shipping hazardous materials that includes information on restrictions, packaging and documentation. To learn more about transporting hazardous materials, visit the Harvard College website.

Load boards

Load boards help companies find available common carriers for shipping, as well as help common carriers fill their loads to capacity. Common carriers post a listing when they have empty or unfilled equipment, allowing companies to search for available freight carriers in the area.

I recommend: Learn more about how a load board works at GetLoaded.com. Find explanations for how to use load board freight searches at Internet Truckstop.

Safety ratings

Safety ratings for common carriers take into account the number of crashes the company has been involved in as well as how the company performs in safety inspections. Safety ratings are available by state as well as by company.

I recommend: See the Motor Carrier Safety Status Measurement System to see how safety ratings are assigned by state. To learn more about safety ratings, as well as view common carrier company records, visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.