Linbis-Logistics-Software
Get Started
Sign in

Freight Shipping: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s Vital for Global Trade

Freight shipping is the foundation of global commerce. Every product, raw material, or retail item that you see on store shelves likely got there thanks to freight shipping—whether it moved by truck, rail, sea, or air.
In this guide, we’ll cover what freight shipping is, how it works, the main methods, key players, and how modern tools are reshaping the industry for businesses of all sizes.
Discover more
Freight Shipping: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s Vital for Global Trade

🚚 What Is Freight Shipping?

Freight shipping refers to the process of transporting large quantities of goods—usually commercial cargo—via ground, ocean, or air. It involves moving goods in bulk, often on pallets or in containers, between manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and consumers.

Unlike parcel shipping (used for small packages), freight shipping is designed for larger loads, typically over 150 lbs (68 kg).

📦 Common Freight Shipping Methods

Mode

Description

Best For

🚛 Truck (LTL/FTL)

Over-the-road transport, either full truckload (FTL) or less-than-truckload (LTL)

Domestic, regional cargo

🚢 Ocean Freight

Uses containers on cargo ships

International trade, heavy or non-urgent goods

✈️ Air Freight

Fastest, but costly

Time-sensitive or high-value cargo

🚆 Rail Freight

Cost-effective for long distances

Bulk goods over land

Each mode has trade-offs in speed, cost, and accessibility, and many businesses use multimodal shipping (a mix) to balance efficiency and price.

Common Freight Shipping Methods

🧠 Key Players in Freight Shipping

  • Shippers – The party sending the goods (manufacturer or supplier)

     

  • Consignees – The party receiving the goods (buyer or distributor)

     

  • Freight Forwarders – Experts who arrange and manage the entire shipping process

     

  • Carriers – Companies that physically transport the goods (trucking firms, airlines, etc.)
  • 3PLs – Third-party logistics providers that offer end-to-end freight solutions

📝 Required Documents in Freight Shipping

Proper documentation is essential for compliance and smooth delivery:

  • 📄 Bill of Lading (BOL) – Contract between shipper and carrier

  • ✈️ Air Waybill (AWB) – Required for air shipments

  • 🧾 Commercial Invoice – For customs clearance

  • 📦 Packing List – Details of cargo content

  • 🌐 Customs Documents – Depending on the country of origin/destination

Digital freight software now allows most of these to be generated and shared electronically.

Required Documents in Freight Shipping

💰 How Freight Shipping Costs Are Calculated

Freight costs depend on several variables:

  • 📦 Weight and dimensions

  • 🚚 Shipping mode (LTL, FTL, ocean, air)

  • 🛣️ Distance between pickup and delivery points

  • 📄 Required services (insurance, liftgate, customs clearance)

  • ⏱️ Delivery speed (standard vs. expedited)

  • 💡 Freight class and accessorial charges

To get an accurate quote, businesses often use freight quoting tools or work with a trusted freight forwarder.

📲 Digital Freight Shipping: The New Standard

Modern freight shipping has evolved beyond paper and phone calls. Today’s top logistics providers use:

  • ✅ Freight management software (FMS)

     

  • 📍 Real-time tracking apps

     

  • 🧾 Auto-generated documentation

     

  • 📊 Data analytics dashboards

     

  • 🧠 AI-powered route and cost optimization

     

Solutions like Linbis make it easier than ever to manage your from a single digital platform.

Digital Freight Shipping: The New Standard
Join us here

🧩 When Do You Need Freight Shipping?

  • 📦 You’re sending bulk goods (over 150 lbs)

  • 🛒 Your eCommerce orders require pallet or LTL transport

  • 🌐 You’re importing/exporting internationally

  • 🏗️ You need specialized equipment for heavy or oversized cargo

  • 🧾 You require multiple documents, customs clearance, or compliance tracking

🏁 Final Thoughts

Freight shipping is more than just moving cargo—it’s a strategic process that impacts delivery timelines, cost control, and customer satisfaction. Whether you’re a growing brand or a seasoned logistics provider, mastering is essential to scale operations and compete globally.

📦 Ready to streamline your freight logistics? Start by comparing modes, automating your workflow, and working with experienced partners that bring transparency and control to every shipment.

Freight Shipping – How to Ship Freight


  • ltl shipping, ltl carriers, feight companies, freight, Linbis - logistics automation

    Simple Logistics Software

    Organize, Coordinate and Ship

    Our Software makes your job easier, faster and cost effective
    Linbis Forwarding Software on the Cloud Is For You

    Login ›

    Get Started›

    Linbis - Logistics Software As a Service, Freight Forwarding Software,

.custom.tp-bullets{}.custom.tp-bullets:before{content:” “;position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;background:transparent;padding:10px;margin-left:-10px;margin-top:-10px;box-sizing:content-box}.custom .tp-bullet{width:12px;height:12px;position:absolute;background:#aaa; background:rgba(125,125,125,0.5);cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box}.custom .tp-bullet:hover,.custom .tp-bullet.selected{background:rgb(125,125,125)}.custom .tp-bullet-image{}.custom .tp-bullet-title{}

Freight Shipping – A Complete Guide To Global Shipping

Freight shipping is an integral part of operations for many ecommerce businesses. In this article, we cover the basics of freight shipping to help you carry out your global shipping and freight delivery efficiently.

Businesses involved in trading overseas use freight shipping for transportation of their goods in bulk through road, air or ship.

freight shipping

What is Freight Shipping?

It is the transportation of goods, commodities and cargo across the globe by air, land or sea. Freight shipping takes place between a merchant and a freight broker. These services are the backbone for a number of industries that require parts, goods or products in their supply chain from other countries.

Any shipment larger than 30×30 inches or weighing more than 150 pounds can be considered as a freight shipment. Freight delivery can be either loaded onto a truck on pallets or floor-loaded. There are three types of freight shipments – Full Truckload, Less-Than TruckLoad, Partial TruckLoad.

How to Ship a Freight?

Here are some of the primary considerations to ship freight.

Dimensions are the most important factor determining freight cost. The length, width and height of the shipment should be accurately measured in inches. Another important factor is the weight of the shipment. The accurate weight allows carriers to manage your shipment and quote the right cost. CBM calculator is used to determine volume and density.

how to ship a freight and make a freight delivery

You should be mindful of the heavy shipments or oversized items. Products that require extra space due to shape, size or weight might end up costing higher. Freight rates are calculated on the basis of weight, dimensions and other factors when doing freight delivery.

You should safeguard shipment with proper packaging and care to protect the freight in transit. You can consider crating or palletizing your shipment. Proper packaging saves you a lot of time and money.

The next thing you should know about is the requirement of your locations. You should have information about the origin and destination location requirements since carriers generally pick up and deliver from and to loading docks.

You should also be aware of the delivery schedules, particularly for time-critical shipments. If your shipment needs a more definitive time window, you can select the guaranteed delivery options.

Steps for Freight Shipping

A business involving in freight shipping for products it wants to import or export should go through these steps:

  1. Request Quotes

Provide necessary details like origin, destination, shipping date and freight dimensions clearly to receive the accurate freight quotes from forwarders. You can compare the quotes from different companies to make an informed decision before scheduling the freight delivery.

  1. Choose the Service

Considering all the quotes you get, you can pick the one that best fits your preferred transit time or target rate to ship your freight.

  1. Prepare Documentation

You will need to provide the required documents for the shipment depending on which mode you choose. The common documents are Packing List, Commercial Invoice, Certificate of Origin, Bill of Lading, etc. Once the documentation is completed, your shipment is verified.

  1. Book the Freight

You can confirm the shipment details presented to you by the freight forwarder and if everything looks good, you can book the freight shipment.

  1. Track and Manage the Shipment

Once you receive the booking confirmation, you can start tracking your freight shipment in real-time.

  1. Pay the Bills and Taxes

The shipment passes through customs inspection at the port of entry. The bill includes customs duties and taxes from the forwarder. Bill should be paid to the forwarder.

  1. Receive the Shipment

After paying the bill, the shipment can be received by the receiver at his destination warehouse.

How to Prepare my Freight for Shipping?

If the freight is not prepared properly, issues like costly charges, delays, damaged freight and others can arise. The preparation starts with dimensions. Measuring the length, width and height of the freight accurately can get you precise costs and save you from overspending. Another important part of preparation is documentation.

You should hand over the Bill of Lading to the carrier at the time of pickup. Packaging and labeling the freight is equally important. Improper packaging can lead to damaged or lost inventory and unpleasant experiences. Use of proper packaging techniques saves you a lot of time in the long run. While packaging options depend on the shipment, crating and palletizing are the primary ones.

What do I Need to Know Before Freight Shipping?

When performing a freight shipping, you should know the weight and volume of the shipment to be able to choose the right type of shipping. You should also be aware of the different carriers and consolidators available as well as the transit times to make an informed decision. You must also take into account customs at the source and destination. Documentation essential for internationally shipped goods is vital to ensure a smooth shipping.

What Documents do I need for Freight Shipping?

The documentation required for freight shipping varies depending on whether you choose air or sea shipment. It also depends on whether you drop the shipment off at a receipt center or choose to have it collected. Below are the most common documents needed in a freight shipping.

Air Waybill (for air freight)

Shipping Label (for ocean freight)

Bill of Lading (for ocean freight)

Packing List (Customs Invoice)

How to Choose the Freight Class fro my Freight Delivery?

There are 18 possible classifications for an LTL freight ranging from low, 50 to high, 500. While sturdy, dense, easily handled freight is tagged with low classification, freight that is prone to theft or damage is ranked higher. Lower the density, higher is the freight class. You can choose your freight class by considering the primary metrics like density, ease of handing, stowability and liability of your shipment.

How to Choose the Best Freight Shipping Company?

Apart from the cost of shipping your freight, businesses should consider a shipping company that offers a combination of shipping options to suit various shipments. This ensures that the business can use the same company for multiple shipping needs.

The best freight shipping company is the one that can deliver the products to the place they should be around the globe. The customer wants to get the products delivered on time with safety and at a reasonable cost. The best freight shipping company meets all the needs and goals of the business for shipping.

Linbis-Logistics-Software
Contact Sales

sales@linbis.com

Customer Support

1-800-519-5322

Solution

Support

Company

Linkedin-in Facebook-f Youtube Mdi-email
Copyright © 2023 Linbis, All rights reserved.

Learn how we helped 100 top brands gain success