| By :
Mark Etinger
If you are running a business and need to ship freight, it's important to understand how it is shipped. Freight shippers will take your items many different ways, depending on what's easiest, cheapest, and convenient. The most common way to ship freight, especially over land, is equipment trucking. They can ship freight from one state to another fairly easily. When dealing with trucks, you may need an entire truck just for your merchandise or you may share it with other clients who are shipping. That's the difference between FTL and LTL, full truckload and less than truckload shipping. Trucks are also used to ship freight between two different international way points, like from a plane to a boat for example. Railways are another popular method of ground transportation, especially when your freight needs to cover a large number of miles in a short amount of time. In the U.S freight is shipped in container well cars. They resemble flat cars but have a container sized well in the middle of the car, which allows for enough clearance so the cars can be loaded with freight double stacked. Sometimes semi-trailers themselves are transported on trains on flatcars in a piggyback arrangement. Container ships are custom built to ship freight in proper containers across seas. Some vessels can hold a few thousand containers at once. Usually ships can be stacked up to seven units high, hence the large number they can carry. This is perfect for international shipping, especially when you are shipping a incredibly large amount. Freight can also be shipped by cargo plane, though it's often one of the pricier options. What is different about these planes compared to commercial ones is that they have a large, "fat" fuselage, and a high-wing to let the cargo area sit low to the ground. A large number of wheels also allow it to land at unprepared locations, making shipping freight anywhere relatively easy by plane. When you decide to ship freight, it's good to know how the company you are working with ships. Some will use all of these methods, others only a few. It's good to know how your freight will be traveling and if you can choose to upgrade from one to another, depending on location. Also ask about price differences based on the different ways of travel. You may get a cheaper deal by going with a train over plane, even though you'll be sacrificing time. You just have to figure out which option works best for you.
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