The Wall Street Journal reports on a shortage of rail cars, impacting a multitude of industries.
Railcar shortages are forcing railroads to lease from private industries and vice versa, is your company paying correctly for your shipments?
Only the experts at AMTR can help make sense of these trends and ensure you are paying the correct rates.
For LTL (Less than Truckload) shipping, billing is determined by a few key factors, including the classification of the product(s) shipped. The classifications and the associated classes can be found in the National Motor Freight Classification book. The current version is NMF 100-AN and is set to expire 2/7/15. All of the supplements published over the last year will be integrated into the new version, NMF 100-AO effective 2/8/15.
With the many changes that will take effect, and the fact that rate clerks are not experienced in the research and classifying of products, many overcharge errors will occur. AMTR’s trained auditors can ensure that the right classification is being applied for your products and that you are not being overbilled.
Are you 100% sure your Automated Freight Payment System is 100% accurate?
Automated Freight Payment Systems are a very economical investment. They allow companies to quickly and easily add automated payment management to their workflow, by allowing companies to set criteria for managing their expenses. But, they are not Humans, and so they fail to authorize 3-5% of invoices because they do not meet their predetermined criteria.
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JOC.com reports on Union Pacific’s New Mexico hub expansion, and what this means for freight shipments across the border.
A vast Union Pacific Railroad terminal in Santa Teresa, N.M. allows the company to refuel long trains more efficiently. It also is part of an effort to attract more Mexican/American freight traffic from truck to rail.
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An article at JOC.com was posted recently regarding the return of US rail traffic to normal after this cold winter.
The harsh winter has slowed down rail traffic. Coupled with the high demand for rail cars in the Dakotas from shale oil production, this has caused major bottlenecks at the gateways (cars waiting to switch), especially in places like Chicago. It will take months to get the system up and moving at its regular pace.
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Shippers and carriers get on the same page when it comes to calculating shipment weights.
The proposed clarifications and additions to NMFC Item 110 Section 8 are intended to provide a detailed methodology in determining density and to ensure that both shippers and carriers provide accurate information for rating purposes. AMTR auditors have the knowledge and experience to ensure the methodology and application are in accordance with these proposed changes.
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Rate increases announced in June 2013 by freight carriers will take effect within a month. These rate hikes affect freight that moves across continents. Officials from Zim, one of the largest international shipping companies in the world, says that increased rates are needed for shippers to stay competitive. Zim also says they’ve worked hard to improve customer service and resources during a time of overall weak shipping trade, and hopes are that everyone will benefit.
