Trade and Transport — The Benefits of Hiring Proper Transportation Companies in Vancouver

When shipping goods across the Canada-United States border, trucking companies are essential to many businesses. In fact, around two-thirds of all United States – Canadian trade is conducted by truck. This includes more than 80% of all imported U.S. goods to Canada. While container delivery can be conducted by ship, in the end, trucking is still necessary for moving the products to warehouses or market locations.

Cross border shipping also benefits from the ability to store goods effectively in the desired country of sale. Frequent shipping of goods can incur higher customs dues and taxes while making wait times longer for local customers. In this way, warehouse storage is essential to making sure your products are available and stocked in the location where they are needed.

Benefits of Transportation Companies

As stated above, working with transportation companies is important in being able to deliver products, and it is the backbone of United States – Canadian trade. The benefits of working alongside transportation companies can include:

• Services - Transportation companies often specialize in multiple services. These can include FTL and LTL shipping, along with heavy hauling, expedited shipping, management of freight, warehousing, logistics, and more. Because of this, you can utilize them as a sort of ‘one-stop-shop’ for all your shipping and storing needs. This can not only help minimize the amount of juggling your company has to do, but it can result in better service for customers overall.
• The Proper Vehicles - Transportation companies also have access to the proper types of vehicles for shipping many types of products. Dry goods, perishables, oversized, and heavy freight can all be transported safely to the desired destination.
• Less Damage - Jumping from the last point, using proper transportation companies ensures that all of your goods have a lower risk of damage while being delivered. This isn’t only true for vehicles, but by having one company handle the transport and storing, you have fewer hands involved and a higher margin of accountability placed on your chosen company.

The Benefits of Proper Storage

As mentioned above, having a place to store your wares is just as important as transporting them. In some instances, your transportation company will offer warehouse storage options. A bonded warehouse, for example, can come with many benefits that can be appealing to cross border businesses. A few of the most significant are:

• Customs - Bonded warehouses are overseen by customs officials and allow for the deferment of duties for up to four years, or until the goods are removed for sale. This allows businesses to consolidate and stores both imported and exported goods without paying for everything upfront or all at once.
• FunctionsWhile your goods are being stored you have the option of assembling them, packaging them, labeling them, or inspecting them while they are in the warehouse. As long as you are not altering the goods themselves, you can take advantage of storage while still having the access you need to prep them for sale.
• SecurityBonded warehouses also have the benefit of expert security measures. These can include fire prevention systems, security gates, access alarms, surveillance, and climate control. All of this helps to maintain the integrity of your products and prevent any issues such as damage or theft.

If you sell products in both the U.S. and Canada, consider capitalizing on proper transport and storage solutions. Not only can they help make trade easier, but they can help protect your wares and save you thousands in potential damages. Cross border trade can be complicated enough in today’s economy, but transportation and storage don’t have to be.