Key Features to Look for in Australian Shipping Container Companies
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 6 Oct, 2020
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Are you looking for a new shipping container transport company? Fun Fact: The Australian freight logistics market is projected to increase by 2.5% by 2024, according to Mordor Intelligence. When picking a company specialising in containers for shipping, it’s critical to look for certain features. Here are the main ones to weigh:
Shipping Methods
Did you know the Trans-Australian Railway has the world’s longest section of totally straight track?
When picking a shipping company, it helps when you have different shipping methods to pick from, like road and rail. This can make shipping more convenient. In some situations, road transport will be more efficient, other times rail is better, and still, other times a combo of road and rail is ideal.
If you want the most efficient shipping, it helps when the company can use one or multiple shipping options. For instance, if a particular section of road or rail is under repair, a company can go with alternative options to get your items from Point A to Point B more efficiently.
Besides the general shipping methods, it helps if a company has multiple options within major shipping methods. For instance, sometimes, a company can pick from different road vehicles like tilt tray trucks.
This particular option makes it a cinch to load/unload heavy equipment. That’s because the tray tilts all the way to the ground then back up until it’s parallel to the rest of the truck’s bed.
Lots of Depots
When picking an Australian shipping company, you should pick a company with lots of depots. This can (and should) include ones like regional centres and state capitals.
There’s no magic number, but the “the more, the merrier” rule generally applies. Look for companies that have tens of depots instead of a few. While this is a logistical issue, it can affect how fast and efficiently your shipped containers get to their destination.
Industry Experience
How important is a shipping company’s industry experience? Many companies are startups or new companies, so there’s a lower chance you’ll get good customer service.
It’s better when a company has experience numbering several years or even over a decade, for example. This can provide you with better service, whether you’re shipping to Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane. If you have any issues or problems, an experienced company will also be more apt to deal with them.
Cost-effectiveness
There are various ways a shipping company can help reduce costs, which they can then pass on to customers. For example, while road shipping is generally cheaper for short-distance shipping, the opposite is usually true for rail shipping.
If a company doesn’t even offer rail shipping, you could end up shelling out more money to have your stuff shipped. On the other hand, when multiple shipping methods are available, a company can pick rail shipping for longer distances, for example.
Area Covered
It’s important to look for shipping companies that cover local and inter-state areas, including:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
Even if your company typically ships within one state, there will likely be times when you’ll need to ship containers to other states. In that situation, an inter-state feature is critical, so you can go with one company for all your shipping needs.
While you have many options when picking a shipping container transport company, some are better than others. Shipping methods, cost-effectiveness, and industry experience are just some of the factors that can help you move containers in a fast and effective way.