Freight makes up a large portion of your landed cost. If you’re shipping pallets one at a time you’re likely paying expensive less‑than‑truckload (LTL) rates. By bundling orders into region‑specific lots you can graduate to full‑truckload pricing and slash the per‑unit cost of transportation. Work with suppliers to hold product until you have a full trailer’s worth and pre‑book backhauls to avoid empty return miles.
Zone skipping is a powerful logistics tactic for high‑volume parcel shippers. Instead of injecting individual packages into a carrier’s network at origin, you consolidate them and line‑haul them in bulk to a facility closer to the final delivery zone. Analyses of shipping strategies note that zone skipping reduces touchpoints by consolidating shipments closer to the final destination and delivers significant cost savings without compromising transit times. By bypassing multiple shipping zones you minimise handling and claim ratios and inject parcels nearer the customer to shorten final‑mile delivery windows.
The numbers can be dramatic. For example, one case study notes that shipping 2 000 packages individually from the west coast to the east coast might cost about US$15.80 per package, whereas consolidating those packages into a single truckload and using zone skipping reduces the total to about US$12.24 per package—more than 22 % in savings. Zone skipping also provides more reliable transit times and flexibility with regional carriers, making it ideal for predictable, high‑volume lanes.
Don’t accept your carrier’s rate card at face value. Accessorials—charges for lift gates, residential delivery, appointment scheduling and detention—can inflate your invoice. Review past freight bills to understand which surcharges you’re paying most often and negotiate flat rates or waivers for high‑volume lanes. When possible, schedule deliveries during receiving hours and ensure your warehouse is ready to load or unload quickly to avoid demurrage and detention fees.
Combining these tactics—consolidation, zone skipping and disciplined carrier negotiations—can materially improve your logistics margins. Always track the impact of changes in a spreadsheet so you know which levers deliver the greatest return.
