Trying to figure out what the most reliable freight option is for someone just starting out carriers vs brokers?
I’m pretty new to shipping products and trying to figure out what people actually use and trust long term.
We make glass figurines from scratch, so everything is pretty fragile. We’re starting to get orders from different countries now, and I don’t want to mess this part up early on.
I keep seeing mixed opinions on LTL/FTL carriers and brokers. Some people say just go straight with carriers like FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, Estes, etc., but others say service can be really inconsistent depending on the route or terminal.
For someone still small and not shipping huge volumes, is it actually better to deal directly with carriers, or use a broker/platform that compares rates (like FreightRun or similar)?
Main things I’m trying to avoid:
- shipments getting damaged/lost
- random surprise fees
- zero support when something goes wrong
Would love to hear what people here actually use day-to-day and what’s worked best for them.