Making shipments of merchandise on a daily basis does not free us from making some very common mistakes. Basic things that, either because of the rush of day to day or because of the relaxation of taking out shipments routinely without complications, can end up causing problems. From small upsets -if we are talking about a delay in a delivery- to big dramas -in cases of merchandise breakage that we have not adequately insured-.

What you should avoid in your merchandise shipments
Not knowing transit times

The express service of your logistics operator may cover the vast majority of the territory in 24 hours. But it is also possible that exceptions to this standard are included. Whether they are very remote populations, deliveries with schedules or restricted access, etc.

And what happens in international transport? Here it will be very useful if your logistics operator can provide you with a service book for your merchandise shipments that details transit times by country, area, postal code, etc. What we have seen in the previous paragraph also applies here. For example, there are several countries in Europe that refer to some areas as mountain, adding delivery time, costs or additional requirements.
Not giving all the data for your merchandise shipments

If there is something that transport companies see -and suffer- on a daily basis, it is the request for shipments in which data is missing to carry out the service. Shipments in which data such as the postal code, opening hours, people and contact telephone numbers are missing… The lack of precision about the merchandise to be transported is also frequent. From the number of pallets and packages to the dimensions and weights.

Of course, the absence of data can very easily cause delays in deadlines and the generation of additional costs. A vehicle may not be able to pick up the merchandise because the number of pallets or their characteristics have not been correctly indicated. Or a delivery may not be made because the destination has a restricted schedule -for example, morning- and the delivery has gone to that area in the afternoon.
Don’t worry about cargo insurance

When you ship merchandise, do you know how they are insured? The LOTT, the Land Transport Regulation Law, establishes what these insurances are like and under what conditions and up to what limits the merchandise is covered. That is why it is common to hear about LOTT insurance in cases of loss or accident.

LOTT insurance covers the value of the shipment based on two principles, the cost of the merchandise and the weight. Regarding weight, the LOTT establishes an approximate value of six euros per kilo transported. In other words, a shipment of 100 kilos would give the right to compensation for total breakage of approximately €600. However, the value of the merchandise must be taken into account, since between the value of the merchandise and the weight, compensation will always be paid for the lesser of the two.

This means that there would be merchandise that would not be covered by this basic insurance. Merchandise whose value is higher than this ratio of €6/kilo, such as a pallet of technology items. For these cases, the option that you have to request from your logistics operator is full-risk insurance, which can extend the coverage provided by law.

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