While loyalty to one system sometimes proves to be advantageous, other times accessibility to multiple networks allows for greater flexibility and efficiency. When it comes to shipping, this means connecting with different carriers to choose the best option for each shipment based on speed, cost and reliability.

Many businesses struggle with the difficulty of connecting with many carriers at once, each with different systems and requirements. An unorganized approach to carrier integrations can lead to inefficiencies, costly errors and dissatisfied customers. ShipHawk’s seamless integration platform is designed to simplify and streamline your business’s shipping processes by unifying various carrier integrations into a single system.

What are Carrier Integrations?

Carrier integrations are connections between internal systems (WMS/ERP) and shipping carrier systems. Each carrier’s API integrates with the internal system to send information about different carrier options and rates for each order.

Effective carrier integrations can help your business by: 

• Rate shopping to provide the best and cheapest shipping option
• Tracking shipments easily in real time
• Enhancing customer satisfaction
• Automating documentation like shipping labels to improve accuracy and save time

What are Common Modes and Services Provided by Carriers?

There are a variety of modes that carriers can provide, depending on the size and characteristics of each package. These modes include parcel, less than truckload (LTL), full truckload (FTL), and third-party logistics (3PL).

• Parcel: Parcel is defined as lightweight packages that weigh less than 150 pounds. This shipping method can vary in size, but is generally used for smaller orders sent to individual recipients. 

• LTL: When you want to ship a heavier order, like a piece of furniture, your business most likely will use less than truckload (LTL) services. These are shipments more than 150 pounds, but that take up less than a full truckload. They can be single items, like a sofa, or pallets of smaller items.

• FTL: Your business may utilize Full Truckload (FTL) shipping if you transport very large shipments that require an entire truckload destined for one destination. Industries like manufacturing and construction often use FTL to move large amounts of materials.

• 3PL: Sometimes a business may decide to outsource their shipping operations to a third-party logistics (3PL) business. 3PLs can provide services to handle shipping operations for businesses by connecting with carriers and managing large volumes of shipments at once. 3PLs can be helpful for a fast-scaling business or businesses expanding into new markets with few connections in the area.

Within each mode of shipping lies additional service levels that are typically offered by each carrier. Service levels determine how quickly the package will arrive to the customer. These most often include overnight, three-day or standard shipping options. Providing the correct service level can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction and operational costs.

How Can ShipHawk Help You Find the Best Way To Ship Your Products?

ShipHawk optimizes the configuration and shipping of each package using Smart Packing. Smart Packing is a proprietary bin-packing algorithm that calculates the best way to pack an order for shipment. Using each item’s weight, dimensions, characteristics and business-specific rules, ShipHawk efficiently packs items into boxes and boxes onto pallets.

ShipHawk’s Smart Packing can determine between multimodal rating options, meaning different forms of shipping such as parcel and LTL pallets. Taking into consideration factors such as weight, availability of packing materials and how fast the shipping needs to be, ShipHawk can perform this same Smart Packing process on demand to determine if an order should be palletized or packed in small parcels. This process can also rate mixed products together, combining LTL and parcel for one order if needed. 

For example, if a customer orders a large couch and a small lamp from the same website, the optimal packing solution for the order could include a pallet for the couch and a small box for the lamp. While other warehousing and fulfillment solutions may offer rating for LTL or parcel individually, they do not provide accurate rating results when it comes to multi-modal shipping directly in-cart like ShipHawk can.

How Does ShipHawk Integrate With Carriers?

Unlike many other shipping platforms, ShipHawk’s integrations are native-built. Instead of using third-party connectors or iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) solutions, ShipHawk creates a direct connection between our software and your ERP. As a result, ShipHawk can maintain full control over the integration, minimizing dependence on other sources that may occasionally fail or malfunction. ShipHawk's direct API integration eliminates middleware or modules fully embedded in your ERP so that it can deliver maximum performance, with data transfer occurring in real-time.

ShipHawk has partnered and integrated with many parcel and freight carriers to create the best automated shipping solution for your business. Currently, ShipHawk integrates with hundreds of carriers, with the number increasing every day. Additional carriers are also available with ShipHawk via 3PL. Click here to see a full list of shipping carriers offered by ShipHawk.

For ShipHawk to determine your best shipping options, your business will simply sign into each carrier account you have created within the ShipHawk dashboard. ShipHawk’s algorithms will do the rest of the work to determine and implement which carrier, mode and service level you should use for each shipment. If you don’t see a carrier that your business works with, ShipHawk is most likely able to set up a connection for you. Schedule a time to speak to a shipping expert at ShipHawk today!