DHL, FEDEX, UPS Domestic Shipping Service Comparison

There is full range of services including standout services that can be available to any small business with multiple shipping accounts. Taking advantage of this full range through a company shipping policy can help reduced shipping costs and maximize efficiency.

Use of Multiple Carriers-Small businesses shippers should have accounts with multiple carriers in order to take advantage of the different service types. Sometimes businesses are under the impression that they must use only one shipping account or that they have to close an account with one shipper after opening up an account with another shipper. It is in the best interest of the business to have account with multiple carriers in order to take advantage of full range of services outlined in the table below.

Standout Services-Two good examples of stand out services are the Hundredweight service offered by UPS and ShipReady offered by DHL. UPS many years ago had a specialty in transporting heavy weight ground packages. Although they have gained market share in the overnight business the Hundredweight category speaks to this specialty. Anyone planning on shipping a one-off heavyweight item would be better served by using a company that has a specialty in that service. DHL ShipReady is a shipping product by DHL that is often under recognized and therefore under utilized. For a fixed price, you can send as much weight overnight as can be fit into their envelope with no pickup charge or residential charge. These ShipReady envelopes come in several sizes.

Does it absolutely have to be there by 8:30? One rule that should be included in any company shipping policy is for the shipper to check with the package recipient regarding urgency. For example, Fedex First Overnight and UPS Next Early AM will arrive the next day before 8:30. This 8:30 service is not offered by DHL. However, as a shipper you should be perfectly clear on whether the recipient is expecting and will open that package at 8:30AM. Sending a package, DHL Next Day 10:30, FEDEX Priority Overnight or UPS Next Day Air, all of which will arrive by 10:30AM might be all that the recipient needs. Who knows...maybe your recipient will not even be at the office until 3:00PM and then DHL Next Day 3:00PM, FEDEX Standard Overnight or UPS Next Day Air Saver would provide the needed quality of service at significantly reduced cost. The same is true for 2nd day service. UPS provides a second day service that arrives by 10:30. However all three carriers provide a second day service that will arrive by end of day. You never know about urgency if you do not ask and the savings can be significant over time.

One final point that we want to make is on the matter of airway bill preparation. Many office workers do not fill out the waybill completely especially when sending overnight letters. If you leave any portion of the waybill empty the carrier will default to the most expensive option. Make sure that anyone filling out waybills knows how to fill them out correctly. For example, if you fail to indicate that the package may be left without a signature (if this is the case) then a signature will be acquired for an extra fee.