Weight is a very important category in logistics. Especially if you need to transport a large amount of goods. For example, if you enter the wrong numbers in customs documents, you can lose a lot of time, money and nerves.
In order for you to better understand the logisticians and provide them with the correct information about the cargo, we decided to conduct a small mass in terms of logistics) So:
Net (net weight) is the mass of goods without packaging or any other container. In some countries, the net weight includes the primary packaging, which cannot be separated from the product itself. For example: perfumes, shampoos or cigarettes.
Gross weight – the mass of goods, including packaging or containers. That is, the weight of bags, boxes or pallets is added to the weight of the cargo itself.
There are other mass terms that logisticians use. For example:
Weight unloaded (delivered weight) – the weight of the cargo, which was determined at the time of unloading the goods at the point of delivery. Usually it is recorded in logistic documents in order to verify the numbers.
Natural weight – refers to bulk goods. Most often expressed in hectoliters, quarts, bushels.
Shipped weight – the weight of the goods, which was established during shipment at the point of departure and indicated in the transport documents.

There are several rules:

In international logistics, when calculating the freight rate for 1 kg, gross weight is usually used. It includes the weight of the goods and the weight of the pallet.
Customs payments are calculated on the “net” weight of the goods, that is, net.
When you contact a shipping company, be prepared to name both the net and gross of your shipment. So the logistician will be able to assess the situation and offer you the best transportation option.
Let’s summarize all of the above. To avoid trouble at customs and delays in clearance, it is best to contact experienced logisticians. So you optimize costs and do not miss deadlines.

Before entering into an agreement with a company, you need to answer basic questions:
Where and where do you need transportation
Weight and size of cargo
The nature of the cargo. Is there anything dangerous or fragile or heavy about it?

If the cargo is planned to be transported across the border:
Where the cargo will be customs clearance – remotely or at the post
Where customs clearance will take place (it is necessary to name the temporary storage warehouse)
How much is the cargo. This will allow you to understand whether it is necessary to insure it.
What is the delivery time

Let’s imagine that you need to transport a small consignment of goods, but you can’t fully load a container or a vehicle. And renting a half-empty cargo compartment is expensive and not very logical. It is in such situations that cargo consolidation is needed.
It allows you to combine several consignments of goods for a trip along a similar route. At the same time, goods can be from different suppliers and differ from each other in characteristics. But it is important that the entire consignment has general conditions of carriage.
What are the advantages of cargo consolidation?

All goods travel under one transport document.
You save on transportation of small-sized cargo
Customs risks are reduced.

And now about the stages of such a procedure:
The logistics company picks up the cargo and takes it to a special warehouse, where it will wait for transportation.
If the cargo is not packaged or packaged incorrectly, the specialists carry out additional packaging of the goods so that it can be carefully and safely transported.
The cargo is then weighed and measured. The price for transportation will depend on the weight and dimensions.
At the final stage, the goods in the warehouse are sorted and combined into batches of homogeneous goods. And also divide the goods depending on the direction of delivery.

The transportation of dangerous goods is regulated by a special agreement ADR (Accord Dangereuses Route), created at the initiative of the UN.
These goods are dangerous because during transportation they can harm human health or the environment. For example, explode or lead to radioactive contamination. To reduce the threat, such cargo is transported under very strict rules.
In total, the UN has included more than 3,000 items in the list. But for convenience, I divided them into classes. There are 13 in total:

1 class. Explosives and products. This includes everything that can explode – from pyrotechnics to bullets and distress signals.
2 class Gases. Any kind of gas – compressed, liquefied or dissolved – falls into this category. It also includes aerosol sprays and spray cans.
3 class Flammable liquids. It will not be possible to smuggle just like that not only gasoline, but also some medical tinctures. Some of them catch fire easily.
4.1 class. Flammable solid, self-reactive, polymerizing substances. This includes, for example, aluminum powder or film based on nitrocellulose.
4.2 class. Substances capable of spontaneous combustion. So can wet cotton and even activated charcoal.
4.3 class. Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases. It sounds very dangerous) So, if you are going to transport aluminum or lithium carbide, you need to be extremely careful.
5.1 class. oxidizing agents. They may not be combustible by themselves, but they can cause or support the combustion of other substances.
5.2 class. organic peroxides. Very insidious substances – they burn intensely, and some even with a short contact lead to serious injury to the cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eyes or corrode the skin.
6.1 class. Toxic substances. If experiments have confirmed that substances can cause harm to human health or cause death, they fall into this class. You already know many of them – arsenic, chloroform or liquid mercury.
6.2 class. infectious substances. Include pathogenic organisms – viruses, fungi or parasites. They are divided into hazardous to humans and animals, as well as clinical waste and biological preparations.
7 class. radioactive materials. No additional introduction is needed.
8 class. corrosive substances. They can injure the skin or mucous membranes on contact, or destroy nearby cargoes.
Grade 9 Other hazardous substances and articles. Here is everything that does not fall under the description of other classes.

If you need help transporting dangerous goods, give us a call. We undertake the transportation of all dangerous goods, with the exception of hazard class 1.

Anything can happen on the road, and in order not to be nervous about the safety of the cargo, it is important to find out in advance what type of insurance the carrier has. There are several of them, and now we will tell you in detail about each.

CMR insurance
This is a voluntary carrier’s civil liability insurance for international shipments. An important point – CMR insurance protects the interests of the carrier, and not the owner of the cargo. The amount of insurance payment is formed with the calculation of 10 euros per kilogram of cargo. Imagine that the driver is carrying an expensive ceramic panel worth 5,000 euros and weighing 10 kilograms. If an emergency occurs during transportation and the panel breaks, the carrier is legally obliged to pay the owner 1,000 euros.

CMR insurance is relatively expensive, it costs about 800 euros per year. Every carrier should have this type of insurance, but there are unfortunate exceptions. Sometimes there are unscrupulous companies that draw up a CMR policy for a year in installments, but eventually stop making payments. As a result, they show the participants in the transportation an annual policy, but in reality it is not secured.

Forwarder liability insurance
In essence, a forwarder is an intermediary between the owner of the cargo and the carrier. If something goes wrong on the road (the cargo is damaged, stolen or not delivered), claims for this can be made to the forwarder. The freight forwarder’s liability insurance compensates for the damage caused to the owner of the cargo and covers additional costs arising from the need to store or rescue the cargo. Additional risks can be added to insurance coverage, such as negligence, errors in paperwork or route selection. Not all forwarders have such policies, as they are quite expensive. Insurance for a year costs about 1700 euros.

TIR insurance
The abbreviation TIR stands for Transports Internationaux Routiers, that is, international transportation. TIR insurance was invented specifically to make it easier to cross borders and, accordingly, the life of carriers. It is issued by the national guaranteeing association in the form of a special document, which is often called the TIR-book by the people. It is valid in all countries that have signed the relevant convention.

After loading, customs officers inspect the car, seal the cargo and make an entry in the document. After that, the driver can follow to the destination, bypassing all intermediate inspections at the borders. The TIR-book guarantees that all norms of international transportation are observed, and customs duties are paid. The TIR guarantee is 60,000 euros.
All listed types of insurance apply only to ground transportation of goods on ground transport. There are rules for sea and air transportation.