Since the pandemic began, logistics and transportation have been the catch-22 of all business ventures. 

The rise of small businesses started as a means to earn as everyone stayed home in quarantine. Product-centric companies were less able to deliver goods to customers. While it remains tricky, there are ways to familiarize yourself with its traditional customs and the new normal.   

As a manager, remember to keep your budget as the number one priority. Your transportation budget is often overlooked, but it counts for more than anyone thinks.  

What is a transportation budget?  

Every dollar you spend on getting your goods from one place to another belongs to your Transportation Budget. All forms of transport, shipment, deliveries, and handling are included within the budget.  

With new protocols in place, added expenses pile on top of the usual costs. Stay up to date on regulations to keep your organization’s transportation strategy current. 

Some specific factors involved in all sectors’ transportation budgets are:  

Fuel  

Whether you are in a product or service-centric business, fuel plays a role. How much will it take to get your products to the warehouse, and how much will it take to deliver them to your customers? If you are dispatching your services, how much fuel will it take to get your employees where they need to go?   

Transportation vehicles 

What kind of vehicles do you need for your business? Do you need a van to bring your team or your products around, or can you opt for a more efficient sedan?   

Deliveries include the delivery of your services. You can discern which makes more sense from a financial perspective between allowing your employees to drive themselves, finding their own ride, or providing company transportation services.   

Insurance  

Insurance always plays a role in business; it is always best to protect your financial and tangible assets.   

While you can’t always predict the risks your business takes on, you can protect yourself against them by availing of the necessary insurance. Insurance is always factored into the budget, but did you know your transportation budget should have its own insurance allocations?  

There is plenty you need to consider in planning your transportation budget, but this is what is most important: 

3 key things to consider when planning your transportation budget in 2022 

Below are some tips that will prove helpful in planning your transportation budget. Some may seem to be “common sense,” but here, we will talk about how you can apply it directly to the budgeting of your transportation. One tip might have you thinking, “why didn’t I think of that?”   

Business owners tend to overlook aspects by keeping their perspective more general to supervise each component to work with each other more cohesively. However, keeping an eye on the details will help you manage your budget better in the long run.   

Don’t forget; it’s all in the details. If you need to keep your attention on supervising operations, delegate the gathering of relevant information to someone you can trust. You and that person can evaluate them as a whole and find where you can improve or where you need to dedicate more budgeting.   

Know your way around  

With newer trends on top of old ones, it’s easy to lose track of the latest fad. Therefore, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the basics.   

First and foremost, understand your product’s supply-chain operations. This will help orient you on the industry you are in and how to navigate your company’s needs. By understanding its entirety, you will be able to find workarounds better suited for your company.  

At the very least, if you know how the supply chain operates, you can gauge freight volumes and their costs. Being in the know will prevent others from taking advantage using various invalid reasons to kick back more expenses.   

Fuel your knowledge  

A considerable part of what you need to know is fuel prices. Stay on top of each drop and hike, as fuel prices tend to fluctuate.   

Because one of transportation prices’ most determining factors is fuel, your budget is most likely affected by this component. Usually, couriers base price hikes and dips on the percentage of how much fuel prices go up or down and adjust their prices accordingly.   

Knowing how much prices go up or down will allow you to gauge how much delivery fees might fluctuate and set your prices accordingly. Considering trends are often announced a few days beforehand, you can alter the schedule of your deliveries before hikes and after drops.  

The volume of your knowledge matters  

Whether you are the sole manager of your business or have various managers handling different departments, you should always be aware of your operations; knowledge of inventory, sales, associated vendors, and any relevant analysis is crucial. 

Knowing different components allow for more accurate projections. It is more beneficial for budget planning and financial forecasts when estimating the volume of freight deliveries in conjunction with past and present market dynamics.   

To put it shortly, predetermining the volume of your deliveries can help you budget better because you will be able to avail services more accurately beforehand, instead of on the spot, which might incur additional costs.   

Luckily, there are freight shipping marketplaces you can go to that help you with the relevant projections.   

GoShip 

GoShip is a freight shipping marketplace operating nationwide.   

GoShip is a platform small to mid-scale businesses can go to find the services they need. After estimating your freight volume with GoShip’s quoting assistance on their website, you are one step closer to moving your products. 

GoShip offers freight shipment services for Less Than Truckload and Full Truckload volumes. We suggest utilizing their free quoting assistance before choosing which service fits your needs better.  

When following your budget, some hesitation is understandable. However, GoShip’s multifaceted services come at affordable prices. Its forty-two thousand certified carriers are also a good solution for small businesses with limited resources.   

While there may be cheaper carriers, you might end up paying for more should it result in damages and delays. GoShip’s cost-effective freight solutions are more reliable than lesser-known freight shippers.   

The platform also provides freight insurance you can factor into your budget for worst-case scenarios. Always keep your long-term budget in mind before deciding who you entrust with handling your products.