One of the primary driving forces behind freight weight / cubical verification is to recover lost transportation revenue of the under declared weight and lightweight shipments.  Except on rare occasions, carriers could not afford to spot check freight size and weight.  Traditional methodology involved the use of the floor scale, a tape measure, calculator and notepad.  Moving the loads to the floor scale, measuring each dimension; one had to then multiply them together, convert to cubic meters or feet and then multiply by the density factor.  If there were more than one skid load of different dimensions, as is the case in typical LTL operations, the whole process becomes time consuming.  In addition, combined with the tight cutoff times and manpower budgeting, it pushed the procedure to the back burner. Therefore, capturing the required verification information was too often not done and revenue and profits were lost.  This is a big issue in the freight transportation industry. The process of collecting measurements of a shipment and then calculating the dimensional weight to compare it to a gross weight can be very effectively integrated into the daily operation today.   The increased revenue will keep the freight transportation operation profitable.

The R.O.I. per vehicle for the ED2-FW-DIM is less than 50 working days in most cases.  This figure is based on a minimum revenue recovery of only $100.00 per forklift/day.

The opportunity is significant.
	Many freight transportation operations have not collected data on the value of freight weight/ cubing verification and have discounted it as a potential revenue source accordingly.
	Higher chargeable freight weight is bottom line revenue. The most valuable aspect to freight weight / cubical dimensioning is the fact that it is revenue generated without any additional marketing expenditure. The operational facilities can realize bottom line revenue without acquiring new customers or booking more shipments.
	Establish cost and profit profiles for each customer and negotiate better agreements
	Identify unprofitable accounts.

Dimensional Freight Weight Charges When It Comes To Freight, Size Does Matter

Create freight check weighing guidelines with ED2-FW that can be used on the loading facility to quickly ascertain if the shipment will have a higher chargeable weight from dimensional weight.  You can make a simple comparison chart or a table of the skid load with a standard size of 48” x 48” x 48” (length x width x height) as a starting point.  Increase the skid height by 12” or 24” and enter the DIM weighing values.

The forklift operator lifts the load and the freight weight will be displayed on the indicator.  For example, the lifted load size is 48” x 48” x 48” and the weighing indicator shows 248 pounds *.
 The forklift operator quickly checks the table.  For this size of freight, the actual DIM weight should be 571 pounds (For domestic shipments).

It is obvious that this shipment is “light” and corrections are made immediately on the paper work. The operator can use The C8000, Instant Dimensional Weight Calculator and get an accurate DIM weight. (Portable Digital Data Tape System)
The operational facility will generate additional revenue with this fast and very efficient method.

The operational facility will generate additional revenue with this fast and very efficient method.
*Note that this freight weight readout is not “Legal for Trade”, but rather a quick freight weight verification. The check weighing accuracy is within +/- 05% to 1% of the vehicle lifting capacity.

Examples of dimensional weight results of standard skid loads 48” x 48” x 48” with different skid load heights (For Standard and International Shipping)

Add another 12” to the skid length
Examples of dimensional weight results of skid loads 60” x 48” x 48” height with different skid load heights (For Standard and International Shipping)

Add another 24” to the skid length
Examples of dimensional weight results of standard skid load 72” x 48” x 48” height with different skid load heights (For Standard and International Shipping)

Conclusion:

If the freight load is a bit longer than the standard 48”; it is worth it to check the actual weight and compare it to the dimensional weight value. The above table does not take into consideration, irregular light /bulky freight.   In many LTL shipments there are many freight loads that are a bit larger than the standard 48” x 48” x 48” ; but perhaps have freight load length of 12” and 24” longer.  You will see a big difference between the standard 48” length and 60” or 72” skid lengths.  Given the rate differential between domestic and international shipments; every freight transportation facility should DIM all of the international shipments.  Even a slight increase in these shipments yields good results.

You Do Not Have To Dim All Freight.
All freight transportation facilities work with a number of repeat shippers who ship heavy contents such as canned food, automotive parts, printed materials, etc.  All of them could be automatically excluded from any dimming procedures.  The gross weight will be larger and more profitable and can be checked with the ED2-FW as the freight is picked up by the forklift vehicles.

Use Forklift Onboard Freight Check Weighing/ Cubing Technology
Previous methodology used to capture the freight weight/cubing solutions may not have been effective.  The industry has an opportunity to speed up this process and the companies that make the effort to integrate the system into their operations will see a number of benefits.

Forklift Operator Involvement
The important key to increase revenue through freight weight/ cubing verification is the participation of the loading dock personnel.  Give them the right tools that will not interfere with the normal material handling operation and you will be up and running in a very short time.  When the people on the floor understand the opportunity to improve business and they see a direct impact for their actions on the benefits to the organization; they will get involved.

Typically, the loading dock operations do not often have the opportunity to personally contribute to generating revenue and if they are included in the context of this aspect of their work, it often becomes more meaningful to them.

A number of freight transportation operational facilities have very successful programs by introducing a financial reward to the material handling staff that is based on the % of increased revenue.  This reward is provided to the group as a “team”** representing all of the members of the afternoon working shift.
** Local freight loading dock facility with 11 forklifts have increased revenue by over $800.000.00 over a period of 6 months.  With a 3.25% financial reward to the operational “team”, everyone is a winner. ( December 12, 2007)

Examples of Dim Factor Effect on Dimensional Weight Charges