By
Sean Davis
Generally used for shipments of palleted freight, FedEx’s volume services are a cost-effective way to move large volumes of freight. The downside of FedEx’s volume services is that the shipping times are generally twice that of normal FedEx Freight. Below we’ll go over how FedEx volume services work.
How Does FedEx Volume Services Work?
An economic way to ship heavy items in a cost-effective way, FedEx’s volume services partner with freight brokers to give clients better pricing on high-volume shipments. The shipment types are broken down into three distinct offerings.
How Long Do Volume Services Take?
FedEx Freight volume services have different pricing structures for different needs and speeds.
- Truckload Exempt (TLX): Never more than 2 times the FedEx Freight Economy
- Truckload Service (TLS): Based on FedEx Freight Economy transit times.
- Exclusive Use (EXCL): Timeframes determined during the quote.
What Are the Requirements for Volume Services?
To qualify for FedEx your freight needs to be less-than-a-truckload, and meet these other criteria.
- Weight Requirement of 4,000 and 44,000 lbs.
- Require at Least 10 ft. (up to 56 ft., or two full pup trailers) of trailer space
Things that preclude a shipment from qualifying for FedEx Volume services include:
- Residential Area Delivery
- Temperature Control Needed
- Convention, Exhibition, or Trade Show Delivery
- Contain Stop Offs
- Require Liftgates
- Require Cash on Delivery
What to Consider for Volume Services
When choosing to ship your freight with volume services, there are many factors you need to keep in mind.
Cost
The only way to get pricing for FedEx’s volume services is to call or use the FedEx Ratefinder though the Truckload Exempt option offers a lower freight quote.
Liability Coverage
- Truckload Exempt (TLX): Lower Liability Coverage
- Truckload Service (TLS): Higher Liability Coverage
- Exclusive Use (EXCL): N/A
Shipping Time Frame
If you are shipping something that’s time-sensitive, volume services are generally not going to be for you. The most cost-effective option for FedEx volume services can be 2 times longer than FedEx Freight shipment times.
Choosing the Best Shipping Partner
Volume shipping is already complicated enough, the last thing you need in this process is an unreliable partner. Just because you’re cutting costs doesn’t mean you need to cut corners, and an overworked shipping partner might. With FedEx facing a major staffing shortage, and the removal of its money-back guarantee, customers may end up experiencing delays and slower processing times. Volume shipping is already the slowest form of shipping in bulk, so with FedEx’s bandwidth issue volume services could take up an exorbitant amount of your time. Print Bind Ship process orders quickly, and correctly and ships them within 24 hours of processing.