Gateway OT/Crate and Freight/DeliveXy

V.C.I is an acronym for Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor. V.C.I is a chemical (a film) applied to poly and paper products that provides rust protection against moisture and humidity for steel, iron and metallic components. In the picture above you can see the yellow poly film we use, this is the V.C.I wrap. Gateway Crate and Freight utilizes V.C.I wrap when we ship these types of materials via ocean L.C.L (Less than Container Load) or full container load. We primarily utilize a poly wrap on these materials to protect the items from the damaging effects of salt water and the ocean humidity. The V.C.I wrap works as a desiccant which is a hygroscopic substance used as a drying agent, if you have ever seen the little white canisters in medicine bottles or white packets these are filled with silica gel, an inert, nontoxic water insoluble solid that basically is there to protect your items from the damaging effects of moisture. When shipping International or domestically on the ...

Our clients have become accustomed to using our online transportation management system (T.M.S), ACCUFRATE, to quote, book and track their freight shipments. These clients who use the system to schedule outbound, inbound and third party shipments, all online, love the fact that they can manage their own transportation, they pick the carrier, service and price they want for their shipments. We call these users the (D.I.Y) Do It Yourself T.M.S shipping managers. The whole idea behind a T.M.S is to automate shipping functions. I started developing T.M.S software for use in worldwide distribution centers in the early 90s. Developing T.M.S software that ports to accounting or ERP software and rates, routes, books, tracks and produces reports on these activities was at the time, the most important development in supply chain logistics. Since these early days the T.M.S has come along way and has made it easy for anyone, even those with not much experience in Traffic or Freight managem...

Shipping International in or on any wood packing material like pallets or crates requires the shippers adherence to the rules and regulation of the FAO or the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization who established regulations for Wood Packing materials controls through country cooperation with the IPPC or International Plant Protection Convention. What does all this mean? Well if your an exporter of goods and you want the items packaged for freight transportation it is likely you will want to use wood pallets or crates. If you do use these items the WPM must have a stamp (Like Gateway Crate and Freight's Stamp pictured above, our license number is US-20468) visible on the outside of each pallet or crate. The stamp is the certification that the material used in the packing meets the IPPC requirements of being either Heat Treated HT or treated with Methyl Bromide MB. On our stamp above you can see for this crate we utilized Heat Treated wood signified by the HT...

Shipping Truckload or LTL shipments to Canada is pretty easy for someone who has been doing it for decades, but for a U.S company shipping to a client in Canada for the first time the rules and paperwork requirements can be pretty daunting. I have been fortunate to have logistics experience on both sides of the border and have benefited from years of experience in dealing with the Canadian Border Services Agency and Revenue Canada while bringing a multitude of commodities in and out of Canada. The transportation of materials in and out of Canada has become seamless, a routine and easy task for truckload haulers and LTL Carriers, but for many U.S manufacturers, distributors and e commerce retailers the paperwork and customs requirements can be a bit confusing. We have a client who sells auto part kits and we recently shipped an LTL shipment to the province of Alberta for him. He was here at our offices for over an hour asking questions about Canada shipping. One thing h...

In the mid 1990s the band Hootie and the Blowfish had a hit song called "Time". The first and last line of that song is "Time...why you punish me?" I unfortunately think that way too often in my business life as I deal with coordinating freight for our clients. Managing transportation services such as local pickup and delivery as well as long haul and white glove services puts a high demand on timing. whether you are a large or small transportation service provider, the economics are the same. Time is money. My blog this month is about timing. Specifically how Gateway tries to manage the logistics process to provide our clients with the most efficient and economical services to attain the optimum result. Larger logistics groups would have you believe that its just a matter of scale, once you get big enough these issues go away but after working for one of those groups I know these same issues existed back when I was managing loads for them. On a daily ...

I have recently had a number of conversations with clients and some client prospects about what we do and what in particular makes Gateway different from some of the other transportation related companies they have dealt with. In the business of supply chain and distribution services Gateway O.T is considered a Third Party Logistics company or 3PL. When I am asked what king of 3PL we are I answer: "Blue Collar White Gloves" to reinforce our company moto “We ensure shipping success”. It’s in the way we ensure this success that differentiates us from other 3PLs. We are a hands on company. Gateway can pick up, warehouse, pack and deliver your goods. This is actual blue collar work that a lot of the other 3PLs don’t offer. As a U.S Air Force veteran I know the term Logistics was first coined in the military, but the specific term 3PL began in the 70s and 80s when manufacturers and wholesalers started “Outsourcing” some or all of their supply chain needs. By uti...

We get asked a lot by our e commerce clients, those that sell their stuff online through eBay, Etsy and other e commerce web platforms, whether they need to pay tax on shipping. They come to us because we know the answer and the answer is simple: "Yes" and "No" Confused? Laughing? Have I answered your question? In Arizona we have what is called a T.P.T or Transaction Privilege Tax. The tax in essence is the cost, or "privilege" of doing business in the state. Gateway Crate and Freight for example pays a tax on the crates and packaging we build in our warehouses or on site at our customers locations. For our customers who sell online and have us pack and ship their items, it is important for them to understand the tax implications of their sale. The bottom line answer to the question comes in the form of a line on your invoice. Does your invoice to your customer show freight as a separate line item charge? If it does than that amount is excluded f...