Allstates International is a freight forwarder.

Many businesses have limited resources to staff an in-house traffic or logistics department.  Instead, they source that work out to a freight management provider.  These companies are in daily communication with professionals of the industry and have the expertise to negotiate competitive freight rates while maintaining your requirements and delivery schedule.

A shipper’s core competency is making and selling their product(s).  The freight forwarder’s core competency is moving those products from origin to destination.  It is very expensive for the shipper to have the in-house expertise to handle all of the details to get a product from the manufacturer to the warehouse or from the warehouse to the retailer.  Shippers advance by focusing on what they do best and outsourcing the transportation to a freight forwarder.

A freight forwarder also has access to a much larger base of resources than a shipper.  Even though the shipper may work with a number of carriers, the freight forwarder works with thousands of dependable carriers, providing the availability of equipment the shipper needs.

Freight forwarders use their extensive network and the volume of freight they manage as leverage for the best service at the best price.

Freight forwarders maintain state-of-the-art technology systems that enable them to provide the shipper or the consignee with detailed information.  It is important to keep in touch with everyone in the transportation pipeline.

In summary, freight forwarders serve as excellent transportation managers and consultants. You can benefit by minimizing time spent managing freight and use this time saved in other aspects of your business.

We offer full & partial container loads, LTL motor freight, airfreight and international services such as ocean freight.

Our office is open from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM CST, Monday through Friday with 24 hour on call service for emergencies.

A full container load shipment is one where the entire container is dedicated to the shipping of your ocean freight.

A LCL shipment is one where you pay for required container space necessary to transport your goods. It is normally measured in linear feet. For instance, you might have a shipment that is 10 feet long. Instead of paying for a whole container, you will pay for the space used.

An LTL shipment is a smaller weight shipment (usually under 10,000 lbs) that will move on a regular scheduled motor freight carrier. The rates for an LTL shipment are based on the origin and destination zip codes, the weight, and the product being shipped. An LTL shipment normally has a scheduled transit time (e.g. 3 days, 4 days, etc.) depending on the distance traveled.

Transit times begin counting on the first business day after the day of pickup until the day it delivers. Holidays and weekends are not counted.

Generally speaking, freight forwarders have limited size or weight restrictions, other than the freight must be no larger or heavier than the capacity of a Boeing 747. Air carriers calculate their rates based on actual or dimensional weight, whichever is greater. Dimensional weight is calculated by multiplying the length, width, and height (in inches) of the package or pallet and then dividing it by 194 for domestic shipments, or 166 for international shipments.

We do not accept any Hazardous Materials (HM), C.O.D. shipments, household goods, and personal effects, products that need refrigeration, personal vehicles, motorcycles or boats. Items such as yeast, magnets, speakers, paint, and many more cannot be shipped by air. This list is not all-inclusive and is subject to change.

Yes. In order to protect your shipment of goods it is strongly recommended that your goods be packaged or palletized properly. Shrink-wrap, various types of insulation, pallets, straps, and bands are more common forms of standard packaging.

We operate all over the United States and into Canada. We also handle international shipments.

While Allstates International arranges for the transportation of your goods, we strongly recommend that you purchase cargo insurance or consult your business property insurance policy. For your convenience, we offer you the option of purchasing this important coverage as a part of our package of services.

Allstates International and our customers are subject to the rules and conditions of service that apply on shipments moving via the specific LTL Common Carrier that are contained in that carrier’s Tariff Rules. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, LTL shipping rates provide some protection for loss and damage, which vary at rates per pound (released rates) depending on the commodity being shipped.

For multiple load shippers, we offer credit terms after a successful review of your credit history. We normally can establish a credit account within 1 business day. All credit decisions are made by the Accounting Department after a careful review of a your credit history. For customers who do not ship regularly, we accept MasterCard and Visa or a wire transfer. Payment is processed before the load is dispatched.