Pick-Up and Delivery Services
12/12/2025
Having the ability to have customers enter their own orders is often the difference between getting a sale and losing an account. "Apps in a Snap" is the business saver in the form of a freight platform with customer support and customer interaction. The ability to make real-time changes in the system and modify a transportation order is a selling point. Freight Services platforms like Minerva Line now Minerva International Freight Forwarder Association (M.I.F.F.A.), FRAYTO and Apollo Global Experts are able to assist freight shippers in finding carriers and cartage services. The companies are international service partners with integrated services platform. Companies like Purolator have integrated systems that handle pick-up and delivery orders to agents and cartage agents. DHL system is a little different but operates with a simple customer order being placed. Customer service agents at an order serving location process orders and watch for potential service failures. Expeditors is a global shipper that is non-asset-based in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Cartage agent services are a necessity for the service levels to be accomplished. Having centralized warehouse makes it easy for truck carriers to recover freight from a terminal and continue on to the destination or transfer terminal.
Customers using Purolator will find in areas like St. Louis, Missouri, USA where there is an office and Office Agent the service is as complete as if there were a Purolator Courier truck or van in the city. 20 years ago, Mr. Steve Parker, Jimmy Ray Marshall and I went to Purolator in Canada to speak to a Service Representative in person. Tacony needed services to Canada from St. Louis, Missouri and wanted to know there was a regularly scheduled service. The Purolator application has an option to schedule a recurring service order. A carrier provides Less-Than-Truckload or Feeder Service to Chicago to one of the Service Centers in Chicago, Illinois. Purolator employs a cartage agent to ensure that the Pick-Up and delivery services are carried out. Today's systems with texts and emails. Someone just needs to man the computer terminal phone calls are almost a thing of the past. The person at the computer terminal verifies that the pick-up or delivery has been completed. handheld devices make time in and time out information available to customers in real-time.
DHL is a dependable service with daily inbound freight to Lambert International Airport. Every morning, I would see DHL Cargo fly overhead on my way to work. I look to the east and see the days freight landing 6am. There will be something to deliver today for DHL. DHL vans and trucks go out every day and still there is freight to deliver for the cargo service provider for cartage agents with contracts. DHL cargo drops at the DHL terminal after daily pick-ups is usually done by the nightshift. Everyday there is a DHL plane being filled to fly to the distribution center 10pm cut time (last drop off) 12:00pm Midnight flight. During a Cartage agent's daily deliveries, the company may get an alert in the form of a phone call and email asking for a delivery to be performed. Often the delivery service is requested by email alert days in advance. The integrated services application sends information to the driver for freight services requested. If a cartage agent is a service provider for an integrated system the program may send a pickup order because the driver is in the area. Customer service agents at DHL are always diligently work to provide service coverage needed even if there is not a contract to provide service to that customer. DHL has a contract with the cartage agent to provide the service, and a payment method is in place. Beyond points are hard to service after 3pm. Some areas have larger carriers that leave by 1pm in the afternoon. Cartage companies are a vital part of the seamless service provided to cargo services customers.
20 years ago, I flew to Seattle, Washington with a family member Caler Marshall with Expeditors International Logistics Company; Caler needed to sign a contract. It was crazy we weren't there 5 minutes. Someone met us at the headquarters entrance, and he signed the contract. He gave me a tour of office, and I was able to talk freight with a few people. Expeditors have truckload freight contracts but per piece services do require a cartage agent pick-up and delivery services as well. It is required that the freight be dropped to Expeditors terminal before 7pm or 8pm. The items are usually large pieces oversize in length or heavy pieces. Caler asked me for truckload service a few years ago when I saw him at a bike race. I told him cartage services were in place in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Truckload services is not a cartage agent level request. That is truckline or carrier service if it is not drag and drop or live load. Truckload is available at the cartage level; however, it is usually upon request not fleet services. It does mean being available to any office needing a truck within Expeditors network of offices worldwide.
For the cartage agent the emails and network alerts arrive and are processed by the staff to ensure the service order is filled. The driver uses a handheld device of a tablet/ipad to confirm receipt of the pickup order. The order arrives with all pertinent information to perform the services. The number of pieces, the dimensions, the weight and contact person's name and pick-up and delivery address. The information is not always needed by the driver, but it may have the carrier to drop the freight to for better driver understanding. When unloading it makes things faster and easier for the forklift operators. The staff on the docks have information on each truck on the way in from the assigned daily route. Most straight trucks only have five or so pick-ups onboard when returning. A cartage agent with 10 ten straight trucks is busy enough. The company may have five or more-day cab trucks and a yard with 10 or more trailers. The cartage agent only needs good truck drivers; strong staff support and innovative technology.
By Darren Dwayne Frazier
Photograph by Highland Productions LLC