Frustrated freight (FF) is defined as any shipment or package which is stopped on the shipping chain before delivery. This is often due to a mislabeling, shipping error, missing item, or other miscommunication. Once delayed, the freight may never reach its ultimate destination.
Freight traveling through CCPs or Consolidation and Containerization Points is especially vulnerable. CCPs are managed by the Department of Defense (DoD). It is very easy for packages traveling through CCPs to get set aside waiting for relabeling or reshipment. Additional time is then taken to track down and properly label frustrated packages and get them back on the chain if possible.
Why Does It Matter?
Augmentees sort packages in the post office at Kadena Air Base, Japan[/caption]Most importantly, frustrated freight greatly affects those who await necessary supplies, like the men and women who serve and protect our country. FF is also a leading cause of loss- loss of time, loss of materials, and loss of money. Vendors dealing with FF face the possibility of loss and expensive penalization, as they depend on having the time for a delivery report, and to follow contracts for the cargo.
In addition, stopped supplies often must be reimbursed, repackaged, or shipped a second time. This is a costly and time-consuming process. If you ship overseas often, there is a higher risk of this happening to your packages, particularly when using CCPs (see below).
Frustrated cargo is problematic for several reasons:
Cargo stopped in the midst of the shipping process may never reach its intended destination
In many cases, the sender may need to reship, hopefully being reimbursed for their stopped cargo. They may also face expensive penalty fees
Considerable time is also lost once a package becomes frustrated, and materials must be reshipped and reimbursed
Causes of Frustrated Freight
Here are some tips for you to understand the causes of frustrated freight, and what steps you can take to prevent it from happening to your packages.
Mislabeled Packages
One of the most common causes of frustrated freight is a mislabeled package. Often a parcel is halted because it is not labeled with IAW (definitions) established Federal and Military standards.
Errors in Labeling Include:
Absence of requisition numbers
Transportation control numbers (TCN)
Improper packaging
Transportation account codes (TAC)
Improper shipping methods (e.g. directions to mail oversized or heavy material through USPS)
The GSA has outlined these causes as the most likely reasons for frustrated freight
No total number of pieces or incorrect unit of issue
No barcodes for the NSN, TCN, PO#, or the Mark forDODAAC
No or incorrect TCN, TP, or Mark for (M/F) information
Weight on MSL and shipping documentation
No or incorrect weight and cube information, or actualweight is different from the labeled
No shipping label, or insufficient information on the labelor shipping document process a receipt
No PO# or contract# or used PO or contract numbers inlieu of a TCN
Precautions
Make sure that your package is prepared for its destination and meets all restrictions. If shipping restrictions are not followed, the package may be stranded or require reshipment.
WPM Pallets
One major consideration, which commonly causes frustrated freight, is of shipping pallets and their heat treatment. Wood packaging material (WPM) refers to the heat treatment of wood pallet items. Pallets can be made of solid wood (aka non manufactured wood) or of manufactured wood such as compressed sawdust. Pallets made of solid wood for shipping to DoD facilities or CCPs, or with the probability of entering IPPC countries, must be heat treated and marked to indicate that they have been heat treated. This is because solid wood that is not heat treated may contain tree disease that may infect trees in other countries.
Non-WPM items are a good example of why you must check pretreatment requirements in order to avoid items becoming frustrated or lost.
TCN and Co-Mingling
Another very common issue is co-mingling, which involves an incorrect or insufficient TCN (a package's transport control number). It is common for a package containing more than one item to only carry a label for one TCN, instead of one for each item. The package cannot then be processed for all contained items. If when weighed, an item with one TCN contains several items, then the package must be opened and checked as this does not comply with having one TCN.
Be careful when sending different items that each item has its own TCN, to prevent later delay in the supply chain. Always ensure that the package has a packing list ready, as well as a visible marking for multiple items.
Distribution Point Frustration
DOD Consolidation and Containerization Points (CCPs) see a lot of halted freight, sometimes indefinitely, due to the high volume of packages received at these locations, leading to a higher margin for error. These points exist to hold shipments until they can fill a boat to ship overseas, and packages which are stopped in the chain here often never reach their destination.
When shipping overseas, your package may be held at a CCP. If that happens, it may be held there for weeks or months, not only taking valuable time but also putting your freight at risk for becoming frustrated.
Solutions
Labeling Clauses
One very important clause to remember is Clause D-FSS-471, which the majority of GSA contracts involve. Under this clause, the minimum information on labeling must include:
Transportation office at final destination
Ordering supply account number
Account number
Delivery/purchase order
National stock Number or contractor's item number
Number of boxes and the nomenclature of the items
Also, keep in mind Clause 552.211-73. This clause requires interior and exterior shipping containers to be marked in accordance with FED-STD-123 or MIL STD-129 dependent on where the delivery will be made. If the package isn’t properly marked once at its inspection destination, then this clause also means that the government has every right to perform the required marking and charge the contractor.
Clause 552.211- 89 also stipulates the correct packaging and mailing of WPMs.
Other Requirements
In addition to the Product Information label, the transported package also requires a shipping label containing the following in characters 3/8 inch high:
Bar-coded Purchase Order (if no PO, use requisition number)
Bar-coded NSN
Ship to & ship from
Number of pieces, weight
Cube (outer container size, not unit of issue).
Safeguards for Freight
One resource available for peace of mind, outside of making sure to label your packages thoroughly, is the DOD’s GoCare program. This program provides the DoD with methods to recover lost and astray freight (material lost in shipment) and return it to the DoD. The program is part of the Government Cargo Recovery Effort program.
Under this effort, three points in the mailing system are in place to help protect your packages, with personnel performing different types of tasks for careful monitoring of the process.
The original receiving personnel must practice procedures of marking and prior inspection to minimize loss of cargo and document any discrepencies.
Outgoing personnel will ensure that freight is packed securely, and that labeling is complete and accurate.
Receiving personnel at the point of delivery must then accept and document all shipments including damaged cargo, count and examine all freight, and record and photograph any damage, and notify the carrier for inspection.
These procedures provide some safeguards within the system for prevention and identification of frustrated or damaged freight. Full information on this program is available from Transcom.
Protecting Important Shipments
Frustrated freight is unfortunately common and potentially costly to vendors, especially when it happens to shipments that those in our military service rely upon. Luckily, there are a growing number of resources for its prevention, and solutions in the event that it happens to shipments. It pays to take extra care to ensure that precious cargo is secure to mail, especially the longer the distance it must travel. Consult the GSA guide for more information. Comment below to tell us about your experience with frustrated freight, and ask us more questions.
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