Managing freight can become considerably more complicated as a business grows.
A company may start with one or two carriers, only to find itself eventually managing different providers for pallets, parcels, regional deliveries, air freight and interstate transport. Add separate invoices, shipment tracking, rate negotiations and performance reporting, and freight can quickly become a substantial operational task.
For Melbourne Guide readers researching freight solutions for an established commercial operation, Freight People is one business worth knowing about.
Founded in 1987, Freight People operates from Dandenong South in Victoria and Lane Cove West in New South Wales. Its services extend across Australia and into New Zealand, with a focus specifically on enterprise and commercial freight rather than personal deliveries.
That distinction matters. Freight People is designed for organisations dealing with larger and more complicated freight requirements, including businesses that use multiple carriers or need greater oversight of freight costs and performance.
What Does Freight People Do?
Freight People describes itself as an enterprise freight broker, although its service extends beyond simply finding carriers or negotiating freight rates.
The business manages freight arrangements across a network of more than 300 carriers and helps clients coordinate areas such as carrier selection, bookings, tracking, performance monitoring, invoicing and freight analysis.
Its services cover:
- palletised and interstate freight
- carton and parcel freight
- air freight
- regional and remote freight
- freight automation consulting
- carbon footprint analysis and reporting.
Freight People works with enterprises across sectors including manufacturing, retail, food and beverage, industrial supply and consumer goods.
For businesses comparing freight providers, it is worth looking beyond the quoted transport rate alone. The administrative work involved in managing carriers, resolving discrepancies, monitoring deliveries and reconciling invoices can also have a significant effect on the overall freight operation.
Freight People Uses a Multi-Carrier Approach
One notable part of the Freight People model is that it is not centred on a single transport company.
Instead, Freight People has access to more than 300 freight carriers nationally and can manage different carriers according to the requirements of a particular freight profile.
That may be relevant to businesses whose deliveries vary considerably.
For example, the most suitable carrier for an interstate pallet movement may not be the same provider a business would choose for high-volume parcels, urgent air freight or deliveries into regional Australia.
Freight People says it manages carrier relationships, negotiates rates, monitors performance and reports on KPIs as part of its service.
Businesses investigating this type of model should still consider their own priorities, including delivery timeframes, destination coverage, freight types, service expectations and overall costs.
Cario Gives Businesses One Freight Management System
Technology is another significant part of the Freight People offering.
Freight People has developed Cario, its cloud-based freight management platform for enterprise freight operations.
The system provides one interface through which businesses can quote, book, consign, manifest and track freight across multiple carriers.
For a business that would otherwise have staff moving between separate carrier portals, spreadsheets or internal processes, a central system may make freight administration easier to oversee.
Cario can also integrate with ERP platforms including:
- Microsoft Dynamics 365
- SAP
- NetSuite
- Pronto.
According to Freight People, the platform includes different functionality for warehouse teams, customer service staff, sales representatives and management. Reporting capabilities cover areas including freight costs, delivery performance, customer satisfaction and carbon emissions.
Businesses considering Cario should discuss their existing technology, workflows and integration requirements directly with Freight People to determine what implementation would involve.
One Invoice Across Multiple Freight Carriers
Another practical issue for businesses using several freight companies is invoicing.
Different carriers can mean different billing periods, charge structures, surcharges and reconciliation processes. Freight People addresses this by providing clients with one consolidated freight invoice across the carriers being managed through its service.
The business states that freight charges are reconciled against warehouse data and discrepancies are investigated before clients are billed.
For accounts and operations teams, the appeal of this approach is straightforward: instead of independently managing invoices from numerous freight suppliers, the organisation receives a consolidated view of the freight profile.
The financial benefit will depend on the circumstances of each business, so companies comparing freight management arrangements should examine fees, freight rates, reporting, billing processes and overall administrative requirements rather than looking at any single feature in isolation.
Freight Optimisation for Established Businesses
Freight requirements often evolve gradually.
A business can add warehouses, product categories, sales channels and carriers over several years without ever stepping back to review the complete freight operation.
Freight People begins new engagements with a Freight Optimisation Workshop. This involves reviewing the existing freight operation and identifying areas for improvement.
That type of process may be particularly relevant for established Melbourne businesses that have outgrown an informal or fragmented approach to transport management.
Possible considerations when reviewing an existing freight setup include:
- which carriers are being used for different routes
- whether freight rates remain competitive
- how frequently deliveries meet expected timeframes
- the amount of manual administration involved
- how freight data enters existing business systems
- how invoice discrepancies are identified
- whether management has adequate visibility over freight expenditure
- where regional or specialised freight creates difficulties.
The appropriate solution will vary between organisations, but reviewing the complete freight operation can provide a clearer basis for comparing available options.
A Melbourne Freight Business With National Coverage
Freight People has a Victorian office at Unit 3–4, 11–15 Smeaton Avenue, Dandenong South.
For Melbourne and Victorian businesses, this provides a local connection while the company’s freight services extend much further.
Freight People manages freight across Australia as well as into New Zealand. That makes it potentially relevant to Melbourne-based organisations whose customers, warehouses, distributors or other commercial operations extend interstate.
The business also has an office in Lane Cove West, New South Wales.
This broader coverage may be useful for companies whose freight requirements cannot be treated as a purely Melbourne issue, even when their head office or primary warehouse is based in Victoria.
Who Might Consider Freight People?
Freight People is not positioned as a service for individuals sending an occasional parcel.
It works exclusively with enterprises and commercial organisations.
It may therefore be relevant to businesses that:
- send substantial volumes of freight
- use several freight carriers
- distribute products interstate
- have pallet, parcel, air and regional freight requirements
- want to automate freight booking and administration
- need consolidated freight reporting
- want greater visibility over carrier performance and costs
- require freight data to integrate with an ERP system
- need carbon emissions reporting relating to freight.
A smaller business with simple or occasional delivery requirements may have very different needs.
Before making an enquiry, it is worth considering the scale and complexity of your current freight operation so you can determine whether an enterprise freight management model is appropriate.
What Should You Check Before Choosing a Freight Management Provider?
Melbourne Guide is designed to help readers begin their research rather than make the final decision for them.
Freight arrangements can affect costs, customer experience, inventory movements and day-to-day operations, so businesses should investigate the details that matter to their own circumstances.
Before choosing a freight broker or freight management provider, consider asking about:
- carrier coverage for the destinations you regularly service
- experience with your types of freight
- pricing and fee structures
- technology implementation requirements
- ERP and warehouse integrations
- shipment tracking and reporting
- processes for damaged, delayed or lost freight
- invoice reconciliation
- account management arrangements
- carrier performance monitoring
- regional delivery capabilities
- contract terms and service inclusions.
It can also be useful to compare the proposed arrangement against the true cost of your existing freight operation, including the internal time currently spent on administration and problem resolution.
Why Freight People Is a Business Worth Researching
Freight People combines several areas that businesses often manage separately: carrier access, freight technology, reporting, invoice reconciliation and ongoing freight management.
Its history dates back to 1987, and the business now works across a network of more than 300 carriers.
For Melbourne Guide readers, its Dandenong South presence makes it particularly relevant to Victorian businesses researching freight options, while its Australian and New Zealand coverage suits organisations operating beyond Melbourne.
The company’s Cario platform is also worth investigating if reducing manual freight administration or bringing multiple carriers into one management system is a priority.
As with any significant business service, check current pricing, system compatibility, contractual arrangements, carrier coverage and service inclusions directly with freightpeople.com.au before deciding whether it suits your organisation.
