RS Freight & Cargo

Freight & Cargo Shipping Made Easy

Freight and cargo shipments are one of the fastest-growing profit centers in our industry. By its nature, freight costs more and therefore means higher $$$ profit for you (RS Premium Members receive an additional 5% rebate on all freight shipments). As the “shipping expert” in your community, if you don’t offer freight, you’re doing a disservice to your customers and your business.

Online quoting & booking is now at your finger tips. RS Freight & Cargo services include domestic ground & air, full truckload, LTL, ocean full container/less than container, and international air cargo. The online tool makes freight shipping as easy as small package transportation.

Retail shipping store owners need a freight tool that combines competitive rates, multiple carrier options, and a seamless, automated ordering process—backed by professionals who understand every aspect of domestic and international freight. That is exactly what RS Associates has provided to our members. So now, even the “novice” can offer freight and cargo services to their customers—and look like experts while doing it.

Become a Freight Expert Overnight

Shipping freight used to represent a deep, dark hole full of confusion for most of us. The “old” process required you to first identify the item(s) you needed to ship, then try to figure out which “class” of commodity it was, then find 4 or 5 freight carriers that delivered to the address you were shipping to, then provide each carrier with the shipment details (either by phone, email, or fax). Once that was done, you had to wait…sometimes hours, sometimes days for the carrier to respond with an estimate on the shipping charges—a very inefficient and less-than-reliable process.

RS Freight & Cargo simplifies the process through automation. RS Associates has partnered with AES Logistics, a freight broker with 20+ years of experience and relationships with over 40 national, super-regional, regional, and local freight carriers. AES Logistics provides the automation and support for RS Freight & Cargo customers.

Marketing Your Freight Service

As it is with any new product or service, the key to selling it successfully is educating your current and potential customers.

First, they need to know that freight services are available at your store. Customers often think only large warehouses with loading docks, fork lifts, pallet jacks, etc. can do freight, so you need to inform them those barriers don’t exist for you. Once you make freight part of your normal conversation and marketing, the word will spread throughout your community that you’re a REAL shipping expert.

Don't Fear Freight...It's Really Not Scary

As it is with small packages, freight shipping certainly has its challenges, but if you adhere to the following tips and best practices, there should be no reason to fear freight.

The devil is in the details—make certain you provide accurate information for every shipment. Size, weight, dimensions, value, commodity class, method of packaging, pick up/delivery needs (liftgate, dock, inside delivery, stairs, etc.)

Don't take our word for it...

Hundreds of store owners across the country have taken advantage of the RS Freight & Cargo program. See what they have to say about their experiences with the program in their own words...

Joe Bennett

U-Drop Packing & Shipping | Houma, LA

Our shipping store has been offering freight shipping to our customers for 18 years. Up until three years ago, we used two to three LTL carriers exclusively after negotiating discounted rates. They offered us 59%-62% discounts which helped us stay competitive with our competition. After seeing an ad in RS Centrals monthly magazine for RS Freight, offering up to 80% discounts on LTL services, I immediately inquired about it.

I’ve known RS Associates President Brandon Gale for 13 years and knew that if he was promoting a product or service to help me grow my earnings and my business, it was worth looking into.

The process to start utilizing RS Freight was simple and the website was very user friendly. Once we log into the RS Freight website, we click on freight quote, fill in our zip code, the destination zip code, weight and dimensions, and we instantly have multiple choices of carriers and prices to choose from. After choosing a carrier, we are provided a class and NMFC number by AES Logistics to complete the transaction. We then receive emails letting us know that our pickup has been scheduled with an attachment for our Bill of Lading.

The prices were so competitive, that we are now using RS Freight for our domestic freight shipments.

I would highly recommend RS Freight for any MPC that is considering adding freight to their services.

Bruce Bernstein

Parcels Plus | Pompano Beach, FL

As an early adopter of RS Freight I have found the benefits of the program are excellent. In addition to the great rates, easy online quoting system and rebates for premium members, the level of customer service is extraordinary. I had a freight claim denied and they went to bat for me. With their persistence the claim decision was reversed and my customer was made whole. Whenever I have had a question about a quote the staff has been quick to respond with accurate information. I rarely wait more than a few minutes for an email response and my phone calls are answered immediately.

Mark Masters

Scooters Mailbox | Tustin, CA

The website makes it easy to rate and estimate freight. Packing, crating and freight are a very profitable addition to our store. The people at AES are knowledgeable, insightful and great at making freight intuitive. We use the service on domestic inbound and outbound shipments. International shipments are also simple to rate and AES will help with the details and requirements.

Bob & Lynne Plourde

Postal Center USA | Newcastle, ME

Over the past five years, we have been able to grow our business through the utilization of RSA Freight. Freight has brought a whole new dimension to our current business and future business plan.

We are truly a one stop shipping center.

The RSA Freight website is very user friendly. You can give a customer a quote in a matter of minutes. We are able to pick out of 4-6 different carriers to best suit our customers need.

Theresa Whitley

The Mail Box Stores | Las Vegas, NV

I have used RS Freight approximately 64 times in the past 2 years with almost no problems. In the rare event there was an issue, it was handled immediately and professionally. Everyone at AES is friendly, helpful and professional. I like that I can sometimes get a pick up the same day. Also.. gotta love the 5% rebate!