The Comet National blog
Freight, plain-spoken.
Freight, plain-spoken. Practical writing on flatbed, open-deck, LTL accessorials, transloading, and the loads other carriers bounce — from our Atlanta team.
40 dispatches Atlanta, GA Est. 1995
From Container to Truck: How Transloading Delivers Ocean Freight
A plain-spoken look at how transloading moves ocean container freight onto trucks, cuts port fees, and gets your goods to their final stop.
- Open Deck
Shipping Lumber, Steel, and Coils on Open Deck
How to move building materials like lumber, steel, and coils safely on flatbed and open deck, and why the right securement plan protects your load.
- Open Deck
Tarped, Strapped, and Permitted: Moving an Oversized Load
What really goes into moving an oversized flatbed load: securement, tarping, permits, routing, and why the cheapest quote isn't the cheapest shipment.
- Transload
Rail-to-Truck Without the Drama: When Transload Beats a Ramp
Waiting on a rail ramp costs you days and dock space. Here's when an Atlanta transload gets your freight moving over the road faster.
- Freight Spend
A 20-Minute Freight Audit: Where Shippers Quietly Overpay
A quick, practical freight audit that shows where your shipping budget leaks: reclasses, accessorials, wrong-mode loads, and more.
- Open Deck
Permits, Escorts, and Pilot Cars: What Happens When a Load Goes Oversize
What actually happens when your freight goes oversize: permits, escorts, pilot cars, route restrictions, and how to keep it all from blowing up.
- Open Deck
Step-Deck, RGN, or Standard Flatbed? Match the Trailer to the Load
How to pick the right open-deck trailer for your freight by height, weight, and shape, so your load moves safely and legally the first time.
- Service
When a Pickup Goes Sideways: What Good Freight Communication Looks Like
A late or missed pickup is going to happen eventually. Here's what real freight communication looks like when it does, and why it matters.
- Service
Freight's Capacity Crunches: Produce Season, Q4, and the DOT Blitz
Three predictable capacity crunches hit shippers every year. Here's how to plan around produce season, the Q4 rush, and the DOT Blitz.
- Open Deck
Oversized and Over It: A Plain Guide to Specialty Open-Deck Loads
Shipping an oversized or specialty open-deck load? Here's a plain guide to permits, securement, and getting a carrier who won't bounce it.
- Open Deck
The Load No LTL Carrier Will Take: How Open-Deck Freight Actually Moves
Why long, heavy, and odd-shaped freight gets bounced by LTL networks, and how open-deck and partial flatbed move it without the surcharge circus.
- Transload
Container Stuck at the Port? How Transload Gets It Rolling
A container sitting at the port costs you money every day. Here's how transload turns that ocean box into over-the-road freight that moves.
- Warehousing
Cross-Docking Explained: Move Freight Without Paying to Store It
Cross-docking keeps your freight moving instead of sitting in a warehouse. Here's how it works and when it saves you real money.
- Service
Tradeshow Freight: Getting Your Booth There and Back on Time
Event freight lives and dies on a fixed date. Here's how to move a booth to the show and back without missing the dock or blowing your budget.
- Warehousing
Cross-Dock vs. Warehouse: Why You Might Not Need to Store It
Storage costs money you may not need to spend. Here's when a cross-dock beats a warehouse and how to keep freight moving instead of sitting.
- LTL
The Real Cost of the Cheapest Quote: Hidden Accessorials That Add Up
The lowest LTL quote is often the most expensive shipment. Here are the accessorial charges that turn a clean number into a bill nobody approved.
- Freight Spend
Freight-Spend Consulting: Find the Money Hiding in Your Bill
Most shippers overpay without knowing it. Here's where the money hides in your freight bill and how to get it back.
- LTL & Accessorials
Linear-Foot Rules Explained: Why Long Freight Costs More on LTL
Long freight triggers linear-foot charges on LTL trailers. Here's why the rule exists, when it fires, and how to avoid the surprise bill.
- Freight Spend
Accessorials You're Paying and Shouldn't Be: Read Your Invoice
A line-by-line look at the LTL and freight accessorials quietly inflating your invoice, and how to stop paying for charges you never approved.
- LTL & Accessorials
How to Read a Freight Quote So Nothing Surprises You on the Invoice
A shipper's guide to reading a freight quote line by line so the final invoice matches the number you approved.
- Cross-Border
Shipping to Canada Without the Headaches: What Cross-Border Freight Needs
Cross-border freight to Canada fails on paperwork and handoffs, not miles. Here's what a Canada shipment really needs to clear and deliver clean.
- Transload
What a Transload Facility Does, and When It Saves You a Week
A transload dock changes freight from one mode to another without long-term storage — turning a container stuck at the port into a truck already rolling.
- Service
Service-First Freight: Why a Carrier That Answers Matters
When a load goes sideways, a carrier who picks up the phone and owns the problem is worth paying for. Here's why service beats the cheapest quote.
- Open Deck
Flatbed vs. Truckload: Picking the Right Mode for Awkward Freight
Not sure whether your odd-shaped load rides flatbed or truckload? Here's how to pick the right mode before it costs you time and money.
- Refrigerated
The Cold Chain Doesn't Start at the Dock: Reefer Prep Done Right
Pre-cooling, pulp temps, and reefer prep decide whether temperature-controlled freight arrives sound. Here's how to get it right before the truck rolls.
- Open Deck
What Goes Into an Open-Deck Quote (And Why Two Loads Differ)
Two flatbed loads that look alike can price very differently. Here's what actually drives an open-deck quote and how to get an accurate one.
- Open Deck
Shipping Machinery That Barely Fits: A Heavy Open-Deck Prep Checklist
A working prep checklist for heavy, oversized machinery on flatbeds: weights, dimensions, securement, permits, and the details that cause delays.
- Open Deck
Flatbed Securement 101: How Your Load Gets Strapped and Tarped
A plain-spoken look at how flatbed loads actually get strapped, chained, and tarped, and why proper securement protects your freight.
- LTL & Accessorials
When You Don't Need a Whole Truck: Partial Flatbed Explained
Shipping a few pallets of open-deck freight? Partial flatbed moves it without paying for a whole trailer or fighting LTL surcharges.
- LTL & Accessorials
Freight Class and Density: The Two Numbers That Decide Your LTL Bill
Freight class and density drive your LTL bill. Here's how they work, why they surprise shippers, and when to skip LTL entirely.
- Refrigerated
Reefer Freight: What to Get Right Before the Truck Shows Up
A working shipper's checklist for refrigerated and frozen freight, from set-point and precooling to loading, so your cold load arrives in spec.
- Truckload
Full Truckload vs. Partial Van: When a Whole Trailer Costs Less
Booking a whole trailer sometimes beats a partial van on price. Here's how to tell when full truckload is actually the cheaper move.
- Warehousing
Freight Recovery: What to Do When a Carrier Strands Your Shipment
A stranded load isn't the end of the delivery. Here's how freight recovery gets your freight moving again fast.
- Warehousing
Regional and Final-Mile Distribution: The Last 100 Miles
The last 100 miles is where a clean shipment goes sideways. Here's how regional distribution and cross-docking keep it on track.
- Refrigerated
Frozen, Refrigerated, or Protect-From-Freeze? Get the Spec Right
The three temperature specs shippers confuse most, what each one actually means, and how the wrong word on your BOL can ruin a load.
- Transload
Demurrage and Detention: How Port Fees Pile Up and How to Stop the Clock
Demurrage and detention charges snowball fast when a container sits. Here's how the clock works and how to stop it before the fees pile up.
- Truckload
What "Partial" Really Means, and How Shared Trailer Space Saves You Money
A plain-spoken look at partial freight, when shared trailer space beats a full truck or LTL, and how it keeps your costs down.
- LTL & Accessorials
5 Reasons Your Freight Quote Came Back Higher Than Expected
The five things that quietly inflate a freight quote, and how to spot them before the bill shows up on your desk.
- LTL & Accessorials
Reweighs and Reclasses: Stop Losing the Fight After Pickup
Reweighs and reclasses turn a clean LTL quote into a surprise bill. Here's how to document freight up front and stop the correction before it starts.
- Service
One Phone Number for Flatbed, Truckload, and Reefer Freight
Juggling separate carriers for flatbed, truckload, and reefer wastes hours. Here's why single-source freight saves time and headaches.