Bear Shift Plain-language freight guides
Guides for shippers and warehouse owners
Plain-language guides to the parts of shipping and storage that cause the most questions: how to check a freight broker, what the paperwork means, which kind of truck fits your freight, what to do when something arrives damaged, and how a warehouse can work with a broker network.
For shippers
Seven guides for anyone who sends freight by truck, from a few pallets to a full trailer, or needs a warehouse between two truck moves.
How to choose a freight broker
What a broker does, how to check its authority and its $75,000 bond online, and the red flags that should stop you.
Learn moreWhat is a bill of lading (BOL)?
The document that travels with your freight: what it proves, the fields to check and how to sign at delivery.
Learn moreFTL vs LTL vs partial truckload
How each option is priced and when each one fits, by pallet count, weight, fragility and timing.
Learn moreCross-dock vs storage vs staging
Three ways an independent warehouse can hold or transfer your pallets, and who is responsible for them.
Learn moreFreight damage claims
What to do at the dock when freight arrives damaged, how to give notice in writing and how a claim is filed with the carrier.
Learn moreAccessorial charges explained
Liftgate, residential delivery, detention, layover, TONU and reconsignment: why they exist and how to avoid surprises.
Learn moreHow brokers vet carriers
Authority, insurance, a W-9 and a signed agreement, plus what double brokering is and why our carrier terms prohibit it.
Learn moreFor warehouse owners
If your warehouse has space to fill, this guide explains how a broker network sends storage and cross-dock requests, and what we ask of partner warehouses.
See the partner warehouse program
About these guides
The guides are written by the Bear Shift Logistics team and dated at the top of each page. Bear Shift is a licensed property broker: we arrange transportation with independent, FMCSA-authorized carriers and coordinate storage with independent warehouses, so the guides explain how those pieces fit together from the shipper's and the warehouse's side.
They are general information, not legal advice. On any shipment, your bill of lading, the terms of your quote and the carrier's tariff are what govern; for a legal question about a claim or a contract, talk to a lawyer.
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