Common freight shipping errors and mistakes to avoid

At first glance, moving pallets from A to B might seem simple, but, as any UK shipper knows, the real journey is much more complex. The middle mile is shaped by a maze of regulations and relies on the smooth coordination of many different partners. Even small shipping errors along the way can lead to extra costs and impact your customers’ experiences.

While some freight challenges are outside of a shipper’s control, many of the most common freight shipping mistakes can be prevented with the right knowledge and preparation.

Below, we’ll explore the most common shipping mistakes we often see, along with practical fixes shippers can put in place to mitigate them.

Unfortunately, in the world of freight, even small shipping mistakes can have significant consequences for your business. At best, a simple delay might mean added costs for expedited delivery. At worst, it could result in contractual penalties or lost business due to missed deadlines or damaged goods.

So, how can UK shippers reduce the risk of these errors? The first step is understanding the most common shipping mistakes.

Missing or inaccurate labels, bills of lading, and customs declarations are among the fastest paths to delays and unexpected costs. In the UK, HMRC can issue civil penalties for misdeclarations and other violations, with fines of up to £2,500 per offence for significant irregularities. Misclassification, the wrong commodity code, can also trigger queries, rejections, and back‑payments.

In middle‑mile operations, most damage occurs during pickup and transit. TT Club’s claims analyses repeatedly show around two‑thirds of cargo‑damage incidents link back to poor packing or securing in cargo transport units. Following the UN Cargo Transport Units (CTU) Code for load distribution and securing will dramatically reduce in‑transit incidents and downstream costs.

Under‑ or over‑stating weight and size can trigger charges and sometimes even service failures. UK pallet networks have the legal right to scan and reweigh freight and charge both the difference and an admin fee for under‑declarations, making accurate capture at pack‑out essential.

Relying on static maps ignores real congestion patterns, especially in and around urban cordons and motorway works. To that end, trailer routing should be built on live and historical traffic data, with buffer management around chronic bottlenecks. Where possible, it’s also wise to use intermodal (a combination of rail and road) to optimise the delivery journey.

Selecting an unsuitable service (for example, booking general‑cargo linehaul for ADR‑regulated goods) can risk delays and refusals. This is because UK carrying of dangerous goods is governed by ADR. That means drivers, vehicles, documentation, and equipment must comply, with defined exemptions only in limited cases. To ensure compliance at all times, bake service‑eligibility checks into your transport management system.

Shipping before inventory is truly ready can cause rehandling and detention. As GS1 research shows, the root cause of these inaccuracies is most often due to insufficient product master data. To ensure inventory accuracy, it’s vital to have a strategy in place for master data management.

Obstacles can also occur once your shipment is in transit. To catch and mitigate these, you need real-time visibility. Choose a cargo solution that offers 24/7 tracking of your shipments, along with dynamic rerouting features to optimise routes in real-time based on external factors.

While there are plenty of potential challenges along the way, the good news is that most freight shipping mistakes can be avoided with the right processes and tools in place. Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Double‑check documentation before dispatch: Validate labels, BOLs, commodity codes and origin proofs against a controlled master.
• Use proper packaging and consistent labelling: Apply the CTU Code good practice for blocking, bracing, and securing.
• Weigh and measure accurately: Capture certified weights and dimensions at pack‑out, and integrate them into your TMS and labels to prevent reweigh fees and network disruptions.
• Plan routes with reliable tools: Optimise your routes based on live traffic and historical data for enhanced accuracy.
• Coordinate closely with warehouse teams: If you haven’t already, put in place scan‑based pick and pack verification to boost accuracy.
• Monitor actively and communicate transparently: Lean on freight partners with digital-forward tools to mitigate delays resulting from changing conditions.

At Amazon Freight, we blend advanced technology with Amazon’s extensive network of owned trailers and trusted carrier partners to move freight shipments simply and reliably.

Here’s how tapping into our network can help you avoid the above shipping mistakes and optimise your freight shipments.

We offer both less than truckload (LTL) and full truckload (FTL) services across Great Britain and many countries in the EU, with a 95% on‑time pickup and delivery rate. Alongside our dependable road network, our intermodal options (including rail, air, and sea) give you maximum flexibility, helping you find the best route for your business and reducing the risk of delays.

Shipping cross-border? Our team provides customs and compliance support to keep your goods moving seamlessly and ensure all filings are accurate. This helps prevent avoidable delays and costly errors at the border.

With GPS-tracked trailers, dynamic routing, and a data-driven freight tracking interface, you get real-time, timestamped visibility at every stage of your shipment. This means you can proactively manage exceptions before they escalate, keeping your deliveries on track and your customers satisfied.

For sellers shipping to Amazon fulfilment centres, we guide you through packaging and pallet preparation. For parcel shippers, Amazon’s packaging best practices help minimise in-transit damage.

Last but certainly not least, our customers can benefit from our shipping process audit service. Our experienced team will review your current booking flows, data streams, and exception handling processes to highlight quick wins and help you streamline your operations.

Ready to uncover hidden costs and remove friction from your shipping? Request a shipping process audit from our team. We’ll help you identify where you could unlock savings and improve your On-Time In-Full (OTIF) score.

Already a customer? Contact us to book your shipping process audit now. If you haven’t already, create your free shipper account today to get started.

Create free account