How do You Calculate Transit Time in Shipping

How do You Calculate Transit Time in Shipping

How do You Calculate Transit Time

Before talking about how to calculate transit time in shipping, let’s define what transit time is. Transit time is how long it takes to deliver a shipment from pickup to the final destination. You should be aware that transit times vary, and each delivery is a unique case. Thanks to the amount of information, thousands of shipping lines, and real-time tracking, carriers have learned how to calculate an accurate transit time frame. 

Also, you can calculate an approximate transit time according to hours of service regulations. On average, a driver can cover up to 50 miles per hour. Therefore, he can run about 550 miles per day, according to the HoS rules. For cross-border shipping, that rate is a little smaller, as the driver needs to pass a border clearance.

If you work with a carrier company, they always have an easy transit time calculator that you can use.

What Factors Affect Transit Time

Transportation processes can be disrupted, prolonged, or delayed by several key factors. Some of them are predictable, some of them are not. Let’s take a look at them.

• Chosen shipping service. This factor is predictable, and the carrier will inform you that some shipping services take longer to deliver. For example, expedited freight will be delivered much faster than heavy haul or LTL shipment on the same route.
• Cross-border shipping. Most of the time, international shipments are serviced by several carriers. The communication between them and freight handling takes time, even when the supply chain is efficiently established.
• Weather. It is an unpredictable factor, as even the weather forecast can be wrong. Heavy rains, storms, black ice, and snow can delay the transportation process. In dangerous situations, carriers will reschedule or even cancel your transportation because they won’t take the risk.
• Road conditions. This includes traffic and road construction. It can be predicted thanks to communication and numerous information sources. However, it can’t be guaranteed that the shipping will be without any delays.

If you want to calculate transit time for your shipment, you can always use our online transit time calculator or directly contact us by 704-288-3119. Our managers will gladly answer any question you may have.