Common Mistakes and Optimization Tips for OnTrac Ground Essentials

Beginners using OnTrac Ground Essentials often improve outcomes quickly by avoiding a small set of recurring mistakes and applying a few practical optimizations. This article identifies common pitfalls and offers actionable, beginner-friendly tips to enhance cost control and delivery reliability.

Common mistakes

• Inaccurate weight and dimensions: Under-measuring or rounding down can lead to billing surprises when the carrier re-rates shipments. Accurate weight and DIM measurement prevents unexpected charges and disputes.
• Oversized packaging: Using larger boxes than necessary increases dimensional weight and shipping cost. Avoid "just-in-case" oversizing by maintaining a set of right-sized boxes.
• Poor labeling practices: Labels placed on seams, over taped areas, or folded can fail to scan, causing exceptions. Keep labels flat and unobstructed.
• Skipping testing or pilot phases: Rolling out a carrier or service broadly without a test period may mask integration or operational issues that become costly at scale.
• Ignoring integration opportunities: Manual label entry and tracking are error-prone. Not integrating with e-commerce or shipping software wastes time and increases mistakes.
• Lack of clear returns process: Returns and reverse logistics often get overlooked. Not planning for returns increases customer friction and operational overhead.

Optimization tips for beginners

1. Measure and standardize: Invest in a small scale and tape measure. Standardize a small set of box sizes and packaging materials to streamline packing and reduce DIM weight penalties.
2. Automate label creation and tracking: Use shipping integrations (even simple ones) to auto-populate address fields, calculate rates, generate compliant labels, and push tracking to customers. Automation reduces human error dramatically.
3. Train staff on simple SOPs: One-page SOPs covering measurement, labeling placement, and pickup staging help maintain consistency as teams grow.
4. Batch shipments smartly: Grouping shipments by carrier and drop-off/pickup windows reduces missed pickups and speeds processing. Batch printing of labels saves time and standardizes accuracy.
5. Monitor and reconcile invoices: Regularly reconcile carrier invoices against shipped records to catch incorrect surcharges, misapplied rates, or billing errors early.
6. Optimize packaging material: Use lightweight void fill and appropriately sized boxes. For fragile items, consider protective inserts that avoid the need for larger outer cartons.
7. Leverage pickup scheduling: If volume supports it, scheduled pickups reduce time spent transporting packages to the carrier and lower the chance of missed shipments.

Troubleshooting common issues

• Delivery exceptions: If shipments show exceptions (address undeliverable, access issues), confirm the provided address format, check for PO boxes, and verify recipient availability. For recurring issues to the same area, contact the carrier to understand local delivery constraints.
• Lost or late packages: Open a claim promptly with the carrier and provide proof of value and tracking history. Communicate transparently with the customer and offer interim remedies when appropriate.
• Unexpected surcharges: Review explanation of charges; common surcharges include residential, fuel, and dimensional weight adjustments. Document shipping rules and update your checkout or pricing policies to reflect these costs transparently.

Beginner-friendly performance metrics to track

• On-time delivery rate: Percent of shipments delivered within the carrier's expected transit window.
• Average shipping cost per order: Track both total and by product category to find optimization opportunities.
• Exception rate: Percentage of shipments with delivery issues or returns caused by carrier problems.
• Claims and loss rate: Monitor frequency and resolution time for lost/damaged claims to evaluate the need for insurance or packaging improvements.

Small improvements that yield big gains

• Right-size packaging: Even modest reductions in box size reduce DIM weight and cut costs over time.
• Prepaid return labels: Including easy returns reduces friction and simplifies customer service workflows.
• Consolidation logic: When customers order multiple items, pack them together where possible to reduce the number of parcels and per-order freight cost.
• Transparent shipping policies: Clearly state transit times, cutoff times, and handling times on your site to reduce inquiries and set realistic expectations.

In short, mastering OnTrac Ground Essentials for your business begins by avoiding a few common mistakes and instituting straightforward optimizations: accurate measurement, right-sized packaging, automation for labels and tracking, and routine performance monitoring. Beginners who adopt these best practices will typically see better on-time delivery, lower costs, and fewer customer service issues—often with only minor changes to existing workflows.