Prioritize transit times to key customers and ports, pick-and-pack accuracy, integration with your order management system, SLA commitments for lead times and reversals, and transparent billing for storage, handling, and value-added services.

Proximity to major highways, regional ports, and airports reduces freight miles and enables faster transit windows. That geography affects carrier choice, freight class optimization, and potential for consolidated LTL or routed shipments, which together lower landed cost and improve delivery consistency.

Look for configurable racking, dedicated pick-pack zones, integrated WMS with real-time inventory, automation-friendly layouts, cross-dock capability, and capacity for value-added operations (kitting, returns processing) to support both B2B pallets and eCommerce single-item orders.

Negotiate clear volume-based pricing, defined SLAs with penalties for misses, inventory accuracy targets, minimum lead times for scaling capacity, and audit rights. Track metrics like order cycle time, OTIF, inventory accuracy, and chargeback frequency to manage performance.

Evaluate local labor availability, labor cost trends, and regulations affecting shift patterns and overtime. Confirm the 3PL’s recruitment, training, and seasonal scaling plans plus contingency strategies to maintain throughput during peak demand or workforce shortages.