Transportation Programs

Full Ocean Containers. As a shippers association, the United Shippers Alliance offers its members access to negotiated group ocean container service contracts. The master service contracts are negotiated between the shippers association, using its buying power, experience and market awareness, and the major international containership carriers that serve the world’s major shipping lanes. The shippers association is a nonprofit buyers’ cooperative of transportation services for its members.

Shippers association members:
• May, at their option, use the competitive terms available to them under the USA’s ocean container service contracts.
• May use the freight forwarder or Customs broker of their choice.
• Receive bills of lading and invoices directly from the containership lines.
• Are considered “affiliated shippers” under the terms of those ocean container contracts they may wish to use.
• Are invoiced by the shippers association an administrative fee for each container shipped under terms of USA ocean contracts.
• Have no minimum participation requirements, unless the shipper-member accepts an MQC

Less Than Full Ocean Containers. As a full-service shippers association, the United Shippers Alliance offers its shipper-members a less than full containerload ocean program. LCL service terms and rates are available to shipper-members to and from locations throughout the world. Please contact the shippers association for details.

Less Than Truckload. . The United Shippers Alliance offers its shipper-members a North American-wide LTL transportation program that makes competitive regional and national over-the-highway service with the nation’s major LTL carriers available to all members. The less than truckload master group service contracts, available to all members, provide deep discounts off current tariffs, freight-all-kinds pricing tiers, and fuel surcharge limits. Volume matters with less than truckload contracts, just as it does with ocean container contracts. As a buyers’ cooperative of transportation services, shipper-members benefit from the buying power, experience and market awareness of the shippers association.

Shippers association members:
• May participate with carriers through the shippers association when it is in their company’s best interest.
• Have no minimum participation requirements.
• Receive bills of lading and invoices directly from the LTL carriers.
• Are not charged a fee by the shippers association, the shippers association receiving a discount from the LTL carriers.
• Have a confidential relationship with the shippers association and the carriers.

Small Package. The United Shippers Alliance offers its members a competitive small package program. Please contact the shippers association for details.