If you're in the vetting process of hiring a freight transport company for a new business you are going to open in which you will need to ship goods and receive inventory, you will have a lot of choices. To help you narrow down your list, here are some important questions to ask prospective freight transport companies.

Do You Offer Both Trucks and Planes? -- You may want to hire a freight company that not only ships via trucks, but also offers plane services as well. While ground transport is more cost-effective, there may be occasions in which you need a shipment that must get to its destination overnight, and that's not something that's possible if the destination is beyond the reach of truck transport. Some freight companies offer truck-only transport services, and some combine both trucks and planes for a more complete service.

Do You Offer Warehouse Service? -- Hiring a freight transport company that also offers warehouse services is beneficial if you lack the space at your business to hold inventory. Having a warehouse also allows your freight company to pick up and deliver your goods in a more efficient manner, because your goods are held in a facility owned and operated by the company that will provide you with the shipping. Warehousing is also important if you need temperature-controlled facilities for items that need to be kept cold prior to being shipped. And you can also add inventory control to your warehouse service, which allows the freight transport company to monitor your inventory and alert you when you need to resupply your goods.

Do You Offer Both LTL and FTL Freight Transport? -- In freight transport parlance, LTL freight service refers to Less Than Truck Load and FTL refers to Full Truck Load. LTL freight transport is defined as goods that are not sufficient to fill an entire truck, which means that you will have to share the costs of delivery with other merchants. FTL freight transport is defined as goods that fill an entire truck, meaning you won't have to share space with other merchants. LTL is less expensive, but also slower in terms of delivery. FTL is more expensive, but your goods will arrive at their destination in a shorter period of time. Some freight transport companies offer only LTL or FTL, and some offer both. Depending on your needs, find out what service is available from each prospective freight transport company.