How Limited Access Delivery Impacts Brewery Freight Charges

Not all deliveries are made equal.

Some are “special,” but, unfortunately, this term rarely comes with positive connotations for breweries. Rather, a special delivery is going to cost them extra because it’s more complicated. This is usually because the products they’re shipping are being moved to a location that’s considered limited access.

The reality is that most breweries aren’t even aware of this distinction and then find themselves surprised when they’re hit with a rebilled limited access delivery charge—and there’s nothing special about additional fees. 

So, what is limited access delivery and how does it impact freight charges? Keep reading to find out! 

What Is a Limited Access Delivery?

A limited access delivery is a type of special delivery, falling into the camp of requiring additional and/or atypical handling measures such as expedited speed, additional care, or handling instructions beyond what is typically expected. This is because the location to which the order is being delivered is, as the name implies, limited. 

Defining a Limited Access Location

Some characteristics of limited delivery locations are: 

• Drivers needing to take an abnormal route
• No straightforward access to a loading dock
• Being unable to load/unload quickly
• No employee there to help with pickup or delivery 
• Requiring drivers to check in 
• No availability during regular business hours

While it ultimately falls on the carrier to determine whether or not a location is limited, some common examples of limited access locations include: 

• Educational institutions
• Construction sites
• Outdoor festivals
• Parks
• Personal storage units
• Gated communities
• Locations with food menu/dine-in options

Image source: Canva

Why Limited Access Deliveries Cost More

Delivery drivers thrive on routines; they memorize their routes and streamline their processes to maximize efficiency during normal business hours. Limited access deliveries throw them off their routine, and, as they say, time is money. 

This is why breweries looking to deliver their beverages to limited-access locations get hit with a limited-access delivery charge. If you’re asking a delivery driver to do extra work, you should expect to pay them more for their efforts. It’s no different than you charging more when shipping directly to consumers—convenience has a price. 

The issue isn’t in the limited access fee itself, but rather how often breweries find themselves being rebilled for them unexpectedly. They’re often surprised to see them, which can lead to disputes between carriers that strain relationships. 

3 Tips to Lower Your Limited Access Fees

Imagine you’ve organized to have several trucks of beer delivered to a local festival this summer. Thousands of people attend every year, meaning it’s a great opportunity for you to get your beverages out there—assuming you can get them delivered. 

In this case, a limited access delivery is likely unavoidable. The park where the festival is being held is not optimized for deliveries; the driver is going to have to go out of their way and do some heavy lifting to get things unloaded. So what can you do? 

1. Optimize Routes and Schedules

Optimizing the route is a great start. You’ll want to work with the driver to ensure they know exactly where they’re going and how to get there. Furthermore, you’ll want to coordinate with all parties involved to ensure everyone knows the schedule. 

If optimizing routes can’t help your driver steer clear of a limited access area altogether, it can at least help minimize the number of stops to increase productivity. This could lead to more cost savings down the line as you avoid additional fees and move more products. 

2. Negotiate Contracts to Benefit Both Parties

When it comes to working around a limited access delivery charge, you may also be able to negotiate the contract to make it more manageable. 

Let’s say this is one of several festivals you ship your beverages to every summer. You could work with a new carrier for each event, or you could give the same one all of your business and work out better terms as a result of the partnership. 

That carrier, for example, may be inclined to lower their base rates to offset the limited access delivery charge on the shipments in exchange for getting multiple guaranteed jobs. This stability and additional revenue might also allow them to invest in extra hands that will help with the limited deliveries, thus making them less of a hassle. 

Read More: Tips for Building a Successful Supply Chain Partnership

Image source: Canva 

3. Outsource Your Logistics

If you want to avoid the headaches that come with limited access delivery, you could also choose to outsource your logistics. This puts the burden of dealing with these situations on someone else entirely, giving you peace of mind. 

The third party you choose to work with might take over your relationships and work to negotiate better rates. Or, they may just take on the jobs themselves and give you a better deal for the delivery than a standard courier plus a limited access delivery charge. 

No matter how they go about it, this option is probably the easiest and affords you more time to focus on your business and the delicious beverages you produce! 

Simplify Your Limited Access Delivery With Brew Movers

If you came to this blog asking “What is limited access delivery?” after noticing your current courier hit you with an extra charge, we’d like to introduce you to a more streamlined way of handling your logistics as a brewery. 

At Brew Movers, we make beverage deliveries simple. No matter where your drinks are needed, rest assured we’ll get them there on time, working within your budget, and in absolutely perfect condition. We want to build a partnership with you, and that means never rebilling you with an unexpected limited access delivery charge. 

Call our team today for limited access delivery made easy!