What Is Zone Skipping, and How Does It Save on Shipping Costs?

Zone skipping is a cost-saving logistics strategy where shipments are transported in bulk to a hub closer to their final destination before being inducted into a local carrier’s network.

How It Works:

1. Instead of shipping 100 packages from California to Florida individually, a business consolidates all shipments into one truckload.
2. The packages are transported to a Florida sortation hub.
3. Once at the hub, they are inducted into USPS, UPS, or FedEx’s local delivery network, skipping multiple zones.

Benefits of Zone Skipping:

✅ Lowers Shipping Costs – Avoids long-distance carrier pricing.

✅ Faster Delivery – Reduces transit times by skipping unnecessary sorting steps.

✅ Improves Efficiency – Packages reach their destination closer to final-mile delivery.

How FirstMile Uses Zone Skipping:

• We optimize package routing based on weight, zone distance, and carrier performance.
• Leverage regional carriers to further reduce cost and delivery time.
• Consolidation hubs across the U.S. allow for bulk shipments, lowering per-package costs.