FedEx Freight is set to launch a new feature designed to provide customers with greater visibility into their less-than-truckload shipments. The free feature, FedEx Freight Advance Notice, goes live on Sept. 13 and will notify FedEx freight customers, via the Web and fax, if a shipment is going to be delayed, the company announced Wednesday.

The service will allow a registered customer to make decisions and adjustments while a shipment is still en route, avoiding or minimizing problems for them and their customers, FedEx said.

"In today"s environment of fast-cycle logistics, a late shipment is more than just an inconvenience -- it can result in an idle production line, empty store shelves and missed sales," said Douglas G. Duncan, president and CEO of FedEx Freight. "With FedEx Freight Advance Notice, we are reducing uncertainties in our customers" supply chains, allowing them to better manage their businesses."

FedEx Freight Advance will be available on the FedEx Freight password-protected Web site to all registered My Account users who ship within the contiguous U.S. The feature will apply to most direct shipments handled by FedEx Freight but won"t include international shipments, FedEx Ground or FedEx Kinko"s shipments, the company said.