Shipping bigger items, really need help

[Flyboy]

  Daren, BDR runs I90 all the way across NY and up into Ore. and Wash also.

[getoverit]

Maybe it would benefit ALL of us if we could talk a trucking company to become a Forum sponsor?

I know right now there is a woodmaster 781 I would like to have, but it is way up north in michigan, and a 20hp engine I want, but it is in california. Daren has furniture to move, Ried has a mill he wants to move to New Orleans, Peterson has mills going from Los Angeles to all over the country, and it seems like we all have needs from others in the forum, but the logistics are prohibitive.  I want to order 5 gals of anchorseal from Bailey's, and a A.S.S. from logrite...... seems like a trucking company could do well off of just the people in our forum?

[Skytramp]

Might try getting around the local truck stop, talk to some truckers, maybe someone is going your way with some extra space, looking to make a few extra bucks.  Or if you have an Independant Trucker friend, He might have some ideas.  That has worked for me a couple times with some machinery parts.
Skytramp;

[Rockn H]

Daren, Like was mentioned earlier, you need to call some LTL companies like Yellow , RoadWay, Consolidated, etc.  LTL means Less than a Truck Load.  These companies specialize in hauling one item per delivery.  Dont' price door to door.  It cost more.  You are a business and you need to get a quote as that.  You will need room for them to get to you and either a ramp for them to use to load the item or be able to load it for them.  If not maybe you can find a business that will let you meet the truck there.  If the customer can pick up the item at a business it will be cheaper for them on that end as well.  Business to business is the cheapest by far.  I wouldn't use any service to find a carrier.  Most of these ,no, all of these are brokers and they are going to get a percentage off the top for their services.
Good luck, I hope it works out.

[Patty]

Another option is FEDEX freight service. We have used them in the past, it is just another option.

[Cedarman]

I use R&L Carriers.  I can call them at 3 in the afternoon and they will pick up between 5 and 6:30 that same day.  I ship once to twice a week with them. I have used them for several years and get a 70 per cent off the quoted price.  Also, I try to get the customer to have it delivered to a business address to save them a $30.00 add on.  Most lumber is listed at a lower class which helps get a lower rate.  Have not shipped a valuable item like furniture.  But make sure it is well boxed.  I think R&L runs the entire US now.  Freightquote has always been higher than R&L for me. I add on shipping and handling charges plus the cost of the wood and have the check cashed before sending out the lumber.  Most times I have the check before sawing the lumber.  I do not take credit cards and I have never lost a sale because of it. I remind the customers that the bill would have to be 5 per cent higher to cover credit card transactions if I were to take them.

[Dana]

Getoverit, I have been interested in doing hauls for customers. The  problem I see is making it pay for the return trip. I live in Northern Michigan and could easily pick up your item and deliver to Florida. Now how do I get to Darren's to pickup that dresser and deliver it to California and make it back without loosing any profit in fuel/hotel expences? I guess the cost for an individual delivery would have to be higher to  reflect the individual customer service that I would be offering? In other words you aren't trying to compete and  compare prices with a common carrier?

[getoverit]

That's what I'm talking about though...... There are now over 2,000 of us here on the Forestry Forum. Seems like each of us has some product that we need to ship to somewhere, or we have a tool or piece of equipment that we would like to buy from someone on the other side of the country. It seems to me like we could be treated as  though we were a large company with 2,000 branch offices and get rates for shipping based on these kind of numbers rather than being treated like we were individuals.

Darren has furniture he needs to get to California.... I have an engine I would like to GET from California....  I'll grant you that as indivuals we dont have full loads to anywhere, but when you combine all of us together, we have a LOT of hauling we need done.

[Skytramp]

     Getoverit, I think you are on to something there.  Might be an independant out there willing to give a huge discount for voulum if he could pick his pickup and delivery time.
Sky

[dail_h]

   Daren,
   When I worked for the flooring co. ,we used ESTES ,there was some deal, I not sure how they worked it out, but the customer paid the freight collect,it was much cheaper than for us to prepay. I'll be talking to Steve ,who was the salesman in a day or two about some reclaimed flooring,can get inf if you're interested.

[getoverit]

I think I found it guys

I bought a 1 ton truck this week on Ebay, but needed to either go get it in Nashville Tn or have it shipped. Someone suggested http://www.uship.com to me, so I checked it out, found out it was free to list my load with them, and within an hour had someone to go to the guy's house, pick up my turck, and deliver it to my door in Florida for $500 ($600, but Uship is having a $100 rebate promotional program going on right now). Heck, I couldnt even buy the fuel for it for that much, so I jumped on it. He is even going to deliver it the same day he picks it up - next Monday.

This is a site where independent truckers are looking for loads to fill out their truck or trying to find a load to keep them from deadheading empty all the way home. It doesnt cost you anything to list your load, and drivers "bid" on your shipment - you have the right to accept or reject any or all offers. You can even set your own price and see if anyone bites on it.

I dont mean for this to sound like an advertisement for them, but it has worked so far for me, and was really reasonable on price too. They even have a "feedback" on drivers, so you can tell if your driver is a good one or not. Works alot like ebay's feedback section.

oh yeah, here's my "new" truck

[Fla._Deadheader]

 We shipped a large clumsy crate from Florida to Massachusetts. Called  MOVING COMPANY, Can¡t remember the name. The BIG BLUE outfit. United   They ship by Truck Carrier and get a BIG discount. We got a good rate because of this. Check yellow pages in your area and call a few. We DID deliver to their yard and they used a forklift to move the crate.

[getoverit]

I talked to the guy that is hauling my truck tonight, and asked him to join the forum.  He is always looking for partial loads (or full ones), so he should be an asset to the forum as a hauler. Seems to be a hard worker and super nice guy too

[isassi]

As mentioned by Skytramp, one great source is the local truck stop. What I have done before and have done when trucking my self, is looking at the notice board in a truck stop. Any independent driver and many company drivers will deliver packages or larger if the have room and it is in their routing. For example, you could crate the table and chairs and then post a notice offering $200 or more, COD, for Belvadere, IL, to Los Angeles, and arrange for your customer to meet the truck at the local truck stop there. Your customer is happy because they are saving a bunch, the trucker is happy due to the extra money in his pocket, and you beat the high freight rates charged for LTL shipping. It never fails to be creative when thinking about shipping or getting things moved across country.

[Tom]

Getoverit's trucker, Dubert, joined us this evening.  Y'all go say howdy.