Re: Shipping wheels? (trying again)

["Retro Ralph" <retroralph@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hold on with the "Truck" rates & service.  You've got to split hairs with
this terminology of services.

FedEx is only one company in the transportation business.  What they have
for services (that I know of) is Fedex letter, Fedex parcel, Fedex Air
Freight, Fedex Trucking...
FedEx Trucking is Real trucking services for shipments via their
subsidiaries which were formerly Viking Freight System (in the West) and
American Freight in the East.
I'm pretty sure you would want to use their "Parcel" service and likely
their "Ground" parcel service.

These differing services have their own subdivision type services,  All have
to do with service speed, commitments, or guarantees for delivery.  Air
letter and parcel services are "per package" type rates or charges.  Air
cargo (air freight) or Fedex trucking is for larger and/or multiple piece
shipments generally subject to per cwt rates and higher minimum charges.
All have add on charges depending upon what specific addon services
available that a customer may want, or sometime depends on the nature of the
articles shipped, if they are over-dimensional, dangerous articles
(flammable, liquids, or gas, acids, explosives, etc... or they charge for
calling you up before they try to deliver, or delivery to your home,
delivery at restricted hours, the list can go on and on...

The best this is to make it as easy on the carrier as possible to avoid
their penalty or addon charges. Get to understand the differences in their
services.  Many modern carriers in the transportation industry provide
multiple types of service.  This industry is wide open now.  Unsuspecting
customers shipping their occasional shipments or packages are often give
just the services that they say they prefer or want and do not get informed
or the various alternatives and costs.  If they are too busy to learn about
this then they will usually pay extra.  Generally it is just a matter of
asking the right questions of the carrier people. Easiest to just check
their web pages for the answers.

A 15 pound wheel can cost $5 each for delivery to a place. That would be $20
for 4 pacels of one each. If bundled or packed 2 per package it may be $8
per package (or parcel) for total of $16 for all 4 wheels.  If 4 perpackage
and it still within their package size and weight limits it might be 60
pounds and cost $14 bucks for the one package of 4 pieces.

If you took the same freight and send it truck freight on a FedEx bil of
lading contract you would likely pay a minimum charge ranging from $100 to
$300 as a minimum shipment.  Some of their customers have good discounts
which may be as much as 75% or even 80% off their present per cwt rate
levels but they do not usually give the occasional shippers the discounts or
at least to any extent competitive with any major shippers.  Such discounts
are usually rather restrictive in their application to not include any
unintended pricing results for them.  They know how to set their pricing to
their advantage.  They do not like to let you get out of paying their
trucking bill afterwards when you may note how much it costs you and that
you may have shipped another cheaper mode.  You are not forgiven for your
errors.

That's like shipper overnight express air freight and later coming back to
them and saying "Gee, I'm sorry but we only needed 3 day deferred service
for that shipment so can't I just pay you on that basis?""  The only way
they would allow that is if they screwed up and didn't get it delivered
overnight.  And then if it was an act of god that prevented them from
getting it there overnight, they would still bill you as for overnight
service since it was not their fault that it didn't get there.  It was
"Katrina's" fault, an act of god...

So, when shipping, figure out what you want, or what you need and figure out
your best packaging, mode of transportation, and costs.  These carriers
rules are posted on the web and their pricing is usually posted.  You can
check it out.

If you called FedEx trucking, the person you get on the phone will give you
FedEx truck rates.  He will not give you FedEx parcel rates,  or any of the
other alternatives.
It is a great big puddle of quicksand out there.

I posted a page at my "Freght Control Systems" Web page:
http://mysite.verizon.net/res79g4m/fcs/shipping.html  That deals with truck
shipping and parcel shipping which at that time we generally had a
reasonable choice of Ups or UPS for parcel service.  They do a good job,
also.  I've just more recently found that FedEx has expanded their services
to Ground service. and their pricing is more competitive than it was before.

With "Freight" or "Parcel" shipping there is no simple or pat answers.  It
is a competitive business to be in and everyone will swear that their
answers are best.  You can educate yourselves and decide.  There are no
government agencies out there anymore that will oversee these companies and
protect the consumers.  It all went away in de-regulation legislation in the
past years mostly since 1980 until 1994.  The ICC used top regulate the
transportation industry in the US.  They are gone.  You are on your own...
______________________________________________________________
Ralph Ausmann  -  Hillsboro, OR - > <ralph.ausmann@xxxxxxxxx>
http://mysite.verizon.net/res79g4m/ ... and "check the links"


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <farna@xxxxxxx>
To: <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: Shipping wheels? (trying again)


> Call FedEx. They have a good truck shipping rate if you can get them to a
FedEx terminal or drop point.
> On December 1, 2005 jamie smith wrote:
>
> > I see that my text disappeared for some reason so I am trying it again.
> >
> > Someone is wanting a price for me to ship my 15" jeep wheels from
Washinton State to Conneticut. Any suggestions for shipping them? Also
another person wants a price to ship a T90 3 speed tranny to Arizona. Any
suggestions for shipping that? Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Jamie Smith
> > Spokane, WA.