Re: [Amc-list] U-ship report

["RetroRalph" <retroralph@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yep, I'm not surprised.   I'd forget using the usual common motor freight 
carriers and their $1000 costs for such.   And then you would be surprised 
at what they would pay for if they accidently ruined the cargo or just lost 
the engines for youi.  You'd be luck if they would even pay back the freight 
charges.

The U-Ship places are probably the best option but each is on their own in 
dealing with them.  I suppose they are less regulated by any bureacratic 
organizations than the high priced carriers and that might even be good... 
If you merely pay your money and take your chances, you might as well pay 
less money for the same treatment, huh?

Of course, it would be best to handle the transportation personally when it 
come to these heavier or oversized items.    Although an alternative for 
this may even yet be going to air freight forwarders or carriers and request 
deferred air freight service and deliver it to their receiving terminal and 
specifying hold for pickup at destingation.  In the not too far past many 
carriers charged around $50 per cwt or perhaps someting like $250 - $300 per 
engine.  Sometimes less.   They can give your spot quotes for this. 
Deferred air is where they can moves the cargo when is won't compete with 
other freight for cargo space.  It may take 3-5 days to get the shipment to 
it's destination terminal.  Likely this is faster than the trucking service 
and more reliable.  You can confirm their cargo loss or damage liability 
when you ship this and you can pay for additional valuation (a form of 
insurance)
coverage.  Generally,it is 70 cents to $100 per $100 value.

On bulky articles via air you would likely be paying for the space occupied 
rather than for the weight shipped.  They typically have a minimum weight of 
1 pound per ever 166 cubic inches or it may be 1 pound per 192 cubic inches 
for some carriers in domestic USA service.  This means that for a 35 pound 
front fender you may had to pay for 150 -280 pounds or so depending on the 
actual specific extreme measurements of the package.
which is the longest length, and the widest width, and the deepest depth of 
the package.

Not typically, for a favored shipper a trucking company would haul this at 
their regular published class rates less a 75% discount (more or less 
depending on how much they like your business) and then there is a fuel 
surcharge they can charge due to the excessive cost of diesel fuel (Now 
about 16%)  As an example, from Salinas, CA 93901 to Pittsburg, CA 15201 
Using ABF Freight Truck rates the charge would be 900 lbs as 1000 at 131.32 
per cwt for 1313.20 then discount 75% leaving 328.30 then add 16% $52.53 for 
$380.83 total charge.  To most TX points the rates would be somewhat less 
(Dallas might be about $322 total).

So, if you happen to be intimate with a business organization that is a 
regular shipper in your neighborhood and can use them as an "in" to good 
cheap freight rates and service and get them to ship the engines for you and 
you can merely reimburse them their charges for shipping and handling.  But 
you have to know them pretty well for this sort of thing.

But so many different things can make a difference in this. Get the basics 
covered here.  Get a handle on the weight, and service type needed, the 
pickup and delivery locations and the zip codes, etc.  Delivery service 
needed,  if lift gate trucks are needed or if can be picked up by the 
consignee at destination.  Of course you must make sure you have clean 
freight and acceptable packaging,  no leaks, no messy crap.  Some carriers 
will be picky about things and other not so much...  Live and learn.  Best 
make it so easy that they can't turn you down and don't demand delivery at 
specified time, or call before delivery for special appointment.  The common 
motor trucking carriers will try to charge you for all the extras they 
can...  If you have the weight wrong and understate it they will simply 
re-weigh and correct it and bill on the corrected basis and stick another 
$20 charge on it.
If you don't show the billing instructions on the bill of lading or if it 
must be clarified or corrected or changed they will charge extra for that, 
also.  Seems like anymore they act more like opportunists looking for 
loopholes for the fast buck than an  a decent service tool for their shipper 
customers.  But, sometime we do have to use them.

I'm sure that their are people around that aren't as critical with them as I 
am.  I've probably just been around to long and remember how things used to 
be in the trucking industry before modern management methods and total 
deregulation and stuff.  You can thank Carter and Clinton administrations 
for most of this for some reason.

Life is much simpler if you must only deal with the Parcel Carriers UPS or 
FedEx Ground. (as opposed to FedEx Trucking).  FedEx Ground is generally the 
most reasonable cost service.  Their services are generally restricted to 
150 pounds or less single parcels and the carges are generally per parcel.

Sorry so long with this.  Hope it helps or gives at least some people a 
direction in this.
______________________________________________________________
Ralph Ausmann  -  Hillsboro, OR - > <ralph.ausmann@xxxxxxxxx>
http://mysite.verizon.net/res79g4m/ ... and "check the links"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "JOE FULTON" <piper_pa20@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Amc-list] U-ship report


>A couple of weeks ago I requested information from the
> list concerning shipping costs for two 304 engines
> from CA to TX.
>
> Someone suggested that I post the shipment on
> U-ship.com and solicit bids on the shipping costs.
>
> The buyer evidently backed out, so I won't be shippin
> an engine, but I thought I would report the shipping
> bids for general information.
>
> The shipment was proposed as two complete V8 long
> blocks, drained, wrapped in plastic film and strapped
> to two 4x4 pallets.  Estimated weight 450 pounds each.
> I called conway trucking and the gal quoted about
> $1050 for the two pallets.
>
> I called Fedex freight and UPS freight and they both
> estimated $600 per pallet.
>
> I received two U-ship quotes, one for $218 per pallet
> and the other for $204 per pallet.  I did not
> recognize the names of these trucking companies and I
> don't know where their terminals are, but the low
> quotes did not include any extras like home pickup, or
> lift gate equipped truck.
>
> Joe Fulton
> Salinas, CA
> _______________________________________________

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