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Click here to view our PDF guide on "How to properly ‘palletize’ your items for shipping"

FAQs

'Why use a freight agent like Ship A Pallet, when I can contact a trucking company directly?'
Ship A Pallet has contracts with many large and independent carriers all of whom give Ship A Pallet discounted shipping rates that we can pass on to you. Since we frequently ship large volumes of loads and have been doing so for several years, we are given excellent discounted rates that the carrier will not provide to the average consumer. Freight prices given directly to consumers are considerably higher, often double or triple the price that we get for the same shipment. Ship A Pallet also handles all aspects of the shipment such as creating the Bill of Lading and ensuring it done correctly, dispatching the carrier for the pickup, tracking orders, initiating any possible claims for handling problems or damages, correcting any incorrectly routed shipments and ensuring all orders placed are properly done, all of which make shipping more convenient for our customers. We can handle just about any custom requests for pickup or delivery and we strive to ensure that our customers get their shipment in a cost effective and timely manner. You provide us with the basic information about your shipment and we handle all the paperwork and tasks involved with completing your shipment.

'Will you come pick up my shipment at my location for me and palletize it?'
Ship A Pallet offers palletizing and pickup services for only the Houston, Texas area. If you are able to drop off the shipment at our Houston warehouse, (located at 16840 Clay Road, Suite 118, Houston TX 77084) we can handle the palletizing labor and consolidate your loose items, ensuring they are secure and ready for motor freight transport. Palletizing prices vary depending on the size, shape and weight of the items.

'I need to have several rooms and large items moved, can you help me ship them?'
Ship A Pallet only handles palletized and/or crated freight shipments. If you are in need of full moving services, Ship A Pallet has a moving company we can refer you to, where our customers can get a discounted rates and special incentives for mentioning that they were referred by us.

'What information factors into the pricing cost of shipments?'
The cost of freight is determined by several factors. Weight, distance and the type of item being shipped, are the main variables. Some types of shipments factor into density as well - the space it takes inside the carrier's truck, or ship/plane space for international orders. Additional fees are applied for specialty services such as residential pickup or delivery, using a lift gate equipped truck (for shipments over 200 lbs when a fork lift or loading dock is not at the site), and pickup or delivery from limited access facilities such as self storage locations, schools, and hotels.

'I need my shipment to arrive by a certain date, do you offer this service?'
Yes. Ship A Pallet can quote guaranteed services with reliable carriers, ensuring that your shipment arrives by a certain date, for time sensitive orders. The earlier we can plan the shipping date, the better. Once you provide us with the details of your shipment, as well as finalize payment, via our easy to use email PDF form, we prepare all documents for your pickup to be scheduled when you need it.

'Does the rate I am quoted ever change after my shipment has been picked up?'
Upon sending a quote to our customers, we strive to get as many details as possible so the quote is accurate from the start. If you do not provide accurate details regarding the total weight or exact product/commodity type (freight class) of your shipment, carriers can reweigh or reclass the shipment, adding additional costs to the order. If you are not sure of the exact details, we will go by a good faith estimate, and can quote shipments at two weights or classes, to provide a range of what the price may be. It is always better to overestimate the weight as opposed to potentially underestimating the weight - to avoid any re-weighing fees. When such re-weighs or re-classes are initiated by the carrier, Ship A Pallet will let the customer know immediately, and we will always provide proof via the reweigh certificate or delivery receipt. If you think the claim made by the carrier is not accurate, then Ship A Pallet is able to dispute the charges as long as proof of the shipment's weight or class can be provided by the customer.

'What days and times are shipments picked up and delivered?'
Shipments are picked up Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Deliveries are usually made in the morning or early afternoon hours and pick-ups are usually made in the afternoon hours once the trailers have cleared space after making deliveries.

'When do I pay for the shipment and what payment forms do you accept?'
All shipments are done on a prepaid basis so payment is required at the time we dispatch your shipment for pick-up. We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and wire transfers. Please note that wire transfer payments sometimes require an additional deposit in case the shipment is re-weighed or re-classed by the carrier. If no reweigh or reclass occurs, the deposit would be refunded in full. Net payment Terms for repeat customers are available upon credit approval.

'How do I know if a lift-gate is needed for pick-up or delivery?'
If the pallet or any single piece of your shipment weighs over 150 lbs and there is no dock or forklift on site, then a lift-gate would be needed to get the freight from the ground level into the rear of the truck. The same general rule applies for deliveries with the exception that if the pallet consist of multiple items with none weighing 150 lbs+, it is possible to request the driver to 'break down' the pallet (cut away straps and shrink wrap), so that each piece on the pallet can be unloaded by hand and therefore negate the need for a lift-gate delivery.

'Do my items have to be on a pallet?'
Items moving by freight should be palletized anytime possible, especially if a single piece weighs more than 150 lbs. The carrier needs to be able to move the item around the inside of the trailer and the safest and most efficient way to do this is with a pallet jack which lifts and rolls the pallet. If the item weight is over 150 lbs, it become difficult if not impossible to move by hand. Single items which weigh under 150 lbs do not have to be on pallets, however they should definitely be well packaged with protective packing material, cardboard and/or wrapping material such as stretch wrap.

'Will my shipment have any liability or insurance coverage and what if my items are damaged during transit?'
Each carrier includes different amounts of liability coverage and the liability for each shipment depends on factors like the commodity, weight and value of the shipment. We will advise you of different carrier liability coverages during the quote process and if additional insurance is needed, we can quote the cost for you through various cargo insurance providers. Typically, carriers will provide liability which can range anywhere from $50 for a shipment of used items of up to several thousand dollars on new items rated at higher weights or values. However carrier liability is different than insurance. With liability, if any items are lost or damaged, you will have to initiate a claim with that particular carrier, which may take several weeks. With insurance, the reimbursement is usually handled much more quickly since you have paid for coverage through an actual insurance policy. In any case, always make sure the contents of your shipment are properly packaged, protected and securely palletized to minimize the chance of any loss or damage.

'Are there any other charges beyond the quote provided to me?'
The quotes we provide are all-inclusive including fuel surcharge and all other fees (there is no tax on shipping). However, the quotes we provide are based on several specific criteria involved with the shipment that we have each customer provide to us (such as originating details, destination details, weight, dimensions and commodity/item(s) being shipped). If any of this criteria changes between the time we send your quote and the time the shipment is being arranged, it is important to let us know so we can advise you if there will be any difference in price.

'When can my shipment be picked up after I confirm everything?'
We can schedule a pickup for any day except weekends and holidays. Pick ups usually occur in the afternoon and evening hours since trucks are doing deliveries in the morning and early afternoon hours. A minimum 3-hour pick-up window is required but its best if you provide a 4+ hour window. Same day pickups are possible but never guaranteed. Typically once your order has been placed, the shipment will be picked up by the following business day. We will request your pick up for your preferred date/ time window and although we strive to ensure the carrier will pick up the shipment when requested, the requested pick up window CANNOT be guaranteed due to many unforeseen circumstances, such as weather or traffic delays, rural locations not serviced daily, delays during prior stops on the carrier’s route, truck/equipment failures, trailer capacity becoming maxed out, etc. Furthermore, pick ups from residenences or limited access locations and/or pickups that require a liftgate equipped truck are often made the next business day following booking since special trucks are often used for those instances. In any case, please allow 1-2 additional business days on your schedule for the pick up to occur in case the initial pick up date cannot be met.

'How do I determine if a liftgate truck is required for my pickup or delivery?'
Liftgate-equipped trucks are necessary for loading/unloading freight to/from the truck anytime a shipment weighs over 200 lbs and a dock or forklift is not present. Sometimes it is possible to avoid the need for a liftgate truck during delivery if the pallet consist of a small amount of pieces and each one by itself can easily be unloaded by hand. In those instances, the driver should be able to place the pallet at the rear of the truck, cut the straps and shrink wrap, and allow you to unload each piece by hand. However, on the originating /pick up side, it is not possible to hand load and palletize the freight inside the trailer. Carriers strictly prohibit this due to their liability constraints and also because they are on time-sensitive schedules, so the freight must be properly palletized prior to the truck’s arrival.

'Why does it matter what item(s)/commodity I am shipping or what the size is? Shouldn’t the shipment just be based on the weight?'
All shipments handled in the Less-than-Truckload (LTL) industry are governed by a tariff known as the National Motor Freight Classification system. The NMFC designates a specific code or ‘Class’ for each product and commodity. The Class can be based on several factors but most commonly the class is based on the density and/or the value of the item. For example, to ensure carriers earn a reasonable fee for the amount of space a shipment will take up, a pallet taking up 100 cubic feet of space weighing only 400 lbs will usually have a higher freight class than a pallet taking up just 60 cubic feet of space which weighs 1000 lbs. The higher freight class is what helps to offset the lighter yet larger shipment. Likewise, a carriers liability cost to cover a commodity with a typical value in the range of thousands of dollars is far greater than a similar size/weight commodity which typically has a value of say only hundreds of dollars. Therefore, higher-valued commodities will usually have a higher freight class than lower valued commodities to help offset the cost of liability.