- Joined
- Dec 3, 2014
- Messages
- 778
I am not beating up on Matt or QM they are well regarded. That said the problem with damaged equipment is the use of common carriers. UPS and Fed Ex Freight along with YRC, Estes, Oak Harbor and all the rest use so many terminals, so many trucks and reload centers that a skid loaded on the east coast might see half a dozen trucks on its trip across country. Its the reloads that damage the freight. I know a guy one man shop representing a variety of companies like Kent, Chevalier, Accra, etc. He will not ship common carrier, he goes through a freight router, finds a trucker, trucker picks it up and takes it to end destination on open trailer, package partially crated, shrunk wrapped and then tarped. He says his blood pressured dropped dramatically when he went this route, his customers are happier and he sees next to no damage,usually a little touch up paint and that is that. That and its usually cheaper than common carrier. In last 15 years I have bought half dozen tools and had em shipped, all in 2000-3500 lb range. The common carriers damaged every machine, the open trailer independent truckers damaged nothing. Food for thought for guys buying machines. The other thing about open trailer is its easy to get one with air ride suspension, good luck getting air ride trailer for your common carrier shipment.
michael
michael