[TowerTalk] Freight charges when shipping towers

[Courtney Judd]

something else to think about: if you go NON-commercial route can you 
afford to lose your stuff? All commercial trucks have to have load 
insurance... a fed mandate... you can't haul without it. Big truck load 
theft have gone thru the roof in the last few years. Esp. aluminum and 
copper.. will dis-appear off into the night! Another point; what if a 
non-commercial driver gets in a wreck and your stuff causes 
injury/death? Guess who's home/property the lawyers are coming after. 
You can do this yourself much cheaper.... load up the XYL and go for a 
road trip... do some sight seeing on the way back... you will be way 
ahead... GL Cort K4WI

> Kenneth Goodwin <mailto:krgoodwin at comcast.net>
> Monday, July 06, 2015 10:03 AM
> Something is amiss and I suspect it is charges for neophytes versus
> established businesses. I've shipped complete towers from Rohn (SSV 20 
> foot
> sections totaling 100 feet >> 400 lbs) for never more than $300. I see the
> same thing with FedEx and UPS. They all seem to charge 100% more for
> walk-in customers than the deals they've worked out with established
> businesses. I know they charge more for house deliveries versus business
> deliveries(understandable as you mentioned) since they can count on local
> muscle to help off-load the shipment. I have found that the carriers &
> drivers will work with you if assure them they won't get stuck 
> off-loading.
> Ken K5RG
>
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Sun, 05 Jul 2015 11:46:12 -0500
> From: Robert Chudek - K0RC <k0rc at citlink.net>
> To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Freight charges when shipping towers
> Message-ID: <55995F54.9060608 at citlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
>
> I am looking for an economical way to ship a complete tower package
> about 900 miles (one-way). I have created four "bundles" of nestled
> sections, base stubs, rotator plate, TB-3, and mast. The entire weight
> is slightly over 400 pounds of aluminum and steel.
>
> What seems out of whack is the freight classification (250 or 300) and
> the resulting freight charges in the $1,200 to $1,500 price range. I
> have called numerous freight companies and agents and this is pretty
> consistent. There are also "up-charges" for no loading dock, etc. that
> are added on as well.
>
> Short of loading the tower into a pickup and driving it there myself,
> how have you dealt with the freight industry so as not to break the bank?
>
> FWIW, these are 10 foot sections and the outside sections are 30" on a
> side, open lattice, welded aluminum.
>
> 73 de Bob - K0RC in MN
>
>
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