Having tools delivered by freight truck?

[Travis Conner]

The neighbors have a forklift, but I hate having to ask them since a lot of people do. If I pay the 50 dollar lift gate fee does that mean they're going to just drop it off in front of the shop or can I at least get the guy to roll it just inside the door of the shop? I know a lot of those third party LTL delivery companies say curbside delivery, but I mean really?

Are they pretty strict on that or is the driver pretty cool about putting it in the shop? It's really just a storage unit, so if he just drops it off the truck it's going to be out in the roadway where someone will hit it.

[Phillip Mitchell]

You should take that $50 and spend a portion of it on a 12 pack of good beer / some doughnuts / anything your neighbors will appreciate and value and develop a relationship with them (and their forklift.)

A forklift is a terrible thing to waste.

[Travis Conner]

Everyone tries to flip the guy $20 but he doesn't ever take it. The donut idea may not be a bad idea. At the same time it's kind of like conning him into continuing his good graces. I'm probably over thinking it.

[David Buchhauser]

Maybe offer the delivery driver a cash tip to help you move it into your building. How much does it weigh? Perhaps he carries a pallet jack on his truck to move the large items around inside the truck.
My pallet jack is rated at 5000 lbs. and makes it real easy to move large heavy bulky items around the shop.
David

426261

[Travis Conner]

60 gallon air compressor so like 600 pounds. I believe they do have pallet jacks it's how they move the items from the front of the truck to the back to be unloaded in the first place. I just don't want them to dump it off in front of the door and I'm SOL. Atleast stick it inside the door and I can uncrate it and have some people help me later on at their convenience put it in place.

[Travis Conner]

But if they just dump it off then I'm going to reject the load.

[David Buchhauser]

Step up to the plate!! Offer him a few bucks to help you out!! Or call the vendor to see what services are offered. I really don't think this is a major problem.
David

[David Buchhauser]

Or have him back the truck up to your building. I've had many dealings with delivery truck drivers and they are usually most accommodating.
David

[Jacob Reverb]

60 gallon air compressor so like 600 pounds. You sure about that? My 80-gallon model couldn't have been 300#, I don't think. At any rate, me and another guy moved it as far as we needed to on its pallet...

[Bruce Lowekamp]

I’ve never had a driver not willing to wheel the pallet into my garage. Carry things upstairs, yeah that’s more. But once they have the lift gate, pushing the pallet jack a few feet isn’t a problem.

Bruce

[John McKissick]

The neighbors have a forklift, but I hate having to ask them since a lot of people do. If I pay the 50 dollar lift gate fee does that mean they're going to just drop it off in front of the shop or can I at least get the guy to roll it just inside the door of the shop? I know a lot of those third party LTL delivery companies say curbside delivery, but I mean really?

Are they pretty strict on that or is the driver pretty cool about putting it in the shop? It's really just a storage unit, so if he just drops it off the truck it's going to be out in the roadway where someone will hit it.

Last time I had a freight delivery they were happy to roll it the legth of the driveway to the garage with their pallet jack. Of course before it came they royally screwed up the delivery losing the first shipment, maybe they felt bad...

[Pete Staehling]

In my experience they always put it on a pallet jack, drop the lift gate, and wheel it up the driveway. I always have wanted to assemble out in front of the roll up door where there is more space and then move it inside so I never asked them to move it inside, but I am sure rolling it 10 more feet wouldn't have been a problem.

Other companies may vary, but I am sure the guys who have delivered my machines would have had no problem wheeling it into my shop as long as it was just a matter of wheeling it in on the pallet jack. It was on the pallet jack already and on the driveway. If your situation is different, unpaved driveway, stairs, a steep ramp, etc. may complicate the situation.

[michael dilday]

A 60 gallon Ingersol Rand 5 hp 450 lbs shipping weight. Shouldn't be too much of a problem moving it around with a hand truck depending on the shape of yours.

[Gary Petersen]

I've had lift gate delivery service for two larger tools. The driver was very willing to use his pallet jack to get the tool into my shop on both occasions. I did have everything ready to go, having scraped a path free of packed snow up my driveway for one delivery and building a small ramp to make the 1" rise on my shop floor go easier. One came on a pallet and the driver even took the pallet with him. Both deliveries were via UPS Freight for what that's worth.

[Robert Hazelwood]

In my experience the drivers have been very cool about it, but in each case I had plans to get it in the shop without their assistance, because they really are only obligated to drop it off at the front of your driveway.

My driveway is short and quite steep. One driver put my 350# bandsaw on his regular pallet jack and we pushed it up the driveway together, that was fun. Another driver had a motorized pallet jack and he motored up the driveway with my 500# jointer. It was so anticlimactic after all the contingency planning I had done.

I didn't ask these guys to help, they volunteered on their own and I tipped them like $40 afterwards.

If the drivers had not been so helpful, my basic idea was to rent a U-haul motorcycle trailer and use a come along and pipe rollers to get the machine onto the trailer at the base of the driveway, then hitch the trailer to my truck and back it up the driveway, and unload again with the come along.

If your driveway is relatively flat then all you really need is to rent a pallet jack, or just ask your neighbor.

[roger wiegand]

It varies, mostly with the driver. Company policy is almost always "drop it at the curb" for liftgate delivers. Almost every driver will roll it wherever it needs to go on a pallet jack, some will go above and beyond (they get nice tips).

You can pay extra for "inside delivery", but my last experience with that was pretty bad. In any event they send only one guy and no equipment other than a pallet jack. If there is a step or a threshold and the delivery guy is incompetent or lazy you are SOL. I paid an extra $350 for "inside delivery" of my 16" J/P (1400 lbs), the guy looked at the 5" threshold to get through the shop door, said sorry, I can't do that, and dropped it in the driveway just as the thunderstorm was starting. (I moved it into the shop by myself with a J-bar and a couple piano dollies). In contrast, the guy who delivered my new big lathe (800 lbs) wasn't paid for inside delivery, but managed to figure out how to get it all the way into the shop, over the same threshold, no problem.

As long as it's a flat run to get it where it needs to go you should have no problem. If there are steps or thresholds you should have a plan for dealing with it if you get a less cooperative driver. An upright compressor is pretty easy with an appliance dolly, for anything else I would keep a couple piano dollies on hand and have them set the pallet up on the dollies so you can easily move it around. Having ramps built and ready to go will help.

[Bob Falk]

I have had several larger (and heavier) items delivered to my home and the drivers are almost always willing to help get it up my 80' driveway with a palletjack. I tip afterwards ($20-$40 depending on difficulty). Most try to refuse, but I insist. Good deal all around.

[Lee Schierer]

Another option would be for you to rent a Ryder truck with a lift gate for local use and pick up your "freight" at the local depot and deliver it to your own shop. You can also rent a pallet jack to move it to where you want it in your shop. The daily rental cost would be around $110 depending upon your location.

[Curt Harms]

If your luck runs like mine, have a very good contingency plan in place. You won't need it. If you don't have that contingency plan in place you'll need it sure as the sun rises in the east. But maybe that's just me:o

[Jeff Monson]

I quit paying the liftgate fee, 2 times I paid for it and the truck came with no lift gate!! I'd take the advice from others with the donuts or beer and your neighbor unloading it, invest in a pallet jack and be done with worrying about unreliable truck drivers.

[Travis Conner]

I quit paying the liftgate fee, 2 times I paid for it and the truck came with no lift gate!! I'd take the advice from others with the donuts or beer and your neighbor unloading it, invest in a pallet jack and be done with worrying about unreliable truck drivers.


If I paid for lift gate service they would be crediting back more than just the $50 charge I paid them.

[Jeff Monson]

If I paid for lift gate service they would be crediting back more than just the $50 charge I paid them.

Right on and good luck getting more than the $50 back. I had multiple calls in the last time and finally got my $75 back that they charged me, was a major PITA. More often than not its lazy truck drivers and poor coordination at the final loading docks. At my work we get truck delivery's 2 to 3 times a week, even if they have a liftgate most drivers wont use them. A good driver which is maybe 10% of the time will liftgate it off and pallet jack it into the shop for me, the other 90% let you deal with it. Sorry if I'm a little harsh on drivers but they have beaten it into me that they are lazy.

[Tim M Tuttle]

I've yet to have a driver not roll my shipment into my garage. I always tip them $20 when it's done.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Every large/heavy delivery, they've happily lift gate'd it down and rolled it into my garage and put it exactly where I needed it. I usually clear space right at the front as it's easy for him and easy for me to put the packing material straight into the bed of the truck as I take it off.

Normally I have them back onto my driveway so they only have to move it a few feet into my garage, when my Lathe arrived, he started taking it out while still on the street, I said I would really like to put that in the garage 70' away, he said no problem and rolled it in.

I always tip them.

[Josko Catipovic]

I just looked at the Grizzly website: "A full-size tractor-trailer must safely park at your curb and will not be able to park on a busy road or highway. Your road cannot be a private driveway, cul-de-sac, dead end, or unpaved. The carrier will not pull into your driveway, nor back down your street."

I live on a dead-end street - does this mean I can't take delivery from Grizzly? (Grizzly says no.) I've gotten a bunch of freight deliveries in the past, and they always came in something smaller than a full 18-wheeler that can easily maneuver down our street. Are we looking at different levels of freight service?

[Matt Day]

To the OP: don’t plan on the driver doing anything more than he’s contracted to do. So as others have said you need to have a plan.

That being said, I’ve taken freight delivery of a 60 gallon compressor and the driver, though a little grumpy, helped push the compressor up a driveway and into the garage. I have him $20 for helping, which took all of 5 minutes.

If I had a neighbor with a forklift I would make fast friends with him. I’d be very appreciative toward him for helping and straight pay him cash. Maybe he doesn’t like donuts or is on a diet. Everyone likes cash.

A 60 gallon compressor is less than 500 pounds btw. Still, that’s pretty heavy.

[Matt Day]

I just looked at the Grizzly website: "A full-size tractor-trailer must safely park at your curb and will not be able to park on a busy road or highway. Your road cannot be a private driveway, cul-de-sac, dead end, or unpaved. The carrier will not pull into your driveway, nor back down your street."

I live on a dead-end street - does this mean I can't take delivery from Grizzly? (Grizzly says no.) I've gotten a bunch of freight deliveries in the past, and they always came in something smaller than a full 18-wheeler that can easily maneuver down our street. Are we looking at different levels of freight service?

I’m thinking lawyers wrote that statement.

If you can figure out from Grizzly what LTL will be handling the freight you should ask them about your delivery and road.

[Mike Cutler]

The neighbors have a forklift, but I hate having to ask them since a lot of people do. If I pay the 50 dollar lift gate fee does that mean they're going to just drop it off in front of the shop or can I at least get the guy to roll it just inside the door of the shop? I know a lot of those third party LTL delivery companies say curbside delivery, but I mean really?

Are they pretty strict on that or is the driver pretty cool about putting it in the shop? It's really just a storage unit, so if he just drops it off the truck it's going to be out in the roadway where someone will hit it.

Travis
You need to talk with the freight carrier prior to delivery.
I've only had three experiences with large items being delivered to my residence, but all were positive. I haven't ever had a tractor trailer show up in the street. It's always been a smaller truck that had multiple deliveries and loads.
Every one of them showed up with a lift gate, and were able to back their truck straight back to my garage. I put some stall mat on the driveway entrance to the garage and they dropped the gate on top of it, used a pallet jack, and put it in my garage.
Maybe my expectations are low, but I have no expectation for the driver to do anything but deliver the load, and get it off their truck. They're not equipment movers. It's up to the recipient to have the necessary equipment to move the item once it's off the truck, and protect the floor covering if desired.
I am always there for the delivery and have all of the necessary stuff to protect floors, and the driveway, and allow the pallet jack to roll smoothly.
600lbs. seems like a lot for a 60 gallon air compressor??My Rolair 5HP, 60 gallon compressor is a little more than 1/2that weight.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Instead of a $20 tip to neighbor, find out where he likes to eat (everybody likes to eat out!), and buy him a gift card to there. If you have both a Costco and O'Charley's in town, buy him a gift card thru Costo. Costco sells FOUR $25 gift cards for $69.99.

[Jim Becker]

I just looked at the Grizzly website: "A full-size tractor-trailer must safely park at your curb and will not be able to park on a busy road or highway. Your road cannot be a private driveway, cul-de-sac, dead end, or unpaved. The carrier will not pull into your driveway, nor back down your street."

I live on a dead-end street - does this mean I can't take delivery from Grizzly? (Grizzly says no.) I've gotten a bunch of freight deliveries in the past, and they always came in something smaller than a full 18-wheeler that can easily maneuver down our street. Are we looking at different levels of freight service?

Yes, that's true and it's not limited to Grizzly. Tractor trailers have limitations where they can go for both safety and practicality. So if you, like I do, have a residence that's not directly conducive to the requirements for a delivery directly, it's necessary to make other arrangements for the "final mile". For my CNC, I had the truck go to a local business with a large parking area and I met the delivery there with a roll-back. For my SCM/Minimax sliding table saw, I had it delivery terminate at the trucking company's local terminal and had them load it on my utility trailer. My driveway can take a straight truck no longer than about 25-26' because of a sharp turn, so I can get material deliveries just fine, but the driveway combined with the very busy road out front precludes larger vehicles.

[Jeff Monson]

I just looked at the Grizzly website: "A full-size tractor-trailer must safely park at your curb and will not be able to park on a busy road or highway. Your road cannot be a private driveway, cul-de-sac, dead end, or unpaved. The carrier will not pull into your driveway, nor back down your street."

I live on a dead-end street - does this mean I can't take delivery from Grizzly? (Grizzly says no.) I've gotten a bunch of freight deliveries in the past, and they always came in something smaller than a full 18-wheeler that can easily maneuver down our street. Are we looking at different levels of freight service?

My last delivery (2 weeks ago) was Yellow Freight. When they called they specified "they will not back down my driveway" so I had to meet them on the highway with my tractor to unload it. I asked the driver when he arrived and he said no, they no longer can back into driveways. So not sure if they all will go this route but my last experience was just that.

[John M. Smith]

Recieved a Oneway lathe after Christmas. Shipped from factory by UPS freight. Paid extra for lift gate service. Was told by Ups, when they called to set up delivery time, that they are only required to drop at the end of driveway in the road. I made a couple plans to deal with this as I live on a gravel road with a gravel driveway.

However , I got a really awesome driver, and I helped him pull it into my shop. I think it depends on the driver, and if you're willing to help.

That being said, if my neighbor had a hilo I would definitely ask him if he could help out. Doughnuts or a gift card to his favorite restaurant would be great.

[Steve Demuth]

I just looked at the Grizzly website: "A full-size tractor-trailer must safely park at your curb and will not be able to park on a busy road or highway. Your road cannot be a private driveway, cul-de-sac, dead end, or unpaved. The carrier will not pull into your driveway, nor back down your street."

I live on a dead-end street - does this mean I can't take delivery from Grizzly? (Grizzly says no.) I've gotten a bunch of freight deliveries in the past, and they always came in something smaller than a full 18-wheeler that can easily maneuver down our street. Are we looking at different levels of freight service?

This is why I end up picking up heavy deliveries somewhere other than my house. Usually the freight company calls before they send the truck out, 'cause they know a rural address around here can mean almost anything. I arrange to meet them in a big public lot if they have a lift and can get the load down to pickup or trailer level. Sometimes the dispatch-driver combo doesn't do their homework and I end up with a semi in my drive or at the driveway entrance, and a driver hoping like hell I can unload them straight off the truck (I can, if the pallet is under 3000 lbs), and asking how in the hell they are going to get out. "Same way you came in Joe, except arse first." You cannot turn around anything longer than a 24ft straight deck in less time than it takes to back out, once you start down my road, unless you've got a field capable rig (farmers turn around their big stuff all the time, in the fields, but not in the road).

[Zachary Hoyt]

It sounds to me like asking the neighbor would be a good plan, maybe. The biggest thing we've had delivered was a new wood boiler in 2012, it was brought in on a lift gate and the driver backed up to the woodshed which has a concrete floor, and moved the boiler off the liftgate onto the slab with his pallet jack. I can't remember if I helped push it off the liftgate, but probably. From there it was just a matter of jacking the boiler up and putting it on pipes to roll it into the boiler room. It weighed about a ton so it was too heavy for our little 1950s loader to lift. At the other extreme, last year I had 10 bags of foam peanuts delivered by truck, each bag was 30 cubic feet but only weighed a couple of pounds or so. The driver dropped them off in the driveway and I carried them from there, luckily it was a nice day and not windy.

[Darcy Warner]

I have loading docks, but ship all the time to people needing liftgate service, never got a complaint.

[Tom Bender]

Delivery trucks can damage a driveway.

[Alex Zeller]

I've just accepted that it's easier (and usually cheaper) to pick it up at the terminal. Several of them are close to me. Once on my trailer or in the back of my truck I can deal with it my way on my time. When I've had a delivery at my shop/ home I'll use my tractor but always feel pressure to get the driver on his way. When I was younger I delivered glass and some shops were very good while other shops were very unorganized. At least two seamed like they had no clue I was coming. They're your customers so you want to be nice but you also know the route you're taking and when/ where there will be traffic. All of this is in your mind. If a driver has an easy schedule or not much of a load they are going to be more willing to help you.

[Thomas Wilson]

I have a steep gravel driveway up to my new shop and it is a remote location. Most freight companies do not want to come to the address. For heavy equipment, I usually meet the semi at the Lowe's or Walmart parking lot in town and transfer into my 4wd pickup. Usually my tailgate is a few inches below the trailer door. Things in the 300-500 lb range can be wrangled. Getting from pickup into shop is the next challenge. Most of the time I just get enough guys to help unload. If it is equipment that is not fully assembled, I just unpack and move piece by piece. The moving process depends on the weight of the heaviest piece and typically it takes 1-3 guys helping. I recently added a temporary loading dock at the front of the shop to assist in offloading my pickup. A pallet jack would probably be a big help.

I have also hired College Hunks Moving Junk for moving a lot of tools, like when my entire shop went into storage. I am going to get CHMJ to move all the tools from storage to shop in the next week or two. The estimate is $150/hr for a 26 ft truck and 3 guys with a two hour minimum. It only makes sense if you have a lot to move.

There are also services like TaskRabbit to match up jobs and people. I have used them in Atlanta for moving furniture not heavy equipment. With TaskRabbit, you describe your job and people bid on it. You pick the people who offer to do the service for you. TaskRabbit is not available everywhere.

[Mark Bolton]

But if they just dump it off then I'm going to reject the load.


If I paid for lift gate service they would be crediting back more than just the $50 charge I paid them.

Gadzukes man.. I hope your never one of my customers. Yeesh. Liftgate curbside is the standard of the industry. The driver helps you get it in your building and trips, slips, twists his ankle, whatever, inside your home/property/facility, the companies comp is probably going to say "sorry for your luck your not covered". Do drivers still do it? Of course. The tractor and trailer deliveries I get the drivers bend over backwards to be helpful but I never have expected a single one to help me move a piece of equipment. The lip of the lift gate (rarely have lift gate) or the a$$ end of the truck is where I want their responsibility to end.. for their sake. Thats their job. They are not riggers, movers, machinery movers.

Look at Amazon for "professional setup" of a coffee maker, its like 150 bucks often times. Time, liability, and so on.

Deal with your purchase and dont expect the $50 lift gate fee to involve moving your load. The lift gate fee is there because its slower and the trucking company knows they are probably dealing with a poorly equipped delivery.

Your best advice is to call the shipper and have them hold it at the dock and go get it on a low trailer or some way you can deal with it at your leisure.

I could walk a 60 gallon compressor 20' rocking it from corner to corner across the street if I had to and Im 53. Heck I moved a quincy QT75MAX alone off a trailer.

Suck it up skippy.

[Matt Day]

Well said Mark.

[Alex Zeller]

I haven't use it yet but I bought a 2 ton engine lift from harbor freight. With it I can easily roll it under my trailer to lift up a piece of equipment. It's the folding style but I'm thinking of making it so I can raise and lower the tower part of it so I can lift stuff out of the bed of a pick up. With the arm fully extended it'll still lift 1000lbs so it should work for all but really large pieces of equipment. I got it for a great price because (like everything from HF) the box was beat up badly so they removed it and put it together to make sure nothing was missing. It was sold as something that was returned since they already had one assembled and on the floor for display.

[roger wiegand]

Deal with your purchase and dont expect the $50 lift gate fee to involve moving your load. The lift gate fee is there because its slower and the trucking company knows they are probably dealing with a poorly equipped delivery.


So I'm curious about what the industry expectation is for what you should get for a $400 "inside delivery" upcharge? (This is on top of the $150 lift gate fee.) (Who gets charged only $50 for a lift gate? Every time I've had it done it was either $100 or $150.)

The only really bad experience I've had with a delivery was the one where I paid for inside delivery-- my machine ended up out in the rain storm.

The freight industry seems like another one ripe for an Uber or Amazon style intruder to upend things and provide much better service and steal market share from the established players. I'd use truck freight much more often if it weren't such a hassle with both pricing and service options either unavailable or shrouded in mystery. I suspect I'm not alone.

[Mark Bolton]

So I'm curious about what the industry expectation is for what you should get for a $400 "inside delivery" upcharge? (This is on top of the $150 lift gate fee.) (Who gets charged only $50 for a lift gate? Every time I've had it done it was either $100 or $150.)

The only really bad experience I've had with a delivery was the one where I paid for inside delivery-- my machine ended up out in the rain storm.

The freight industry seems like another one ripe for an Uber or Amazon style intruder to upend things and provide much better service and steal market share from the established players. I'd use truck freight much more often if it weren't such a hassle with both pricing and service options either unavailable or shrouded in mystery. I suspect I'm not alone.

No idea what the 400 would include. That would be a conversation to have with the person cashing your $400 check.

There is no need for an Uber takeover I guess other than a low budget option. It already exists. Its called a rigging company. Would be spendy to pay a rigging company to come all the way to your shop to move in a thousand pound piece of equipment but I guess the point is still the same. If your $400 from your vendor says they will land the crated machine inside your space (without question) its on them. They have no idea if your driveway is mud, stone, concrete, asphalt, wafer thin, 8" thick to withstand a crane, I guess its on them.

The point is to be realistic. Lift gate delivery, and you have a 150' gravel driveway, is pretty unrealistic. Liftgate and your expecting the driver to help you get your machine as close to its final resting place is pretty unrealistic. Lift gate is lift gate.

Your "inside delivery" is a conversation and contract that you have with that specific individual and I would more than likely assume "they" have some sort of verbiage with regards to what a reasonable "inside delivery" is. But Im sure some dip-wad in downtown manhattan has hoo-doo'd them on the notion that "inside delivery" should mean 13th floor up a freight elevator, down 3 miles of corridor, and into some loft workshop space.....

The bottom line is its all about being reasonable.

P.S., MAJOR Bloom County fan here... ;-)

[Jim Becker]

"Inside Delivery/White Glove Delivery/Etc" are services beyond lift-gate for sure. I would think that they would sometimes entail different personnel from "regular truck drivers" in many cases and yea, the cost structure is going to be different. Regardless, it's a best practice to directly ask the carrier who has the delivery what the service includes and their expectations of the individual or business receiving the delivery. Asking the question insures there are no surprises.

BTW, for folks hiring a roll-back like I did for my CNC machine, be sure to understand that not all towing companies will do this kind of work because it requires special insurance beyond what they typically need for their vehicle hauling work. Some will do it and some will not for that reason. I had to call around until I eventually found a resource who, as it turns out, was one of the few in the area who regularly takes non-vehicle work. He loves that because he's making good change and enjoys it, too.

[Darcy Warner]

I pay about 50 bucks for a liftgate and residential address.

I have people ship stuff to me and then come pick it up, I charge 75 bucks for that.

I agree, it should be up to the reciever to make the arrangements to get it from the curb to wherever.

Also, I have yet to meet an LTL driver that wasn't a great guy and more than willing to help out, although with loading docks and forklifts they usually just like to shoot the breeze.

[glenn bradley]

This will absolutely vary with your access to your shop. My previous shop was in a suburban neighborhood with cul-de-sacs. The drivers often dropped the machines at the street but then pallet jacked the right into the garage shop for me and would never take a tip. For a particularly awkward machine the driver pulled the machine out onto the lift gate while at the street, strapped it down, backed the 40 footer into my little bitty driveway and lowered the machine right into the garage.

Caution -- For every story like mine there are two that involve "Cletus and Buford's white glove last mile service" that drops the machine off the side of the truck on the way to your house an d then tries to deliver it anyway. :D

[Ben Rivel]

Yea I never could make sense of any kind of standard for the terms they use with shipping big machines, but ALL of the large machines that have been shipped to my shop were lift gated off the truck and pallet jacked right into my garage. I've never paid anything extra for that service that I can recall. Either shipping was included, or that service was included in the standard, lowest option price.

[Darcy Warner]

Yea I never could make sense of any kind of standard for the terms they use with shipping big machines, but ALL of the large machines that have been shipped to my shop were lift gated off the truck and pallet jacked right into my garage. I've never paid anything extra for that service that I can recall. Either shipping was included, or that service was included in the standard, lowest option price.

It was buried or built into the cost.

If I give my broker a residential address, it's always 50 bucks more and it is usually put on a straight truck.

[Travis Conner]

I bought a 60 gallon Quincy compressor from Lowes. Gonna go pick it up when it comes in. Trying to decide if it's better to load in the trailer or put in the back of the truck. I'll just unload it and use the forklift. That way I don't waste half the day waiting for the freight truck. I'm just concerned about it tipping over.

[mike stenson]

I bought a 60 gallon Quincy compressor from Lowes. Gonna go pick it up when it comes in. Trying to decide if it's better to load in the trailer or put in the back of the truck. I'll just unload it and use the forklift. That way I don't waste half the day waiting for the freight truck. I'm just concerned about it tipping over.

Leave it on the pallet, strap it down, go slow. I'm not sure it matters if it's in the bed or a trailer at that point.

[Justin Rapp]

I bought a 60 gallon Quincy compressor from Lowes. Gonna go pick it up when it comes in. Trying to decide if it's better to load in the trailer or put in the back of the truck. I'll just unload it and use the forklift. That way I don't waste half the day waiting for the freight truck. I'm just concerned about it tipping over.

Why are you worrying so much. The lift gate issue you had before, well, every time i've had a tool delivered, they put it in my garage for me, I had to get it from there to my basement shop. No big deal, just work out the issue and move it. People move heavy stuff all the time with the correct device and in the case of this compressor, this is no big deal. The air compressor you purchased doesn't show the weight, but a similar sized 60 gallon Ingersoll Rand is about 400 lbs. Nothing a standard appliance dolly can't move around, which are usually rated for about 800 pounds.

[Timothy Thorpe Allen]

I have a long steep driveway off a relatively narrow but not terribly busy residential street. . Before March is out, I hope to take delivery of a new lathe (~500+ lbs in a crate that is probably 6' long x 3' wide by 4' high). The carrier is unlikely to want to bring their truck up my driveway, so I had been thinking to have the carrier to use their lift gate to transfer the lathe from their truck to my pickup truck in the street at the bottom of my driveway. But now I am thinking maybe it would be easier all around if I just go to the carrier's terminal (20 miles away) to pick up the lathe there. Should I contract the terminal manager to make sure that's something that would work before instructing the shipper to send it there?

[Mark Bolton]

I have a long steep driveway off a relatively narrow but not terribly busy residential street. . Before March is out, I hope to take delivery of a new lathe (~500+ lbs in a crate that is probably 6' long x 3' wide by 4' high). The carrier is unlikely to want to bring their truck up my driveway, so I had been thinking to have the carrier to use their lift gate to transfer the lathe from their truck to my pickup truck in the street at the bottom of my driveway. But now I am thinking maybe it would be easier all around if I just go to the carrier's terminal (20 miles away) to pick up the lathe there. Should I contract the terminal manager to make sure that's something that would work before instructing the shipper to send it there?

Virtually any freight carrier will happily hold your shipment at the terminal (it saves them a delivery). Once you get your PRO number just call the local terminal, give them the number, and ask them to call you when its there and hold it for you and youll come after it. It saves the headache of trying to transfer from the truck to a pickup as they will just set it on your truck. The only downside is often times you can get a TINY break for terminal pickup or if you paid for lift gate. The shipper may be able or willing to credit you back that money if they can get it back but the simple answer is picking it up at the terminal often times takes a lot of the chaos out of the process. No waiting for a call, no wondering what time the truck will show, no sitting around all day waiting. The shipment lands on the dock, they call you, you say I will be there on wednesday at my convenience, you unload it at your house at your convenience without the chaos of the tractor trailer..

Most often its just easier.

[Alex Zeller]

You'll want to check to see if the terminal has the ability to load into the back of a pickup. A full size pickup bed is still lower than a semi trailer. The UPS freight terminal near me has a forklift outside the terminal that can load into a pickup in the parking lot. I prefer picking it up at the terminal as it only takes them a few minutes to load it in my truck so it's on my schedule (not waiting for them to show up). My lathe was easy as the crate couldn't fall over so strapping it down wasn't hard. My band saw came standing up so there was a lot more risk to it falling over if not well secured.

[Travis Conner]

You'll want to check to see if the terminal has the ability to load into the back of a pickup. A full size pickup bed is still lower than a semi trailer. The UPS freight terminal near me has a forklift outside the terminal that can load into a pickup in the parking lot. I prefer picking it up at the terminal as it only takes them a few minutes to load it in my truck so it's on my schedule (not waiting for them to show up). My lathe was easy as the crate couldn't fall over so strapping it down wasn't hard. My band saw came standing up so there was a lot more risk to it falling over if not well secured.

That's why I decided to order it from Lowes. It can sit there for 2 weeks if it needs too.

[Travis Conner]

I need to figure out how to remove the gate from my trailer. All it is is pins welded on one side creating a hinge. I may just cut the weld with an angle grinder and replace it with a 1/2" bolt on each side.