Re: Cross-country shipping of large network/computer gear?

["N. Richard Solis" <nrsolis () aol net>]

I've only shipped a few (moderately) heavy things on short notice in my 
career.  Almost all of those involved FedEx because it was simple and 
hassle-free.  If we're talking about shipping palettes of equipment then 
I agree with the  use of air cargo.  It wasn't entirely clear from the 
first post that a few palette's worth of equipment was what was being 
shipped.

BTW, counter-to-counter service isn't always handled as luggage.  In a 
few cases the package is hand-carried over to the cargo terminal where 
it's put on the next flight out.  Then it's held for you at the 
destination, NOT put out on the conveyor belt.

Most air cargo firms are set up to deal with companies that ship 
products as a part of their daily business.  They usually dont do a 
whole lot of business with individual shippers.  YMMV.  I've used air, 
rail, and truck.  IMHO, if you dont know a bill of lading from a hotel 
bill then an air cargo company isn't where you should start.

WRT FedEx: just because your stuff got damaged, don't assume that they 
break everything they touch.  There isn't a single business that I can 
think of that would tolerate a 40% loss rate on anything.  FedEx could 
NOT stay in business long with those kinds of numbers.  Nor could they 
keep an insurance carrier.


Robert E. Seastrom wrote:

> "N. Richard Solis" <nrsolis () aol net> writes:
>
> > FedEx will be your best bet.  Trust me.
>
> FedEx Heavy = "pay a surcharge for heavy boxes, get it moved by a 120
> pound delivery person with a handtruck rather than a pallet jack or
> other appropriate freight handling equipment... and dropped off the
> truck".  My experience is a 40% damage rate when shipping Cisco 7507
> and 7513 routers via FedEx Heavy.  Here are some pictures from back
> when I was at AboveNet: http://www.seastrom.com/fedex/
>
> > You COULD do a counter to counter shipment via an airline cargo desk.
> > That MIGHT be cheaper but you will still have to transport it from your
> > spot to their pickup and back again on the other side.
>
> Counter-to-counter is the *last* way you would want to ship that sort
> of thing (handled as luggage on a flight, beat to hell by baggage
> handlers, and you get to retrieve it from baggage claim in an airport
> and schlep it all the way to your car).  Far better (if you have
> access to trucks on both ends) is to ship it air freight.  As you
> enter your favorite airport, follow the signs to Air Cargo, not the
> signs to the passenger terminal.  When you find a place with a lot of
> places for 18-wheelers to back up to loading docks, and relatively few
> places for cars to park, you've found the right place.  Matthew
> doesn't mention specific terminus points for the shipment, but based
> on whois information I'll make a wild guess that NYC is one end.  JFK
> appears to be the "big" United installation (vs LGA and EWR), per info
> on www.unitedcargo.com - I tend to prefer them because of their long
> hours for pickup and delivery at IAD, which makes life convenient for
> me.  :)
>
> If you need door-to-door service, there are numerous air freight
> forwarders who can handle palletized equipment and move it around the
> country/world in a timely fashion (and really, if you're talking about
> 300+ pounds of rackmount equipment, that's how you want to move it
> anyway).
>
> Two companies that I've used and been quite happy with the results are
> Cavalier International and Eagle Global Logistics.  You may recognize
> Eagle's logo from stickers on previous shipments that you've gotten
> from major manufacturers who have stuff manufactured in the Far East.
> The Pros Know.
>
> http://www.eaglegl.com/
> http://www.cavalier-intl.com/
>
>                                         ---Rob