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Damage

asw20c

Well Known Member
I've ranted about this before, and here goes again-
Every single kit delivery I've had has been damaged in transit. Every one! Today I received my fuselage kit, and sure enough there were two places where it was clear that a fork had been run through the side, the end of the crate was pushed in and all the staples holding it together had pulled loose. As soon as the truck door opened I could see the crate was damaged. I could see paper and airplane parts through the gaps. All but one of the blocks that Van's installs on the bottom of the crates so that a forklift can slip under were gone. The shipping company kindly put the 8 foot crate on top of a 4 foot pallet for me to compensate. I've had it with these shipping companies that clearly don't give a **** about their cargo. XPO Logistics picked up the crate in Oregon and delivered it to Albuquerque, and from there RAC Transport delivered the crate to my home. I have no idea which shipping company is responsible for all the damage. The only thing that keeps me from going postal is that Vans does a superb job replacing parts that have been damaged in transit. It is the most pain-free service of any company with which I've worked so thank goodness for that.
 
I feel your pain. Every box from the tail section to the prop box had some significant damage.

Once that beautiful bird is flying, you will forget all about it. Not an excuse for the shipping companies to abuse our packages. Just keep your mind on the end goal.
 
I just got three ABF crates. The wing crate had the bottom separated from the side, stacked on top of the fuse crate that had a big hole plunged in the corner. All contents were safe! But..... no excuse.

The three crates were plainly marked.

The delivery guy showed up with a lift truck, but had no way to get the crates off the truck because it was too long to move with the tiny lift. I had to use my engine lift to rotate the load out of the truck to permit the lift to carry it down. Crazy.

My 14 crates all came Old Dominion and they couldn't have been nicer and the boxen were pristine.
 
Pack defensively

"This way up"

"Fragile"

"Handle with care"


Doesn't seem to make any difference to the folks who move our things around for a living (whether shifting airplane parts or home contents).

Sometime back there was a Tourister suitcase ad: The little old lady gives her bag to the bellhop. As soon as he enters the stairwell he morphs into a gorilla and chucks the bag down the stairs. But when he emerges again and morphs back into a bellhop, the bag is fine. Moral of the story: pack your stuff like it is going to be thrown around by a gorilla!

The ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP5mHb_dn5c
 
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I always, always request "terminal pickup" with my phone number attached. Most all of freight damage is done on the local delivery route. The local truck hits all sorts of other delivery destiations prior to you. At each of these the othe customers move your stuff around with their forklift and/or pallet jacks. Some don't have docks so your stuff gets dropped out the back in the process.

I have also had local truck drop a broken crate out the back and had a dingaling employee sign for it leaving us holding the bag.

By requesting dock pickup, when the shipment arrives on the OTR LTL truck, the transport company calls me. So I bypass the local delivery (and lift gate charges etc...). I go to the local cross-dock terminal with a flat bed trailer and insist on examining the crate before signing. If there is damage I insist on opening and examining the contents. The dock folks try to get you to sign before you see the crate until they realize you know your stuff. If there is significant damage I refuse delivery right there at the freight terminal so the shipment is never legally in my possession and the trucking company returns the crate to the shipper on their own dime and the shipper takes care of any damages or insurance claims.

If everything is okay I sign the bill of lading and the freight company drives the shipment down their freight ramp with their forklift and loads it on my utility trailer. It's a win-win. I prefer "terminal pickup". And the local dock manager does too because it saves them time and the cost of the local delivery.

Just and idea.
 
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most shipping companies no matter who, are pretty good. a few are better than most. believe me, when the damage claim is finally settled and it trickles down to your whse/ dock and you get whacked the claim the offending person is pulled aside and the claim chargebacks stop or the offender is removed.
over the years i have seen carriers fall in and out of favor with vans. usually it is an isolated whse. not the company's business model to bust everything.
i wonder if vans could improve shipping outcomes by labeling boxes ''airplane parts'' or something else obvious. the employees come to know a shipper and potential problems.
 
I guess I've been lucky with the three crates I've received. One terminal pickup with ODFL, one home delivery from ODFL, and one home delivery from ABF. (Detroit/Ann Arbor area)

Question: Does anyone know what the home liftgate service costs, just ballpark? I really like it because otherwise I have to go rent a U-Haul trailer, but if that's still significantly cheaper, then...
 
I guess I've been lucky with the three crates I've received. One terminal pickup with ODFL, one home delivery from ODFL, and one home delivery from ABF. (Detroit/Ann Arbor area)

Question: Does anyone know what the home liftgate service costs, just ballpark? I really like it because otherwise I have to go rent a U-Haul trailer, but if that's still significantly cheaper, then...

I picked up my empennage kit from Romulus. I'm in Windsor, Ontario. My QB wings and Fuselage is ready to be shipped and was planning to ship again to ABF however with the border restriction I cannot pick it up. I may ship all the way to my home.

What is involved with home delivery from ABF? Do they have the equipment to unload something as large as the QB crates? If I have a fork lift can they get the crates to the back of the truck? Any insight would be appreciated.
 
glenn, every delivery i took the driver had a floor jack or some means to get the crate to the back of the truck. some trucks are equipped with a lift gate. company charges $25 to 50 for liftgate services. get a hold of the local terminal for the carrier and find out exactly what your truck will have and what you can request in advance.
 
What is involved with home delivery from ABF? Do they have the equipment to unload something as large as the QB crates? If I have a fork lift can they get the crates to the back of the truck? Any insight would be appreciated.

glenn, every delivery i took the driver had a floor jack or some means to get the crate to the back of the truck. some trucks are equipped with a lift gate. company charges $25 to 50 for liftgate services. get a hold of the local terminal for the carrier and find out exactly what your truck will have and what you can request in advance.

Yup, best bet is to call them with the crate dimensions and weights, found here: https://www.vansaircraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/crate-dimensions-weights-dec2018.pdf
Page 2 for QB, looks like you'll have three crates.

For me ODFL would not home-deliver my RV-10 emp kit, but they did it for my 12 emp, and ABF did it for my 12 fuse. I think the 10 emp was too long maybe, not suitable for a liftgate. If you have a fork lift, they may do it.
(EDIT: I do recall the ODFL driver being surprised that they wanted him to liftgate the 12 emp, but it really was no big deal)

$25 to $50 is well worth me not having to rent a U-Haul and do it myself. (As long as they continue to not damage things anyway)
 
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I'm not sure how much it is but I have always found there is an extra charge for residential delivery. Delivering to a business is usually cheaper. I am going to pick up at the truck terminal.
 
I picked up my empennage kit from Romulus. I'm in Windsor, Ontario. My QB wings and Fuselage is ready to be shipped and was planning to ship again to ABF however with the border restriction I cannot pick it up. I may ship all the way to my home.

What is involved with home delivery from ABF? Do they have the equipment to unload something as large as the QB crates? If I have a fork lift can they get the crates to the back of the truck? Any insight would be appreciated.

Glenn, with my QB delivery (wings and fuselage together with finishing kit) i used Partain Trucking. You?d have to see if he can/will deliver to Canada, but I wouldn?t consider any other way, if he can/will. You pay a bit more for shipping but don?t pay for crating, things are delivered in pristine condition and lowered by crane onto you prepared trollies.
 
Guess I've been really lucky over the years. I've had the usual odd scrapes, minor punctures, and missing 2x4 supports, but never had a seriously damaged crate.

That's over two RV projects using all of the various freight companies (including engine, prop, and avionics shipments), as well as numerous other large projects and their components.

You guys with damaged crates definitely have my sympathy. I'd be seriously ticked if a freight company ruined any of my components. Chasing them for an insurance settlement would not be fun.
 
Chasing them for an insurance settlement would not be fun.

The rules governing that are very much in favor of the shipper. You have to identify and note the damage at the time of delivery in most cases. If the box is punctured on the bottom and you don't see it? Sorry...
 
There is only 2 crates with the 14 QB.

132?x22?x58? (443 lbs)
106?x62?x52? (660 lbs)

I just don't see how they can get a 11 ft long crate off with a lift gate. I will give them a call though.

In my case it is more than a $25 - $50 extra charge. It across a border plus have to get a customs broker involved.
 
Terminal Pickup

Every crate, Terminal Pickup. It's worth the minor inconvenience.
Minor crate damage on one but nothing worth noting. Always examine before signing. They always load for me. No problem sliding them down a set of motorcycle ramps and into my shop with dollies. Sweetie and I did it solo.
 
Partain

I have limited experience with Partain - all good. The driver knows and cares about how fragile his load is and when my shipments arrived at my house, he removed the Van's boxes and placed them down on my driveway. Excellent service delivered from a custom made box trailer - not an 80,000 semi.

I've had replacement wing tip skins delivered by USPS with slight damage which I was able to straighten out without major trouble.
YMMV:cool:
 
QB Wings are two crates, QB Fuse is one crate. You're missing a 200 lb 97 X 40 X 19 wing crate.

Not according to Van's email. I specifically asked as I found the chart on the website a bit confusing. Did you get 3 crate with your QB? Was one a finishing Kit?
 
Not according to Van's email. I specifically asked as I found the chart on the website a bit confusing. Did you get 3 crate with your QB? Was one a finishing Kit?

No, sorry, I was just going by what I found on their website, but what I just now noticed is that the second crate is for "special" QB wings only and I have no idea what that means. :eek:

Don't you want your plane to be special? :p
 
No, sorry, I was just going by what I found on their website, but what I just now noticed is that the second crate is for "special" QB wings only and I have no idea what that means. :eek:

Don't you want your plane to be special? :p

I speculated after getting clarification from Van's on the 2 crates (132?x22?x58? (443 lbs) & 106?x62?x52? (660 lbs)) that the 3rd was if you ordered the QB wings only (no fuselage) and that would be the only crate you would get. I spent several hours trying to figure out the size of the haul truck I would have to rent for the 3 crates. I was glad to hear that it was only two.
 
Partain deliveries for my QB wings and fuselage. Not crated and handled with kid gloves. Perfect. Plus, without crating charges, the shipping costs were about the same. Highly recommended! :)
 
U-Haul trailer is $30/day. Well worth it.

I am fortunate to own a piece of property just outside Portland, so when I'm in the area I can stop by the factory and pick up crates/parts myself and avoid shipping gorillas and their cost.
 
Partain deliveries for my QB wings and fuselage. Not crated and handled with kid gloves. Perfect. Plus, without crating charges, the shipping costs were about the same. Highly recommended! :)

I think you will find that Tony Partain sold out to Stewart Transport last year. They had some initial growing pains. Hopefully things have gotten better by now.

You may want to reach out to Van's and see who they are using to ship QB kits. If they aren't using Stewart any longer, that might tell you something.
 
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I think you will find that Tony Partain sold out to Stewart Transport last year. They had some initial growing pains. Hopefully things have gotten better by now.

You may want to reach out to Van's and see who they are using to ship QB kits. If they aren't using Stewart any longer, that might tell you something.

I did not know that, but, in fact, Stewart delivered my fuselage in one of their car-mover trucks. Neat trailer with an overhead hoist. Made moving the fuselage from trailer to dolly effortless. I guess they had already been sold or were in transition back then (2017). Perfect service at that time. I hope it continues.
 
U-Haul trailer is $30/day. Well worth it.

Yeah, I just looked and mine was $35, so not bad. But it was dead of winter with 2 feet of snow, uphill both ways... I did not enjoy it.

Next time I'll see if I can get a complete apples to apples cost comparison between crated residential delivery, non-crated Stewart/Partain*, and DIY rental with terminal pickup. I am ALL about convenience though. :p

*Will Stewart do non-crated slow-build kit deliveries? I think I read that Partain started with just QB, but then later added non-QB kits.
 
Yeah, I just looked and mine was $35, so not bad. But it was dead of winter with 2 feet of snow, uphill both ways... I did not enjoy it.

Next time I'll see if I can get a complete apples to apples cost comparison between crated residential delivery, non-crated Stewart/Partain*, and DIY rental with terminal pickup. I am ALL about convenience though. :p

*Will Stewart do non-crated slow-build kit deliveries? I think I read that Partain started with just QB, but then later added non-QB kits.

My RV-10 fuselage (built to QB status) along with a crated wing kit and later my nearly compete RV-7A (on wheels) was moved from Eugene to Atlanta by Stewart under contract with Partain. This was before Tony sold out. Neither move was painless, but there was no damage. The Stewart drivers were new at moving airplanes and were not as OCD about damage as Mike (Partain's last driver) was. I think they were used to damage tolerant steel automobiles and needed a bit of learning on fragile aluminum structures.
 
You guys with damaged crates definitely have my sympathy. I'd be seriously ticked if a freight company ruined any of my components. Chasing them for an insurance settlement would not be fun.

If you refuse delivery at the cross-dock you do not have an insurance settlement to mess with. No chasing since you are no longer involved. The shipper and transport company are the involved parties. I often pay for orders with credit card so that if at any time a shipper tries to involve me (like eBay sellers who state no refunds on their listing) I simply call my credit card company and explain what happened and the seller has possession of the merchandise and I am instantly credited. The credit card company likes it because it doesn't even involve their insurance since the seller has possession and not the card holder. Naturally this is not relevant for a supplier of integrity like Van's but is helpful for other transactions. I always use credit card for eBay and similar transactions as it provides for protections not offered by debit, wire transfer or Paypal cash balance payments. Again, I wouldn't hesitate to trust Van's implicitly and would have no problem paying for one of their orders with a cash equivalent.
 
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The rules governing that are very much in favor of the shipper. You have to identify and note the damage at the time of delivery in most cases. If the box is punctured on the bottom and you don't see it? Sorry...

That is another good thing about terminal delivery. You fully examine the crate prior to signing the bill of lading. There is a reason the transport companies put the bill of lading in your face first thing. If you sign you own it. You don't sign it the same government rules keep the liability on them. You can actually refuse delivery without cause (i.e. change your mind) but if there is no damage the shipper will be upset with you when they get it back and wouldn't be the ethical in my book. Honestly in almost every case where I have found superficial damage on the outside of the packaging examination of the inside has shown no damage to the contents. Be reasonable and logical with the dock manager and their usually on your side in helping examine things. If there is damage found after you accept delivery you can work with the shipper who packaged it or even do the credit card company insurance thing if using that method of payment.
 
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That is another good thing about terminal delivery. You fully examine the crate prior to signing the bill of lading. There is a reason the transport companies put the bill of lading in your face first thing. If you sign you own it. You don't sign it the same government rules keep the liability on them. You can actually refuse delivery without cause (i.e. change your mind) but if there is no damage the shipper will be upset with you when they get it back and wouldn't be the ethical in my book. If there is damage found after you accept delivery you can work with the shipper who packaged it or even do the credit card company insurance thing if using that method of payment.

That is not a benefit to terminal delivery imho. You have the right to inspect and refuse delivery regardless of where it happens. I've never had a delivery of any type where the driver wanted me to sign anything before inspection.
 
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