W

Wes

Member
Just in case anyone is curious about the freight charges, I just received my RV-4 Fuselage Kit from Van's. ABF charged $289 to deliver it to Quantico, Va (just outside of Washington, DC). The crate took only eight days from the day it was shipped to arrive. It was in excellent condition and the driver volunteered to assist with the offload.
 
I received my RV-10 wings back in Jan, just up the road in Montclair, VA and it cost me $486 for two crates totaling 494lbs so the rates jive: a tad over a dollar/lbs.

Shipment took about a week from Oregon, the driver helped without me having to ask, but I had damage to one crate and to 3 skins. However, ABF quickly reimbursed me for the damage -- less than a week after I filed for the claim via their website.
 
For another data point, it was just over $900 for both the fuselage and finish kits for my -10 a couple of weeks ago (ABF to Phoenix hub and then Central up the hill to me). Results are varied up here; the empennage crate was so damaged I sent it back last year but the replacement was fine and the claim for reshipping was handled quickly and no cost to me. The wings, soon after, arrived in average condition (crate ok, but the outside strips torn off/damaged). The two kits I just received looked like they had just left the factory - no scuffs even.

Considering the way Van's packs the kits, even the damaged empennage kit was probably Ok, but I've learned not to take chances - it was better to wait a week for the redelivery than to deal with potentially damaged parts.
 
My wing crate was damaged by a forklift shuffled around by ABF. Luckily there was no damage to any of the parts inside. My engine was shipped via a different carrier and the crate was also damaged by that freight company. I didn't want to take any chances this time around so my fuselage and finish kit are being delivered by Partain. They will be here this Sunday and not only does he beat ABF pricing,,,you can rest easy knowing your plane is being handled by an experienced airplane mover that cares about the product and customer satisfaction.
 
I lucked out on my freight charges for kit shipments. My father owns a trucking company and frequently passes through Aurora, OR. I spent $0 on kit shipping. UPS and FedEx on the other hand are having a record year because of me. I got a Christmas card from the CEO of UPS and FedEx put my name on the side of their trucks.
 
shipping rates vary

I believe most businesses should get less shipping rate charges than residential, if I'm not mistaken. And some businesses will get better breaks than others if they have a lot of volume. So if you have a place of work you can send it too, or a friends business or your own, that might be worth considering. I'll be having my 4 shipped to my business soon, and I'll let you know the rates on it when I get it.
 
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