Wholesale Shipping Methods

Shipping Truckloads

Truckloads generally refer to a 48’ or 53’ truck filled with merchandise on pallets or hand-loaded.

Truckloads usually cost a flat rate to ship based on the destination and mileage, irrespective of whether the truck is full or half empty.

Larger orders that cannot be shipped economically as LTLs can often be cheaper to ship as a full load.

Truckloads can be ordered with or without a lift-gate. Trucks with lift-gates can often be costly and it may be cheaper to rent a forklift for a day to assist you in unloading the truck. The latter is especially true when the merchandise is traveling long distances.

Typically, 26 pallets can fit comfortably onto the floor of a 53’ truck bed with no double-stacking. However, many types of pallets can be double-stacked to allow between 26-52 pallets to be put on the truck, minimizing your overall landed cost per pallet.

Some goods can be consolidated further or even hand-loaded (for example, a 70 pallet load may be able to be consolidated into 52 pallets; or 2 full loads may be able to be hand-loaded into a single truck).

Some things to note if you are receiving a full truckload of merchandise:

• Make sure you can receive a 53 footer in your area (in terms of street size and parking & reversing availability)
  
  
• Make sure you have the means and ability to unload the truck.
  
  
• You will most likely need to provide the vendor with the day(s) and time that you can receive the load and whether you need to be notified in advance of the truck?s arrival.
  
  
• You typically have TWO (2) hours to unload the truck, and will be charged detention fees if the unloading takes longer. This is standard practice in the freight industry. Make sure you have the manpower available to help you unload in a timely manner.
  
  
• Be aware that the shipping charges do not include any labor, and that the driver will not assist in the unloading of the truck (unless the truck is ordered with a lift-gate, in which case the driver will move the pallets to the rear and operate the lift-gate to lower the pallets to the curb)
  
  
• Be aware that there is a SEAL with a UNIQUE number on each truck. Make sure the seal number matches the number on the packing slip you will receive with the load.
  
  
• Most shipments can usually be moved OTR (over the road) on a regular truck, but occasionally, especially to distant locations, shipping by rail can be cheaper. Rail shipment procedures are the same as truckload procedures, but the shipping time is usually a bit longer. While truckloads can reach their destination within 1-6 business days, rail shipments can typically take around 10-15 days to arrive.

UPS (Case Pack) Shipments

Certain items that are packed in small boxes are usually shipped with UPS instead of a trucking carrier, which is generally cheaper.

Shipping more than 1 box at a time is typically cheaper, as each additional box costs less to ship than the first one.

Occasionally, when it is cheaper to ship via UPS, certain pallet listings can be re-packed for you into boxes in order to minimize the shipping costs.

Depending on how many case-packed items are ordered, it can sometimes be cheaper to put them all on one pallet and ship them with an LTL carrier.

Your Account Manager and Logistics Department will always work with you to provide you the best possible shipping rate and method.

UPS does charge a little bit extra for home delivery, so if you have the option to receive your packages at your store or place of business, that could save you a little bit as well.

Domestic UPS shipments within the USA can take 1-7 days to reach you. International UPS shipments can take 3-7 business days to reach you.

LCL (Ocean Pallet) Shipments

Less than Container Load shipments are smaller than a full ocean freight containers. LCL shipments are shipped by sea and typically take 45-60 days to reach their destination. It is typically cheaper to ship individual pallets by LCL than it is by air freight.

LCL shipments can be very efficient and cost-effective when shipping expensive and high value pallets overseas. Due to the relatively high cost of shipping single pallets by LCL, LCL shipments are not suitable for low value pallets.

Please note: We export dozens of orders on a weekly basis. In the very large majority of cases (over 98%), orders are shipped and clear customs with no problems. Any shipping quotes or product quotes provided are only for shipping costs and for the merchandise sold - they DO NOT include any additional customs charges & tariffs or sales taxes which you may or may not incur. Due to the nature of our business, in most cases we are unable to provide detailed manifests and country of origins of the items we offer. In the majority of cases that does not cause any problems at customs, however we need to inform our customers that in very rare occasions clearing customs with such goods can be problematic & that Via Trading does not and cannot control that aspect of the sale. All shipping quotes are provided with minimal insurance. If you would like to purchase additional insurance, please let your account manager know before the order is finalized.

OCL (Ocean Container) Shipments

Ocean Container shipments are primarily used to ship large loads of merchandise outside of the United States and neighboring countries. OCL shipment costs are typically flat and based on the origin and destination of the goods.

Ocean shipments can take 14-60 days to reach their destination.

Containers are usually available in 2 sizes: 20’ and 40’. Sometimes, 45’ containers can also be available.

Hand-loading goods for container shipments is a good way to maximize the space used in the container, and lower your relative shipping costs. Hand-loading the merchandise can sometimes increase the capacity of the container by 2 or 3, as opposed to loading the merchandise on pallets.

Not all goods can be hand-loaded, but be aware of the benefits of this option and request it when possible.

Be aware of any unusual restrictions when importing goods, for example: wooden pallets are not allowed to be imported into Australia.

Be sure to communicate these restrictions to your vendor in case they are not aware of them.

Please note: We export dozens of orders on a weekly basis. In the very large majority of cases (over 98%), orders are shipped and clear customs with no problems. Any shipping quotes or product quotes provided are only for shipping costs and for the merchandise sold - they DO NOT include any additional customs charges & tariffs or sales taxes which you may or may not incur. Due to the nature of our business, in most cases we are unable to provide detailed manifests and country of origins of the items we offer. In the majority of cases that does not cause any problems at customs, however we need to inform our customers that in very rare occasions clearing customs with such goods can be problematic & that Via Trading does not and cannot control that aspect of the sale. All shipping quotes are provided with minimal insurance. If you would like to purchase additional insurance, please let your account manager know before the order is finalized.

SoCal Shipping Special

Pay as little as $12.50 per pallet!*

Ship up to 12 pallets for a low flat price within most of Southern California!

Prices include residential delivery with lift-gate.

Cheaper than LTL deliveries! Cheaper than renting a u-haul & gas!

See if you qualify!