[SBBill]

About to pull the trigger on some speakers from out of the area.  Looking for a cheap(ish) and cheerful way to have them secured to a pallet and truck transport to a facility in my area.  Is this a DIY project where I buy a used pallet and shipping supplies from Harbor Freight?  How to find a smallish LTL freight company?  TIA

[Rusty Jefferson]

Sorry, not 100% clear about what you're looking for. Is the person selling the speakers not willing to pack them for shipment or have someone pack them?  It will be difficult to coordinate this from your end I think.

[Letitroll98]

There is no cheap solution because you'll need a wooden crate for the speakers to prevent damage.  The LTL freight isn't all that much, but a cardboard boxed speaker will be crushed.  I don't know anything about them, but Fed Ex freight might be a better option.  The rates on shipping are much higher than something like Old Dominion, but they might do better with boxes strapped to a pallet as a lot of individuals use them for one off shipping.  Call and ask.  There are a zillion shipping services that can pack your speakers for shipment.  If the speaker manufacturer is still in business call them and ask for advice.  These guys love their product and are usually more than willing to give advice.

[Peter J]

This isn't intended as an insult, but if you're asking how to pack for truck freight, I'm guessing you've never done it. Well protected boxes strapped to a pallet can get the job done, but I prefer crates which I custom make for whatever I'm shipping. All LTL is done through brokers. Even if you call freight companies direct you're dealing with a broker which is counterintuitive but true.  Depending on distance, size and classification, none is what I'd call inexpensive.

As an example, I recently shipped a custom desk from ID to MI in a crate I made.  Around $650. Trucks are expensive, fuel is expensive, no one wants to work for peanuts. All shipping has gone up significantly in last couple of years.

[JakeJ]

I concur with Letitroll98 & PeterJ.

I have experience (not recent) with FedEx Freight and Old Dominion and they both did an excellent job.  FedEx was a huge power amp that was strapped to a pallet by the seller (dealer) in the Midwest and FedEx delivered to my driveway with a lift gate truck.  Old Dominion carried a pair of Genesis speakers from the Bay Area to a local dock and I went and picked them up myself as they do not offer residential delivery.  OD was the cheaper of the two but that's kinda comparing an apple to an orange.  The rates are a bit more for FedEx and the amp travelled three times the distance.  Don't remeber the exact cost but each was in the hundreds.

Those are things to ask about when you contact and LTL freighter.  Rates, delivery options, insurance (most LTL freighters don't offer much), and time to ship.

My real shipping horror story is the pair of PMC speakers I bought from a gent in Canada.  He used a Canadian shipping company that did not cross the border but instead transferred all shipment to UPS for delivery in the US.  Because the original boxes were not in great shape the seller decided to wrap them in brown paper.  Very poorly, I might add. labels were applied to the paper and prompty got torn off of one and that speaker went to the "Lost Packages" Depot in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It took considerable effort on my part to locate and get it home to WA.  Fortunately it made it But UPS managed to damage it.  At some point it was dropped and one corner of the box was crushed but as my buddy and I loaded it in my vehicle we could hear noise from inside the box.  Got it home and removed thecrossover/binding post panel and found one big inductor had broken loose from the glue which was minimal.  No damage to the cabinet so I fixed the xo and they still play today.  Cost was $1100 + two weeks of hell getting the second speaker.

If you are buying internationally there is a whole 'nother layer of stuff to worry about.  Just do your homework before you commit to the deal.  With my experience IF I bought any expensive speakers with a high quality finish I'd make sure the shipper could do the job correctly.

[VinceT]

What are the size of the speakers?

[charmerci]

Maybe the truck transport company can do it once you get the speaker boxes to the facility?

[WGH]

Plan on packing in heavy duty double boxes with at least 2" rigid foam between boxes (not peanuts) AND around the speakers in the first box.
Strap to pallet
Attach an orange "NO STACK FRAGILE" cone to the top of the box. There is also a Do Not Stack box to check on the Bill of Lading form.

Lift gate pickup
Lift gate delivery
Add $100 to quoted shipping cost for each

Insurance is based on classification, read the fine print. Some freight companies might cover the entire replacement cost, the cheapest shipper will cover pennies on the dollar and you will need to buy supplemental insurance.

Truck drivers are not required to help in any way. You will never get a pallet on or off a truck without a forklift or lift gate. On delivery the pallet will be dropped off at the curb, after that it is up to you.

Take lots of photos. The box should look something like this, but with straps too:




I always used FreightQuote, prices are fair and cheaper than if you tried to ship yourself. FreightQuote is a shipping consolidator for LTL freight. If there is a problem FreightQuote will take care of it, freight companies do not want to upset one of the biggest consolidators in the US. If you hire a shipper directly they don't care if they screw you over or piss you off because you are shipping only once.
https://www.freightquote.com/


Remember, these guys are professionals, they can put forklift forks through anything.

[jtwrace]

https://www.uship.com/

[VinceT]

Lots of claims with LTL carriers. Freightquote will get you good pricing, but packaging is the key. If the speakers are under 40 inches tall should be able to reinforce the boxes with plywood and foam board to insure no forklifts ram the forks through the box. Dealing with damage with LTL carriers are a nightmare, they are self insured and will do anything they can to not pay a claim on a one off customer. U SHIP can be good, but again still need to package the heck out of it. When I shipped my LS-9s I used an exclusive sprinter van and just paid the money. Cost me about 1.35 per mile. There was nothing else in the van and seller helped the driver load, I helped driver unload.

[SBBill]

Thanks to all for the insight and tips on the pitfalls of shipping speakers.  For this time around I've come to the conclusion that the best cheep and cheerful option will be to make a road trip in my trusty old Toyota 4Runner.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Happy holidays/ Merry  Xmas to all. 

[JakeJ]

Great idea and if you've got a buddy a road trip can be fun.  Yes, I also have experience with several road trips.  One to member GeorgeAB's to buy a pair of minty fresh VMPS RM-30M's.  I picked up my friend Jeff in Seattle for that trip.  A trip to the Bay Area to pick up a set of QSO 636r's and matching center channel.  From there my friend Kevin and I traveled to LA and I bought John Casler's Double Dibble RM-40's with outboard XO and the whole VMPS kit became my HT.  Five speakers and they all fit in my Audi Q7 for long careful ride home.  But it plays music everyday after the morning news is over.

There are many more excursions to buy gear, always more rewarding than the stress of shipping.  What a hobby!

[WGH]

For this time around I've come to the conclusion that the best cheep and cheerful option will be to make a road trip in my trusty old Toyota 4Runner.  Slow and steady wins the race.

I always check out Atlas Obscura before taking a trip, there may be something weird to see along the way.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Just for fun put your trip into either Bard or ChatGPT. I asked for a scenic route between Tucson and Santa Cruz, CA and it came up with all sorts of picturesque routes and places I didn't know about like Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Devil's Postpile.