Freight Depot?

[SpatialStage]

I am currently looking to purchase a lift for my garage and after searching through countless threads regarding the shipping of lifts, I am constantly seeing people reference picking their lift up at a freight depot. Google searching it just brings up generic stuff like Home Depot, Harbor Freight, etc so I am not sure what I should be looking for, or how this whole process works. It just seems like it is easier than finding an online store who I know will deliver it to my home and have equipment to take it off the truck.

 

[SteveCh]

I believe you are talking about a pick up at a freight "terminal" and that is common. Freight haulers truck a shipment to their terminal (or depot) then local delivery is done by a contracted local delivery company, often in a smaller truck. Or, the freight co. may have its own local delivery system. FedEx does this....

I always have things that are being trucked to me delivered only as far as whichever hauler's terminal because it is easier for me. Where my house is, on a one-lane dirt road, no big truck is happy. Plus, sometimes those local delivery guys stab you for a big bill on top of what you paid in the first place.

Only thing is, if you do not have a way to unload a really heavy crate, picking an item up like I do at the terminal is a problem once you get home. I have a tractor with a bucket I can use.

If you do want to pick up at the terminal, you can call the trucking company and get directions to their terminal facilities. You can also get them to call you when your crate arrives. Some companies, just like UPS, can give you a tracking number so you can follow their truck via computer and know pretty well when it will arrive.

 

[SpatialStage]

Thanks for the explanation Steve that helped a ton

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

If you do have good access (not living on a dirt road like Steve said), then just contact the carrier being used and ask what they will add on the bill for liftgate service to drop it at your house. Might not need another deliver service to transfer on a separate bill. Just be sure you can move the item in from the street, 'cause that is likely where it'll be dropped unless you have a nice big / fairly level driveway.
We have all the assorted freight companies bring stuff to us at work and I often hear the drivers stories of residential deliveries like "This last guy had 4 pallets of stone facing for his house and got mad when I dropped the pallets at the end of his driveway....he thought I should push the pallet jack with 1000lbs on it up hill into his garage!" LOL.....

 

[OccupantRJ]

On smaller items like boxes on a pallet that can be removed one by one, you can also opt for "inside delivery". The driver unloads the freight and takes it inside for you. This often is done for pallets of office supplies and such. I do not know what methods are available to deal with a lift, but the truck should at least have a lift gate for in town and residential deliveries. I receive a lot of 12 foot long crates at work, and they are literally drug out the back of the truck onto the dock, instead of being picked up, due to the length of the pallet, and imbalance. I would suggest taking a car trailer to the terminal, where they will load you out, then drag it off down the ramps at home, with a second vehicle.

 

[brownbagg]

i got mine hauled by yellow freight to their terminal. I pick it up with a double axle car trailer that we had and a four cylinder tacoma, they fork lift it on the trailer and i took my time unloading.

the lifts are really not heavy once you unbundle the package on the trailer. I back the trailer in place. stood the column up off the trailer by myself. It took all of forty minutes and I am only 5'5

people make it sound harder than it is. now if it was dropped to the house, it would be a beech to go from curb to shop

 

[koditten]

I used my car hauler trailer to pick my lift up from the nearest store that had fork trucks.

The lift shipping company will ship it to any buisiness that has fork trucks and that is usually the cheapest. going to a freight depot is usually simplest, but the freight depot may not be the closest to your home. If you have a way to get it from a store with fork trucks to your home, this is the most convenient. I'm sure you have some buisinesses near you that have fork trucks and you do buisiness with them, they will most likely say yes.

I had mine loaded on the car hauler. Drove it 6 miles home and had the main post standing 1 hour later. You don't even need a hoist. Just pivot the post off the side of the trailer and stand the post up. If you get the ballance right, you walk the post into their upright position with a little effort.

KO

 

[koditten]

i got mine hauled by yellow freight to their terminal. I pick it up with a double axle car trailer that we had and a four cylinder tacoma, they fork lift it on the trailer and i took my time unloading.

the lifts are really not heavy once you unbundle the package on the trailer. I back the trailer in place. stood the column up off the trailer by myself. It took all of forty minutes and I am only 5'5

people make it sound harder than it is. now if it was dropped to the house, it would be a beech to go from curb to shop

Too funny and scarily similar. I got a couple of Tacomas as well.

later

ko

 

[jake00]

Got any freinds who have businesses w loading docks? My buddies get all sorts of stuff shipped to my dock.

 

[SpatialStage]

Thanks for the suggestions and advice guys. I do work somewhere with a loading dock so I'll have to check and see if that would be possible, otherwise I will just contact who I buy it from and see if I can skip the loading dock all together.

 

[Kevin54]

Just ask where you are getting it from if they have "Drop Gate shipping". That way it will be delivered to your house. If you know someone who has a skidloader with forks or a CUT with a bucket or forks, it's right there where you need it. When I bought my lathe, they backed it up right to the garage door.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I had a Bobcat T200 delivered to a closed business's loading dock about 2 blocks from my house one time. No problems driving off and getting it home. Other times I have deliveries arranged for terminal pickup. They are open 24/6 and can load so it's hardly ever a problem picking stuff up. They usually will call about pickup but that's usually after it's set there two or three days.