These guys may be able to handle rocks .. ;)
https://www.uship.com/
The service you're looking for is called a freight forwarder; they consolidate smaller shipments intended for the same region into truckloads or carloads (though with the continuing exodus of high-value freight from non-containerized rail movement, I doubt that there's much demand for the latter anymore) and used to cover operating expenses and profit from the differential in rates.
A few of them still operate, and their equipment shows up on TOFC trains -- Clipper and Arrow/Lifschutz come immediately to mind, But the margins are thin, the ranks are thinning, and I doubt you'll see much interest in a one-time, possibly hard-to-load shipment. The business itself doesn't get much attention, so if anyone here can provide some links on how LCL and forwarder traffic was handled in an earlier day, it would make some interesting reading -- at least for me.
tree68 pone It would be interesting to price it by pool car operator. Where can I get a list of operators and the areas they service?
pone It would be interesting to price it by pool car operator. Where can I get a list of operators and the areas they service?
poneIt would be interesting to price it by pool car operator. Where can I get a list of operators and the areas they service?
If you shipped it by truck it would be there by now...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Murphy - I suspect one reason the freight for the plywood cost less is because there's less risk of weather damage and breakage to plywood than to sheetrock.
- PDN.
Ulrich Best way to move it would be by truck.. call a freight broker or one of the big LTL's and you should be able to get it moved for $400.00 to 700.00 if you're patient. Moving it by rail? Sure.. try the pool car guys. They specialize in consolidating freight into boxcar loads.. only caveat is that its probably the slowest way to go. Not sure what pricing you can expect.. Being in Canada, I'm not familiar with US pool car operators that much. But for comparison purposes.. I've moved a 2000 lb pallet from Toronto to Vancouver, BC for $120.00. Took three weeks but if speed isn't that important then that might be the best way to go.
Best way to move it would be by truck.. call a freight broker or one of the big LTL's and you should be able to get it moved for $400.00 to 700.00 if you're patient.
Moving it by rail? Sure.. try the pool car guys. They specialize in consolidating freight into boxcar loads.. only caveat is that its probably the slowest way to go. Not sure what pricing you can expect.. Being in Canada, I'm not familiar with US pool car operators that much. But for comparison purposes.. I've moved a 2000 lb pallet from Toronto to Vancouver, BC for $120.00. Took three weeks but if speed isn't that important then that might be the best way to go.
It would be interesting to price it by pool car operator. Where can I get a list of operators and the areas they service?
Paul_D_North_Jr I've read someplace that many years ago, people in Alaska would have building materials (I suppose boards, nails, shingles, etc.) shipped to them by parcel post, since it was by far the cheapest method. - PDN.
I've read someplace that many years ago, people in Alaska would have building materials (I suppose boards, nails, shingles, etc.) shipped to them by parcel post, since it was by far the cheapest method.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
pone What the world needs is a train consolidator that will minimize transit cost, but at the expense of having no guaranteed delivery time. Imagine that my seller could bring the pallet to a consolidator's warehouse, where it would sit until such time as the consolidator has enough shipments to fill a train carload. It might take three months to receive my shipment, but the ultimate cost would likely be far less than a truck service.
What the world needs is a train consolidator that will minimize transit cost, but at the expense of having no guaranteed delivery time. Imagine that my seller could bring the pallet to a consolidator's warehouse, where it would sit until such time as the consolidator has enough shipments to fill a train carload. It might take three months to receive my shipment, but the ultimate cost would likely be far less than a truck service.
I'm not trying to be Rude, REALLY, but the world "Does NOT Need" a train consolidator. How many people are going to be willing to wait MONTHS on a shipment just to save a few bucks, which is still not likely to pan out.
Just how much do you think that consolidators warehouse is going to cost, it sure isn't going to be FREE, just storage is expensive, then you will need some personel to recieve, sort and consolidate the freight. Labor isn't cheap either.
If there really was a market for this, someone would already be doing it. LCL freight died a LOOOONG time ago, for a reason, it wasn't profitable.
I understand you are a railfan, and it would be "Neat" to send a shipment by rail, but the product that you want to ship, just isn't a practical commodity to ship by rail. In the end getting a shipment where it needs to get to in a timely manner(some shipments are more time sensitive than others) undamaged and for the Best/at least acceptable Rate, is what matters, not HOW it gets from "Point A" to "Point B"
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
rdamonYou can use the USPS Flat Rate box :) 70 lbs ~ 29 boxes https://postcalc.usps.com/Calculator/MailServices?country=0&ccode=US&oz=15201&omil=False&dz=94088&dmil=False&mdt=1%2F3%2F2018&mdz=19%3A29&m=12 Large Box = $18.85 for 2 day or $546.65 total It would make a funny video showing their reaction when you came in!!
70 lbs ~ 29 boxes
https://postcalc.usps.com/Calculator/MailServices?country=0&ccode=US&oz=15201&omil=False&dz=94088&dmil=False&mdt=1%2F3%2F2018&mdz=19%3A29&m=12
Large Box = $18.85 for 2 day or $546.65 total
It would make a funny video showing their reaction when you came in!!
Don't wrap the books indivudually; pack them in boxes designed to hold hold liquid in glass. That's what my wife did before we married; she sent her books to me by mail--in boxes from a liquor store. Of course, the rate is higher now than it was 46 years ago.
Johnny
I have heard of people shipping whole library's by USPS at the book rate. Very inexpensive, if you don't mind wrapping each book individually.
You can use the USPS Flat Rate box :)
Since you are in Pittsburgh, you might want to contact a barge company, and get a "break-bulk" quote to ship down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, Then have it stevedored over to a cargo ship for passage through the canal and up the west coast...,
or you could break it down yourself into eight 250 lb packages and then send it by Greyhound...that might end up being your cheapest option.
poneIf I want to send a 2000 pound 4'x4'x4' pallet of stone from Pittsburgh, PA to San Jose, CA, what is the process for doing that by train? Would I be contacting a railroad directly? I assume not because I am an end user and do not have recurring shipments in sufficient quantity. Is there a logistics firm or broker who could take the order and arrange the details of dropoff and pickup points? In terms of cost, bulk tariff used to be about two cents per ton mile. What is the going full-price tariff rate? Unlikely I am going to do better given my single pallet order? What I am trying to compare here is my price for delivered freight going by truck versus having my shipper drop the pallet off at the freight forwarder's yard, then having a firm I pick get the stone from the delivery point near San Jose. It looks like the truck price - picking up at origin and driving all the way to the final end use point - is being quoted at around $700 to $900. Unless I can get delivery by train significantly cheaper than that it will not make sense to do it. At the old tariff rate, it would be about $40 for the one pallet, and then I would have additional costs for trucks at either end.
In terms of cost, bulk tariff used to be about two cents per ton mile. What is the going full-price tariff rate? Unlikely I am going to do better given my single pallet order?
What I am trying to compare here is my price for delivered freight going by truck versus having my shipper drop the pallet off at the freight forwarder's yard, then having a firm I pick get the stone from the delivery point near San Jose.
It looks like the truck price - picking up at origin and driving all the way to the final end use point - is being quoted at around $700 to $900. Unless I can get delivery by train significantly cheaper than that it will not make sense to do it. At the old tariff rate, it would be about $40 for the one pallet, and then I would have additional costs for trucks at either end.
If you have 20K tons a week to ship in unit train service Pittsburgh to the West Coast and feature you will be shipping 2M tons a year for say a 5 year period, you may be able to get a Class 1 railroad to talk to you. Anything less really isn't worth their time an effort to look into what would be the cost factor necessary to quote you a rate that you will contract for. You will have to ship a minimum tonnage over a specified period of time or you will become liable for penalty payments.
As many have said, railroads departed the LCL business many many years ago. In todays business enviornment they really don't want to deal with new car load customers - if you have the need to consistantly ship train loads of product at least monthly they might talk to you.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
poneIn terms of cost, bulk tariff used to be about two cents per ton mile. What is the going full-price tariff rate? -{snip]- Unlikely I am going to do better given my single pallet order? What I am trying to compare here is my price for delivered freight going by truck versus having my shipper drop the pallet off at the freight forwarder's yard, then having a firm I pick get the stone from the delivery point near San Jose. It looks like the truck price - picking up at origin and driving all the way to the final end use point - is being quoted at around $700 to $900. Unless I can get delivery by train significantly cheaper than that it will not make sense to do it.
Does a single pallet even qualify for "bulk" pricing?
The answer to your question is "no, you will not be able to get rail to do it significantly cheaper"....if even at all.
Try Amazon.com...they probably have just what you're looking for already sitting in a warehouse close to your destination. Join Amazon Prime first, and you might qualify for free 2-day delivery
What will happen here is that if you use a LTL carrier like UPS Freight or Old Dominion is that the LTL carrier might use rail at their discreation for that long of of a distance from PGH-San Jose and your shipment will be one of many pallets on a container or trailer on flat car.
Do it yourself or pay someome to drive a truck one way. Penske has very good rates on trucks to California. As an example one way from Calif to PA could be $3000.00 but the same truck to California $1500.00 plus fuel insurance, food, hotels and return airfare.
It's not on a train, but I've used Fastenal store-to-store shipping before, and it was much less expensive than other LTL alternatives:
https://www.fastenal.com/en/22/3pl-(third-party-logistics)
Note that you still need to have a way to get the stone to and from a Fastenal store.
PS, The Class I railroads do not do small LCL shipments like this. Only Amtrak. Also Amtrak has a 500lb limit per pallet. Had a quick look at Amtrak.
https://www.amtrak.com/amtrak-express-shipping
Options.
1.Talk to the seller, if they are in the wholesale business they may have the contacts to arrange the shipment.
2. CH Robinson, broker they can arrange this as an LTL add on to another shipment.
3. Any of several LTL carriers, Yellow/Roadway, FedEx Freight, UPS, Estes, to name a few.
4. Amtrak does a station to station express(I forget the name). Amtrak may have a weight limit per pallet though. Amtrak does have info on their web site. The disadvantage is you will have to arrange pickup and delivery.
5. Air cargo. This may sound expensive, and I'm unsure what the current rate structure is now. American Airlines used to have a fairly extensive cargo network. As did other airlines. This size of cargo though needs to be shipped as a container shipment(LD -3 or LD -2). Delta used to offer some good weekend rates(dropped after 1201am Friday morning) .
Personally I would avoid UShip after watching the reality show. I've seen worse in cargo handling from "Professionals".
Currently the world of transportation is in some ways the wild west. The advantage of your shipment is low value, it is a dense cargo, and does not necessarily need protection from the elements. It is a good add on for a flatbed carrier. The disadvantage is you are not a business(from the sound of it). YOU WILL NEED A WAY TO UNLOAD THE CARGO. Most carriers want to basically deliver and go. 30 minutes for a one pallet shipment is considered a normal unload.
There are also several expeditors and consolidators.
This comes from 16 years driving OTR trucks and 6 years working for an air courier company doing air cargo.
Rgds IGN
MiningmanHead office in Toronto never knew, best they do not.
You know what, though? You did a great public service by sharing what was otherwise waste with the locals. They were probably very grateful and thought better of the company afterwards.
Agreed- one ton, (2,000lbs) is way too light. Maybe it's pumice! The only rock that floats! 12 cubic feet per ton here in the Shield so your 4x4x4 comes out over 10,000ibs. It would be close to Paul_D_North_Jr calculates in many other parts of North America.
Gives me a chance to relate a true tale in my mining career. We were developing a drawpoint area for a new stope and ran into a massive zone of bull quartz, the size of a ballroom. Pure milky white. Scooptram bucket after bucket of clean pure milky white quartz...never in all my years did I see anything like it. I was the Chief Geologist and by happenstance was acting Mine Manager for a 3 month period. Thinking this was a shame to treat this as waste I ordered it hoisted to surface and stockpiled. We had quite a pile of it by the time we were through the zone. I then ordered it moved out along the highway near the entrance to the Mine along that highway and had a nice sign made up saying it was free for the taking. That pile disappeared over the length of the summer and I know ended up in gardens and driveways all over the area and elsewhere. The folks loved it.
Head office in Toronto never knew, best they do not.
What the heck eh? Never get to tell about this event.
4' x 4' x 4' pallet of stone = 64 cu. ft., going to weigh at least around 6,400 lbs. unless there's an awful lot of air between the stones - maybe as much as 5 tons if closer to a solid block.
samfp1943Short of loading that pallety of stone in your own pick-up and taking the wife on a vacation to California....You might go down to the 'market' in Pittsburg, look for a meat or produce driver trying to score a load back to California.
There's those online uship-it type broker sites, too. Same concept, but online.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
samfp1943OR just tell those people to go to a neighborhood stone yard and buy it there!
Maybe they want some authentic Pennsylvania bluestone...
Are they building a replica of Starrucca Viaduct?
MP173 $40 is not even a minimum charge for an LTL carrier these days. Utilize an LTL carrier such as ABF or YRC, someone who handles PA to CA. By rail you would pay for an entire carload by rail, probably about $4000, perhaps more.
$40 is not even a minimum charge for an LTL carrier these days.
Utilize an LTL carrier such as ABF or YRC, someone who handles PA to CA.
By rail you would pay for an entire carload by rail, probably about $4000, perhaps more.
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