Heavy Equipment Shipping Estimate

How to Receive a Heavy Equipment Shipping Estimate

Learning how a heavy equipment estimate is created will help you plan the entire process.

When it comes to heavy equipment transport, you care about a few things: price, time, and the safety of your heavy equipment.

Heavy Equipment Pricing & Time To Ship Examples

A-1 AT gets that

You will better understand the moving process by arriving at an affordable and agreeable rate and understanding how the shipping company arrived at that rate.

You can also change specific factors regarding your hauling requirements to add services you want, or even lower your rate if you have a fixed budget.

But before you can do any of those things, you must understand the heavy equipment shipping estimate process and how prices are decided.

We promise that it isn’t the roll of a dice; there are real factors that influence prices!

Signs You’ve Found a Reputable machinery Hauling Company

Learning how to spot a great company will help you receive a great machinerydelivery estimate and experience.

You should look for several signs. If you do not see these signs, ask the service why they are absent.

The heavy equipment shipping industry is extremely competitive, and there are many options. There is no need to ship your machinery to a company that is cutting corners.

Sign #1: Adequate Insurance

All great hauling companies have insurance to cover your heavy equipment during transport.

The best companies will have more than adequate insurance. Insurance is one of those items that you do not technically “need” in life until you need it, like air or water.

Jokes aside, do not let your shipping company play “fast and loose” when it comes to providing enough insurance for your machinery. Heavy machinery is expensive, and replacing damaged parts or entire machines is an expensive and time-consuming process.

Even if a moving company has insurance, you may choose to purchase additional insurance, usually from the service itself or a third-party insurance service.

Each policy is different, and covers various things. Each insurance policy is of a different quality.

Here are a few tips…

• You can stack insurance policies to have great coverage during transport
• If you need to upgrade your insurance, try to do it through your shipping company. This will make claims a lot easier as they will be handled internally, instead of externally
• Find out how much base coverage your hauling service offers
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Any moving service that tries to hide essential details like insurance isn’t worth your time.

Heavy equipment transport companies with extensive insurance will be more expensive to hire than companies that do not. Operating costs are higher, so they must raise their rates to survive. Apart from insurance, great delivery companies can also help secure all the necessary permits to ship your equipment to any destination without hindrance.

Great shipping companies are worth every penny because they will get your equipment to your location on time and in great shape.

Sign #2: Testimonials

It is extremely suspect when a shipping company does not share testimonials from previous clients on its website and online promotional materials.

Yes, online reputation sabotage does exist and is a very real problem. Still, you can always tell when a review is genuine, especially if it has a personal story attached to it.

As always, do your due diligence. Contact a few testimonial providers and ask them about their experiences having machinery shipped with the service. If their experience was positive, you can guarantee that they will recommend the service.

Talking to previous clients of the hauling service will help you understand the process used to calculate rates, and why rates are different for different clients.

Your rate may be higher or lower depending on:

• The machinery being shipped, the dimensions of that equipment
• Whether this is a one-off contract or you are asking for continual service over a long period
• And many other variables

Understanding why a previous client paid a different price and whether they were satisfied with the service will help you estimate your own rates before using the shipping company.

Sign #3: The Delivery Company Individualizes Your Service

To newcomers needing a heavy equipment delivery estimate, it can be attractive to think that all shipping companies do is load your equipment on a low-loader flatbed truck and drive it across the country or on a boat and sail it across the world, but the reality is much different.

If a hauling service does the former and not the latter, you should question why it has a “one size fits all” model for machinery of varying sizes.

Heavy equipment is a broad term that can include certain gargantuan machines. A basic farm tractor is much smaller and lighter than a loader crane or a large dump truck.

Some of the machinery that a moving company will ship include:

• Dump trucks
• Concrete mixers
• Utility trucks
• Light towers
• Backhoes
• Tanks
• Trailers

There are many more types of machinery that can be shipped, but these examples show how different their dimensions can be.

The dimensions that a reputable service will ask for include the width, length, height, and weight of the heavy equipment you want to ship. They need this information in order to choose the best shipping solution for your needs.

They should also ask you about the timeline for the machinery delivery. Always expect to pay more if you require an expedited delivery. These rules apply to almost any industry, and the hauling industry is no different.

Sign #4: The Moving Service States What They Ship Best

Shipping companies may have preferences.

If you need to ship heavy equipment, they are comfortable delivering it due to years of experience; you will receive a lower rate than requesting that they ship equipment they have no experience with.

Inexperience takes time and resources to solve. You don’t want to pay more to an inexperienced shipping firm when you could just as easily hire a company with more experience and confidence.

A reputable hauling service usually has a list of preferred equipment it ships on its website. If not, they will likely tell you when you contact them for a quote. It is common to see statements like “We’re a tractor-shipping service,” “We ship machinery for the construction industry,” and more.

If you want to lower your rate, choose a moving company with experience shipping heavy equipment.

How a Hauling Service Will Evaluate Your Sober Delivery Needs

Once the shipping company receives your hauling parameters, it will determine the best way to fulfill your needs.

Here’s what you need to know…

You will receive a quote based on your parameters. This quote may be higher or lower than you initially anticipated, but if you understand how the quote was constructed, the figure will not be that far off.

Some factors that can lower your delivery costs, and eventual rate include the following:

• Longer time frame
• No special service needs that go beyond standard practice
• Heavy equipment with smaller and lighter dimensions
• The time of the year you need your machinery shipped

Some factors that can raise your quote, and eventual rate include the following:

• Greater insurance coverage from the hauling company
• Smaller time frame
• Special service needs
• Heavy equipment with larger and heavier dimensions
• The time of the year you need your machinery shipped

Alternative factors that may not be foreseeable or changeable

• Traffic (if paying for hourly service)
• The cost of gas or fuel to the area
• Weather
• Distance
• The route

Rates are usually standardized to the best of their ability. You may even be able to simply pick a service from a moving company’s service list, and receive a standardized price.

However, the rate will rise for every modification that a shipping service needs to perform to ship your machinery. This is true for every service industry, and the same is true for hauling companies.

A trick to reduce your machinery Hauling estimate

Do you like to save money? Who doesn’t?

One of the easiest ways to get more bang for your buck when shipping machinery is to shop around. Don’t take the first quote you get; use it as leverage.

Most shipping companies are familiar with their direct competition and the market prices for hauling certain types of equipment.

And guess what?

They are going to be more than willing to match a fair quote. Now, if you got a quote from a delivery company with a bad reputation, don’t expect them to match that. Budget shippers are budget shippers for a reason.

But the reality is that a major auto moving service isn’t willing to lose your contract over a few dollars. They will budge and they will match a lower quote if it is feasible to do so.

Relevant Statistics

• The average cost for hauling heavy equipment internationally is $12,450.
• Over 80% of machinery shipments are completed within the estimated time frame.
• Approximately 65% of heavy equipment shipments require specialized trucking services.
• The weight limit for standard machinery shipments is around 40 tons.
• The top three countries that import heavy equipment globally are the United States, China, and Germany.

General Facts

• Heavy equipment shipping estimates provide an approximate cost for transporting large machinery.
• Factors that may impact the delivery cost include the weight, dimensions, and distance of the equipment.
• Depending on the equipment's size and requirements, different transportation methods, such as flatbed trucks or specialized carriers, can be used.
• Hauling estimates often consider additional factors like insurance coverage and any required permits or documentation.
• It's important to request accurate details about the equipment to receive an accurate moving estimate.

Great, now what?

Now that you have a general understanding of the creation of heavy delivery estimates, you are in a better position to receive an attractive hauling estimate for your equipment.

If you want to make the process even easier, give A-1 Auto Transport a call. We’ve been helping individual customers and companies ship machinery for many years. If you want a fair heavy equipment shipping estimate, reliable service, and peace of mind, give us a call today.