What to watch for when shipping to trade shows

By Ray Bohman -- Logistics Management, 5/1/1999

If you are shipping items via LTL general-commodity carrier to or from a convention or exhibition center, which many, many shippers do throughout the year, you should check closely to determine what, if any, extra charges may apply.

Some carriers charge regular LTL rates and permit their customers to apply any discounts or FAK (Freight, All Kinds) rates they may have negotiated. Other carriers' rules tariffs, however, disallow the application of discounts or FAK rates.

Besides that, a number of LTL carriers have established significant extra charges for trade-show pickups and deliveries. One carrier's Optional Services and Rules Tariff, for example, shows that the trucker routinely assesses an additional charge of $75 per shipment on all shipments moving to or from convention or exhibition centers. That charge is subject to a minimum charge based on Class 200 with no discount and subject to an absolute minimum charge of $125 per shipment.

And in this carrier's tariff, that added charge jumps to $150 per shipment on shipments made to 31 named sites, some being convention hotels, such as the Las Vegas Hilton, or to companies that manage trade shows such as Shepherd Convention Services in Atlanta, Champion Exposition Service in Las Vegas, and Greyhound Expo (Puliz Moving & Storage) in Reno, Nev., to mention a few. On shipments picked up at or delivered to McCormick Place in Chicago, in lieu of $150 extra per shipment, this carrier charges $5 per cwt. (100 pounds), with a $70 minimum charge per shipment or $600 maximum charge per shipment.

That carrier's tariff also requires that all shipments to such facilities be prepaid or guaranteed by the shipper. If a collect shipment is inadvertently picked up, the shipper is responsible for payment of all charges.

In addition, many carriers handling trade-show shipments assess a Class 125 rating on everything contained in such shipments, including product to be distributed at the show, which may be subject to specific classification descriptions and ratings lower than Class 125. They apply Item 154630 of the National Motor Freight Classification, which reads: "Paraphernalia, exhibition or show, NOI; or Booths or Stalls, exhibition, NOI, KD."

If you are planning a trade-show shipment, you also might want to ask the carrier you plan to use whether it normally experiences any problems when picking up shipments at that particular exhibition center at the end of a trade show. Some centers, as has been reported in the trade press, have sweetheart deals with one particular carrier. These centers many times set windows for pickups that are so narrow that other carriers cannot get up to the loading docks before the window closes. It doesn't take much imagination to figure out who gets those shipments.

Ray Bohman is a well-known consultant and author. Mr. Bohman is editor of several highly successful newsletters on transportation and is a consultant to a number of national trade associations. He is president of The Bohman Group, consultants and publishers in the freight-transportation field. His offices are located at 27 Bay Lane, Chatham, MA 02633. Phone: (508) 945-2272.