How to Transport Highly Valuable Cargo the Right Way

Most freight companies think anything worth more than $100,000 is a high value. This is because most providers will pay out $100K. Surprisingly, many goods have high value, though some are more obvious than others. We won’t disagree that high-end jewelry or some works of art can easily cost over $100,000, but most of these items wouldn’t be shipped using standard freight services. Examples of high-value freight you ship via a truck include new cars, construction equipment, vehicles, and some materials. Some people might even consider lumber to be high-value cargo.

How to Transport Highly Valuable Cargo the Right Way

Choosing a Carrier for High-Value Cargo

When moving high-value things, it is crucial to protect them while they are traveling. The first step to keeping your high-value items safe is to choose a carrier and any middlemen who know how to handle and move valuable items or things that are easy to steal. Key things to look out for are using the right tools, following the right security rules, and keeping a good image so valuable cargo can be moved without getting lost.

Choose a carrier that is sure of the past and history of its workers. Pre-employment checks like background, criminal, car, credit, schooling, and, if needed, drug and alcohol screenings will help make sure that the right people are hired for this important job. Other things to look for in companies specializing in transporting high-value cargo are hard-sided trucks, no stops on the routes, and tamper-evident seals on the secured trucks.

Do All Transportation Companies Offer High-Value Cargo Shipping?

For transportation businesses, high-value cargo is almost a must. Carriers and truckers sometimes rely on these expensive things for a sizeable portion of their revenues. Just because nearly all businesses offer some form of high-value cargo delivery, it doesn’t imply they are all created equal. Based on company liability plans, certain businesses may have rules for what constitutes high value. Additionally, they may specify a maximum stated value sum.   

The high-value level may be set at $50,000 by one firm and $250,000 by another. It frequently concerns the type of cargo or customers a business wants to draw in. This does not imply that a carrier won’t accept packages that exceed a specific threshold. You could have a few choices, depending on the shipper. You might be permitted to send your expensive goods, but only with the understanding that the carrier would not be held liable for damages above a predetermined responsibility limit.

Do All Transportation Companies Offer High-Value Cargo Shipping?

Minimizing Loss and Damage to High-Value Cargo

There are ways to make it less likely that something will get broken or lost when moving high-value items. This is especially important if you need to safely move a small but expensive item. If you need to move construction equipment through Wyoming or Colorado, you might not be able to change the location, but you can plan ahead and maybe avoid shipping in the winter when accidents happen more often. 

There are times and even days of the week that are better to stay away from. Late at night is a bad time to load high-value items like TVs or computers. Also, you might not want to ship on weekends because that’s when most goods thefts are reported.

Make use of brand-new, sturdy packing materials. Use multi-walled corrugated boxes with a strength of at least 200 pounds per square inch to ensure that the carton used for high-value cargo transit can survive the rigors of transportation. Check if they have passed a bursting test or a test that measures how well the edges smash.

Disallow the use of a corporate trademark, business name, logo, or other identifying signs on the outside of the package to prevent anyone in the supply chain from being able to tell what’s inside right away. Materials on pallets or containers can be hidden with the use of opaque shrink-wrap.

To benefit from increased bulk security and affordable shipping costs when carrying large quantities, palletize or containerize several carton shipments to combine them into a single package. You can also use security seals, special packaging tape, and other tamper-evident features to increase security. They will make it easier to determine when the tampering occurred, where, and when the package was impacted in the transit chain.

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Conclusion

Ship a Car, Inc. can help you move your high-value goods. Since we’ve been in business for more than ten years, our name speaks for itself. We care about your valuable goods, so we do everything we can to ensure they’re shipped right. Call us if you want the best way to move high-value goods. We’ll walk you through every step of the shipping process, answer any questions, and do everything possible to get your goods to their destination on time. 

FAQs
How Full Truckload Differs from Less than Full During Shipping

When you ship a full lot, theft or damage is less likely to happen if the truck stops more than once. In this situation, you have a lot more say over how the shipping process goes, which can help you reduce risk.

Should I Insure Items During Shipping?

Unfortunately, mistakes do happen. Even if you’re sending sentimental things that can’t be replaced, getting insurance to cover any financial losses is a good idea. Even if you have some insurance, you don’t want to lose more money than you can afford if something goes wrong.