How Do I Ship Large Flight Cases?

Flight cases offer more than protection — they help move your gear from point A to point B. Unless you have your own fleet of trucks, this often involves shipping.

If you’ve ever received a damaged package, the thought of shipping sensitive equipment likely fills you with a dread no amount of “fragile” stickers can alleviate.

At Kangaroo Cases, we do our best to ensure our customers’ cases reach them on time and in the best condition. That involves educating customers about freight shipping.

Types of Shipping Companies

When a case is small enough, we can use a large, well-known shipping company, such as FedEx or UPS, to get it from our warehouse to the customer. However, these companies have strict weight and size parameters that usually aren’t enough for our builds.

For larger orders, we work with freight companies that operate on truckload scales, meaning they have the equipment and expertise to handle pallet-sized orders. In more unique circumstances, we reach out to independent freight operators.

Available Shipping Methods

Freight companies offer three main shipping options: LTL, FTL, and hot shot.

LTL

LTL, or “less than a truckload,” means the shipment doesn’t occupy an entire truck. An LTL shipment is palletized on either standard pallets or larger pallets, depending on the case’s size. LTL is the least expensive shipping option, and it makes up the majority of our shipping.

Large corporations with extensive resources carry out LTL shipping, so it’s dependable. However, because multiple LTL orders are often grouped together, it might take a while for your case to arrive.

FTL

If you have enough cases to fill a trailer, you need FTL (full truckload) shipping. FTL shipping can be expensive and difficult to schedule, but it’s a must for large-quantity orders.

Hot Shot

Hot shot shipping is the private jet of the freight world. It involves sending large orders on a single truck that doesn’t include any other shipments. While hot shot shipping is the fastest option — the single truck doesn’t stop at shipping terminals — it’s also the most expensive. Hence its other name: white glove shipping.

If you choose hot shot delivery, check the reviews first. This type of shipping is done mostly by independent operators, so when it comes to service, there’s a wide quality spectrum.

Potential Freight Shipping Issues

Freight shipping can lead to frustration. Once your order leaves our facility, it’s out of our hands. We depend on our shipping partners to deliver your cases on time and in good condition, but it doesn’t always work out that way.

We insure all our shipments so that they’re covered if something goes wrong along the journey. However, the insurance process is extremely long and cumbersome. Plus, it adds to the shipping cost.

Speaking of cost, that’s another area of frustration for many customers. Sometimes, the cost of shipping is as much as, if not more than, the case itself.

Local Pickup

Shipping isn’t your only option. We love our convenient Dallas location because we get to work with great local companies. Many of our customers can forgo shipping and pick up their orders in person, saving time and money.

When we do need to ship, we make sure our customers get their orders as quickly and damage-free as possible. See for yourself how we do it: browse our flight cases today.