espite the potential — and inevitable — horror of exhibit-transportation snafus, the most important steps in the transportation process are often unknowingly skipped, forgotten, neglected, or pawned off on inexperienced staffers. Arranging transportation of your exhibit property to and from the show site does seem like a simple task: Choose your pick-up and drop-off times and dates, speak with someone on the other end of the transportation company’s toll-free number, and alleluia! You can cross transportation off the bottom of your lengthy to-do list. Well, almost.

To help you avoid making crucial transportation-related errors and keep you out of the baptism-by-fire situations that shipping slip-ups can create, we spoke to eight transportation specialists who all notice the same costly mistakes being made time and again by exhibit managers. Thankfully, there is still time to repent because those egregious and expensive oversights can be circumvented.

The following information will help you get your exhibit from point A to point B, while avoiding the seven deadly sins of shipping, protecting your company from hidden costs and expensive additional shipping charges, and keeping yourself a safe distance from the nine circles of shipping hell.

1. Picking the Wrong Carrier

Whether your exhibit is a $5,000 pop-up or a multi-million-dollar behemoth, you need to carefully select the right carrier for the job. “Exhibit managers need to choose a trusted transportation company and remember that exhibit transportation is not a good place to cut costs,” says Bob Ryan, account executive with Minneapolis-based Berger Transportation Solutions.

This is no time to be greedy. Rise above the temptation to save a few bucks and hire a shipping company that knows what, where, when, and how to deliver your goods — without the aid of divine intervention.

Most transportation companies that deal with trade shows offer a variety of services that cater to exhibit transportation, and will have a number of staff members dedicated to ensuring the entire process is plague-free. Some of the advantages of working with full-service freight carriers include one point of contact; a toll-free number for questions, last-minute instructions, or emergencies; and an on-floor representative. “An on-site rep will consult with the customer on inbound and outbound shipments, and will work with a client to ensure all the required paperwork is filled out properly and turned in to the general contractor on time,” says Rick Bahr of United Van Lines LLC. This is especially helpful for novice exhibit managers, who could use a transportation savior, and during shows you are exhibiting at for the first time.

But simply asking if a carrier has trade show experience isn’t enough, since few companies will be truthful and tell you they are inexperienced when your business is on the line. To help you decipher the pros that really know what they are doing from the cons that just want your check, Colleen Chapin of United Van Lines suggests asking the following questions before selling your soul, er, signing on the dotted line:
How much trade show business does the carrier handle each year?
Does it have a fleet of drivers trained in delivering exhibits to trade shows?
Does the company offer an on-time guarantee?

In addition to these questions, Ryan suggests finding a company that doesn’t charge hourly while waiting to unload. Some companies will give you an estimate that allows up to an hour for unloading, charging you hourly for any additional time spent waiting in loading-zone limbo. Be sure to ask your freight carrier how it figures fees for idle hands.

“Also be wary of transportation carriers that ship through an off-loading network,” Ryan says. “Your crates may be subject to a lot of additional handling and forklift contact, and are more likely to be stacked on top of each other, limiting the longevity of the crates and compromising their structural integrity.” Instead, Ryan suggests looking for a carrier that is an asset-based provider that doesn’t outsource the job. “It is best to have a relationship that allows you to go straight to the provider,” he says.

2. Waiting to Schedule Your Shipment

“Get the shipping process started further in advance,” says Chuck DeLutis, vice president of sales at Roadway Express Inc. “Don’t wait until the last minute to arrange transportation.” Four to six weeks out from the start date of the trade show is the industry standard according to John Schoener, exhibit sales executive with Roadway Express Inc., though he says there is no harm in working a few months to even a year out, depending on your trade show schedule. “You can spend all this money on your exhibit and booth space, but if you leave transportation to the end and something happens to your freight, you have nothing to show for all your work,” DeLutis cautions.

Chapin also stresses the importance — and cost savings — of arranging transportation well in advance of the show. “When you start getting down to two weeks before a show, the cost of shipping increases,” she says. Factors that affect the amount of the increase include the dimensions and weight of your freight, the distance it is traveling, and how much time you have to get it there. Another variable that can raise shipping costs is the addition of a second driver, which is done for nonstop, long-distance shipments. Schoener warns that the closer you get to the show date, the higher your chances are of facing a Hail Mary situation and resorting to air freight or expedited shipping, which can double or even triple your transportation costs.

3. Causing Forced Freight

“In the trade show and exhibit industry, the term ‘forced freight’ means another carrier was selected because the intended carrier was not available within the specified time frame,” explains Rick LaVallee, district manager with Lynden Expo Air’s Orlando, FL, office. Why is this bad? The carrier selection is solely determined by the general-services contractor and at rates that are typically much higher because the carrier chosen hadn’t planned on transporting your goods. The general-services contractor is more concerned with emptying out the venue and preparing for its next show, and will put your property on whatever carrier is available at the time, regardless of cost. What’s more, you likely won’t have contact information for the carrier or driver your freight ends up with, condemning you to blind faith in a company you can’t communicate with.

Howard Hales, worldwide communications manager at Lynden Expo Air (a division of Lynden Air Freight), offers five steps to prevent your freight from being forced:
If using your own designated carrier, have copies of its Bills of Lading and turn them in with the show’s paperwork.
Provide your company letterhead to your carrier so it can fax any necessary transportation authorizations to the show contractor or decorator. If something goes wrong, those involved will know that the carrier is operating under the direction of its client.
Know the relevant show schedules, including move-out and “all out by” times.
Know the toll-free number for your carrier and call it immediately after all paperwork has been turned in to the service desk.
Ask your designated carrier to call or e-mail you confirming that the freight has been picked up.

4. Failing to Complete the Bill of Lading/MHA Form

The Bill of Lading/Material-Handling Agreement is the bible of trade show transportation and can hamper or help your exhibit’s exodus from the show floor.

“Fill out the MHA form completely at show end, because the carrier can’t pick up your freight without it,” says Dan Spigner, with New York-based The Shaker Group Inc. “Oftentimes, this task is left up to an underling who might rather be socializing or hitting happy hour. I’d rather be doing that, too, but the point is to get the job done first.”

To avoid this common error in judgment, diligently fill out the paperwork and turn it in — on time — to the freight-services desk at the show yourself. Don’t delegate this uber-important item on your to-do list to a minion you wouldn’t trust with your life — or in this case, your trade show budget. A dispensation for this cardinal rule can be granted if you are not attending the show and are forced to select someone else to carry out the task. Just be sure to explain the form and where it goes before the person you anoint hits the show floor.

Spigner also notes that the MHA form has a specific tracking number that is unique to your freight, which you should provide to your carrier. “If I have that number, it makes it easier to track the freight from the show floor,” he says.

DeLutis suggests you inform your chosen carrier of your booth number, the show venue, general services contractor, delivery requirements, and deadlines as well to make sure everything goes smoothly.

5. Missing Your Targeted Arrival and Move-Out Times

To absolve you from penalties and extra costs, Spigner suggests working with your carrier to find the most realistic times for your freight to be picked up from your company or exhibit warehouse to get it to the designated show by the targeted time. “Notify your carrier of the proper targeted time for arrival and move-out; otherwise, you are subject to fees and penalties, especially at the bigger shows,” he says. Ryan explains that if your transportation company arrives after the scheduled time, the drayage company and show contractor will charge overtime unloading and handling fees.

Although you have some control on the timing of your shipment — you did provide the target times, after all — it is ultimately the driver’s responsibility to deliver on schedule. “Keep in mind that if the driver does not check in on time, the shipment could be delayed from meeting its targeted delivery time, which means installation crews are accruing costs while being unable to work on anything,” Ryan says. He suggests asking to meet the driver in person and exchanging contact information, granting you omniscience when it comes to your precious cargo and the driver’s progress. Ryan also recommends checking with your carrier to see if the driver that loads your exhibit from your company or exhibit house is the same one that will be transporting the freight to the show’s pearly gates. The benefit of having the same driver, he explains, is that he or she is more likely to take ownership of the freight in their truck.

Using the same driver also eliminates off-loading, which occurs when drivers switch off and pass their freight on to the driver of the next leg of the trip. Transportation companies will often use more than one driver and truck for the same shipment so they can consolidate all freight going to the same destination. This increases the risk of damaged or lost pieces because your freight is taken off one trailer and loaded on to another. Having one driver ensures your freight stays on the same trailer with the driver that picked it up.

In addition to providing arrival and move-out times, Spigner suggests calling your carrier or driver from the show floor to let him or her know your freight is ready to be picked up for the return shipment home.

6. Shipping Your Crates Without Proper Labels

“Clearly mark and label all your freight to avoid misplaced property, which could result in an expedite situation,” DeLutis says. Expediting your shipment — which is sometimes the only solution when a crate gets left behind or shipped to the wrong location because of, say, improper labeling — will invariably increase your transportation costs depending on the size and destination of the missing pieces.

Improper labeling can also cause delays during setup because without your booth number on your crate, the drayage crews won’t know where to put it on the show floor.

Schoener advises including the show name, your company name, and booth number on all of your labels. “You’ll make the people unloading the truck mad if you don’t put your booth number on your crate,” Spigner points out. “Most of the time they’ll look it up, but if your exhibit comes in and isn’t labeled, it is probably going to be the last exhibit to hit the show floor.” While most transportation companies will create and provide the shipping labels for you, it is still a good idea to confirm the information.

Remember to label each piece and pallet, and remove any old “empty” stickers and shipping labels left over from previous shows, which can delay shipments if the wrong destination is read.

7. Shipping Your Freight Without Adequate Packaging

Properly labeled crates will increase your chances of receiving your exhibit property on time, but adequate packaging will help to ensure it arrives in one piece. There is no such thing as too much packaging when you consider your company’s investment in the exhibit and show.

Spigner points out that further care can be taken by securely sealing all crates with packing tape, and even using shrinkwrap to seal everything together on the pallet. Also consider consolidating your shipments. “Gather all of your literature and ship it together with your booth,” Schoener suggests. “You won’t be charged extra by the general-services contractor for material handling, and you’ll get everything at the same time.” Shipping smaller items inside your crates also means fewer boxes to secure to your pallet.

“However, even if you have really sturdy packaging, remember there are still forklifts moving things around and union guys who may be more concerned with getting the job done quickly than protecting your crates,” Spigner says. And don’t forget acts of God, which are impossible to plan for. They’re all the more reason to embrace gluttony, hoard bubble wrap and packing peanuts, and invest in quality crates. Godspeed. e