
So you've just found the classic car of your dreams, negotiated a fair price, and need to ship it home. Except that you live in Bellingham, WA and the car is in Sarasota, FL. How do you find the best price without spending hours on the phone haggling with folks you've never met? The "Shipping Price Estimator" (SPE) from uShip is a new tool for estimating vehicle transport cost based not only on distance and weight, but also on trucking routes and availability. By selecting the shipment category and plugging in the ZIP codes, the reader is able to get a shipping estimate based on actual transactions in the uShip auction-style marketplace plus distance, routing and carrier capacity.
Because of the marketplace nature of uShip.com, the estimate will vary from day to day. Powered by the "Transportation Price Index," uShip's industry tool for tracking transportation prices, the cost is expressed in dollars per ton-mile. As the TPI changes, results from the SPE will change, ensuring the most accurate and up-to-date estimate. Your humble reporter has never had to contemplate the cost of shipping that restored Morris Minor convertible he dreams of acquiring but if ever the day arrives, uShip's Internet-based system would seem to be a handy tool. Oh, and why a Morris Minor? That's another story for another day.
Photo: Volkmar Wentzel, 1950, ©National Geographic
Where on N.G. can I find that image. I searched, but couldn’t find it.
Harley
April 22, 2009 @ 11:55 pm