How a part gets to you changes what you need to arrange, how long it takes, and what happens if it arrives damaged. Bigger parts go by freight, and freight has rules that parcel does not.
What goes which way
Freight: truck beds, service bodies, flatbeds, front and rear bumpers, tailgates, grille guards. Anything large, heavy or awkward.
Parcel: tail lights, brackets, hardware, small trim.
The three things freight needs from you
Somebody there. Freight carriers do not leave a service body on a driveway and drive off. They need a signature. Most will call ahead to arrange a window.
A way to unload. This is the one that catches people. Standard freight delivery is kerbside, and the driver is not obliged to help you lift a bed off a trailer. A forklift, a loading dock, or three strong people and a plan. If you have none of those, tell us before we book, because a lift gate can be arranged and it costs less than a failed delivery.
Somewhere it can go. A tractor unit needs room to turn. Narrow lanes are a real problem.
Inspect before you sign. This is the whole game.
When freight arrives, you are asked to sign a bill of lading. That signature says you received the goods in good condition.
Look at it before you sign. Walk round the pallet. Check corners and edges. If there is damage, write it on the bill of lading before signing. Photograph it on the truck if you can.
If you sign clean and find damage afterwards, the carrier has a document with your signature saying it arrived fine, and a claim becomes very hard to win. We cannot fix that after the fact, however much we would like to.
Noting damage does not mean refusing the shipment. In most cases you accept it, note the damage, and we sort the claim out with the carrier. Tell us the same day.
Timing
Parts leave within 2 business days of cleared payment. Freight transit is typically 3 to 7 business days depending on distance. Parcel is usually faster. We give you the carrier's estimate when we book, and an estimate from a freight carrier is genuinely an estimate.
Cost
Freight is quoted per order. A service body crossing three states and a tailgate going one town over are not the same shipment. You get one delivered figure before you pay, and that figure is what you pay.
If you can collect
Collection is usually the cheapest option on a large item by a wide margin. If you are within driving distance and have a trailer, ask.
What actually happens after you pay
Worth knowing the sequence, because it explains the timings.
Payment clears. We pull the item and prepare it: a bed gets strapped to a pallet or skidded, a bumper gets crated or wrapped on a skid. We then book with a carrier, who gives us a pickup window rather than a pickup time. The carrier collects, the item moves through their network, and a local terminal calls you to arrange delivery.
That terminal call is why freight cannot be pinned to a date at the point of sale. The carrier controls it, and they will not commit further ahead than a day or two.
Accessorial charges, and how to avoid them
Freight carriers price a standard delivery: a commercial address with a dock, during business hours, with someone there. Anything outside that costs more, and the trade calls these accessorials.
Residential delivery. A house rather than a business.
Lift gate. A powered tail lift, needed when you have no dock or forklift.
Limited access. Farms, sites, anywhere awkward.
Redelivery. Charged when nobody was there. This is the expensive one and it is entirely avoidable.
Tell us the delivery situation before we book and we will quote it correctly first time. A lift gate added up front costs a fraction of a failed delivery plus redelivery.
Packaging, and what to expect
Bumpers ship wrapped and braced on a skid, with corners protected. Beds ship strapped to a pallet or on their own skids. Tail lights ship boxed with the lens faces protected.
Some scuffing to outer packaging in freight transit is normal. Packaging is meant to absorb that. What matters is whether the item underneath is affected.
The claim process, briefly
If something arrives damaged: note it on the bill of lading, photograph it before it comes off the truck if you can, photograph it again unwrapped, and tell us the same day.
We file with the carrier. Claims typically take a few weeks because carriers are slow, not because anyone is stalling. A claim with a noted BOL and photographs usually succeeds. A claim with a clean signature and no photographs usually does not, which is the entire reason we labour the point.
Collection
On a large item, collecting in person is usually far cheaper than freight, often by a wide margin. If you are within driving distance and have a trailer, ask before you pay for shipping.
