Best Shipping Practices

Plan Ahead

By planning only a few weeks ahead, you can save an abundant amount of money on your shipping costs. TTS Logistics, Inc., only requires one week in advance to get your shipment coast-to-coast in most cases.

Understanding Your Service Level

Air freight cut-off times are between 6 and 11 p.m. If your freight is delayed out of a show until later that evening, chances are it won’t start moving until the following business day. If you have a tight turn-around time, you may consider upping the service level.

Palletize/Shrink-Wrap if Possible

This is the best way to keep your shipment contained and protected. When doing this, it is still vital that you label EACH piece of freight in case the pallet needs to be broken down. It is also CRITICAL that you indicate the correct number of pieces and description on your Bill of Lading. If you label you shipment as one piece (the pallet), it will be very difficult to recover any piece that comes up missing, if the pallet should be broken down during transit.

Shipping Labels

Remove all previous shipping labels from your items before affixing new labels. Old labels can sometimes cause confusion on destination if items have been separated from the rest of the shipment. This would be similar to leaving old baggage tags on your luggage when you fly. Porters and ticket personnel always remove the old tags before putting new tags on.

Important Check-Out Procedures for Close of Show

ALWAYS obtain a Material Handling Agreement (MHA) from the service contractor desk, usually located at the back of the hall. If the service desk personnel ask you who your carrier is, inform them that TTS will be picking up your freight. If they don’t ask or a MHA is left in your booth on the last day, cross out any previously typed or written carrier and handwrite “TTS Logistics” in the “Carrier: if known” field.

If there is any confusion about this process, immediately call your representative at TTS and we will be happy to walk you through the process. Once you have completed your MHA and have your freight packed up with the labels attached, TURN IN THE MHA to the service desk BEFORE you leave the hall. DO NOT leave this paperwork on your freight. It will get lost and your freight will be forced to the onsite carrier, costing you more in shipping and attempted pick -up fees. The following link will help the exhibitor understand some standard industry terms that can sometimes confuse a newcomer to the tradeshow industry.

Pack Well

This is a big one! Ensure your items are packed in containers designed for shipping. A common misperception for electronics or plasma type items is that the original packing materials can be reused. Nothing can be further from the truth. The box and Styrofoam used for those materials were designed for an ONE-TIME shipment only! Those items were also palletized with the same-sized items making the pallet a nice square.

Exhibitors normally have a collage of various shapes and sizes creating an odd-shaped pallet. Because of this odd shape, pallets are sometimes broken down to accommodate freight into containers. When this happens, improperly packed electronics can get damaged just by a slight jarring or “bump in the road.”