| Trade Shows are lots of work, but they can | | | | delivery and the return trip. |
| generate lots of new business for their participants. | | | | When counting the cost to participate as a vendor in |
| In addition to the expense of staffing your booth, | | | | a trade show remember to budget for the waiting |
| food, lodging, display, travel, etc. you need to | | | | time. There is only one trade show Logistics |
| consider how will you transport your equipment to | | | | Company I know of that doesn't charge any wait |
| and from the event. This sounds like a simple task, | | | | times. They charge a little more on the front end, |
| but few freight carriers deliver to trade shows. Why | | | | but they accept all of the risk of the wait time |
| don't many carriers ship to trade shows? Anytime | | | | charges. All of the other trade show logistics services |
| you have lots of businesses shipping to the same | | | | do pass on the waiting fees of the carriers. |
| destination on the same day there will be problems. | | | | There are some carriers that inflate the waiting time |
| Every hour the driver must wait in line to unload their | | | | charges consistently. Let's say a driver had four |
| delivery will cost the shipper extra money and delay | | | | shipments to a convention center in New York and |
| the remaining deliveries in the trailer. This "waiting | | | | had to wait four hours to unload his truck. The ethical |
| charge" is in addition to the freight quote given by | | | | thing to do would be to charge each shipment a one |
| the freight forwarder or carrier. | | | | hour waiting fee. Since none of the four shippers |
| As a general rule shippers should only be charged | | | | knows how long the driver must wait or how many |
| waiting fees 30% - 40% of the time. Some of the | | | | shipments are being delivered there is no recourse |
| larger conventions and trade shows incur wait times | | | | for the shippers to challenge the wait time fees. If |
| of four to six hours. The hourly charge, depending on | | | | the driver is charging $100.00 an hour they just made |
| the location, could be $30.00 - $100.00 an hour. | | | | an extra $1,200.00 in profits. If the wait time is |
| Remember that you will need to transport your | | | | inflated the profits are increased even more. If you |
| shipment to the convention center and return the | | | | are consistently getting charged high waiting time |
| shipment also. Waiting charges can occur on both the | | | | fees I suggest you find another carrier. |