Summer’s here and that can only mean three things: the beach, barbeque and…relocation. This year, one in 10 Americans will make a move, and let’s face it -- moving can be very stressful. So we here at uShip want to help ease your (back) pain with a “Summer Moving” series of blog posts help you have the smoothest move possible. Over the course of July, we’ll be posting various tips and tricks of the trade to help you be prepared and make the best of your summer move!
To start off we have a brief overview of the moving process in our brand new article Creating a Moving Checklist which will give you a good idea of what to prepare and expect for moving. Over the next few weeks we’ll be expanding on these points to give you as much information as possible for your move, so make sure you check back!
Creating a Checklist for your Move
If you know you’ll be moving this summer, you should prepare a checklist of everything you need to do for your move. Checklists are fantastic because they break a big unmanageable task – like moving all of your earthly belongings to a new home – into small, manageable tasks. Our uShip experts agree that two of the most satisfying activities in the world are crossing things off checklists, and destroying a checklist once you’re done with it. All in all, a checklist is a very good idea. Here are our suggestions for some things that should be on your checklist.
1. Make a checklist. Begin your checklist with “Write a checklist”. You must resist the urge to cross this off just yet, because you’re not quite done with it (though you’ve done an excellent job getting started).
2. Take a general inventory of your home. You can begin separating items into “stuff to move” or “Stuff to get rid of”. While you don’t need to categorize every little thing, getting a general idea of what you’re moving will allow moving companies to give you a much more accurate estimate.
3. Contact moving companies. The earlier in the moving process that you can arrange for shipping the better rates you will get, and the least stressful the entire process will be. Summer is a peak time for moving, and booking early can help you get the dates you want at a better price.
4. Acquire packing materials. Estimate the amount of materials you’re going to need, then double it. You’re going to need quite a few boxes, tape, markers, packing paper, extra cardboard to protect your furniture and plates, packing peanuts, etc. While it may seem like you have too much, you likely have a lot of little things to move that you won’t realize until you begin the packing process, and you don’t want the added stress as you get closer to moving day.
5. Hold a garage sale or donate unwanted ‘stuff’. When you move homes, especially if you’ve lived in the same one for a long time, you end up with a lot of stuff that you no longer want, need, or don’t want to move. A garage sale is a relatively painless way to get rid of all your unneeded items, and make some extra cash to cover your moving expenses.
6. Get packing! This is going to be the longest and most tedious part of the entire process: packing everything up. Make sure you start with things that you don’t need on a daily basis and give yourself plenty of time
7. Will you need a storage unit? Early on in the process you should be able to determine whether or not you will need a temporary storage unit during your move. These can also be booked in advance near your destination so that the moving company can drop off the boxes that will go in storage. Make sure they’re clearly marked when you pack them so that you don’t deliver them to the wrong spot.
8. Prepare your children for moving. Depending on the length of your move, you will want to put some time into preparing your kids for moving. You want to make them feel a part of the process and not just a bystander. Special considerations may also be needed if you’re moving with pets.
9. Set up transportation for yourself. While your stuff will be moved by the moving company, you’re going to have to get to your new home as well. Make sure that you prepare transportation for the big day, and get your cars ready for travel or transport.
10. Change your addresses. There will be a lot of other things to do as you get ready to move, from requesting that your mail be forwarded, to canceling or transferring utilities, changing newspaper, magazine, or rental subscriptions, and sending your new address to friends and family. Make a list of all of these and remember to start taking care of them as your moving day approaches.
Since most of these deserve more than a short paragraph, we will be expanding on each of these “checkpoints” in the coming weeks as part of our summer moving series. Remember, the key to a stress free move is to be prepared and give yourself plenty of time.
If you have any suggestions for other topics we should cover, please feel free to let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to add it in.
Have a great summer!
uShip Tracking Center helps customers keep track of their shipments through GPS location tracking, and TSP status updates through uShip Service Providers that opt-in to the program.
Some of uShip’s Power Providers have been using the system for a few weeks: “The most common questions I get from my customers when I’m on the road are: ‘Where are you now?’ and, ‘When will you be here?’” said Mike Garrett a uShip Platinum Power Provider from Southern Maryland Moving and Storage, LLC. “Now I can answer those questions for many people at once through these updates, and when being considered for future jobs on uShip, I have a better chance of getting that business.”
uShip tracking is another way that our Service Providers can keep providing great service while helping customers have confidence and peace of mind when using uShip.com to ship their valuable belongings. Whether it’s your prized pony, your 72” plasma TV, a classic car, or the entirety of your home, now you can use any internet connection to get real-time updates on where it is and where it's going with the uShip Tracking Center.
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At uShip, we know that having fun together is one of the keys to building an effective team. In fact, the only thing that makes our group activities more rewarding is when we have the opportunity reach out and incorporate the community. This June, we had the chance to work with the Austin Children’s Shelter to share a fun-filled day of learning and bowling with fifteen great kids.
Upon arriving at the Ship, the kids were involved in an interactive presentation to introduce them to cool career options centered on art, writing and computers. Lead by team members from several departments, the career day focused on how the kids’ current interests could be channeled into careers in graphic design, web development, media relations and beyond. A very attentive and interested group made this rewarding and fun for all.
After showing the kids around the office they showed off their chops on the bowling lanes. While no one rolled a 300, there were plenty of smiles, strikes and celebration as everyone cut loose. When we parted ways with our new friends it was clear that both groups had learned a lot and had a blast. uShip would like to thank the ACS once again for giving us an opportunity to share a special day with some great young people.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Michael Bay’s action-packed summer blockbuster, is full of good robots, bad robots and transforming robots. In fact, practically the only thing these “robots in disguise” do besides battle is shape-shift into seemingly innocuous vehicles. My how looks can be deceiving. While earth scientists have yet to match the technological feats of their Cybertronic colleagues, real-world transformers are certainly more than meets the eye.
Gibbs Aquada
Since the dawn of the automobile, aquatic cars have been an area of fixation, and while their usage currently varies from military to tour guides, perhaps the most fascinating one to date is the Gibbs Aquada. Capable of breaking 100mph on land and 30mph in the water, this innovative amphibian was notably driven across the English Channel by Sir Richard Branson in just over 100 minutes in 2004. Originally priced around $270,000 in the UK, the investors hope to launch the Aquada in the US by late 2009-early 2010 for a much more manageable $85,000. Now if only it had lasers…
Terrafugia Transition
Terrufugia (Latin for “escape from land”) was founded in 2006 with the goal of creating a “roadable aircraft.” A mere three years later, on March 5th, 2009, the Transition took its maiden voyage off the ground. Fueled by standard unleaded gasoline, the Transition can reach road speeds around 65mph and up to 115mph in the air. Measuring 19ft long and just less than 7ft tall, the Transition’s 13ft wings fold tightly to the vehicle’s sides when on land allowing it to fit into a standard garage. Due out in 2011, a mere $194,000 may just allow you to escape a robot invasion.
Mecha
Part science fiction, part junk-yard innovation, army mechanic Carlos Owens’ Mecha is certainly the most suitable robot on this list to take on the Decepticons. Owens began work on the prototype in 2004, and presently the steel monster stands 18ft tall and is powered by an 18-horsepower engine and 27 hydraulic pumps. To operate the Mecha, Owens gets in the driver’s compartment and manipulates controls which cause the machine to mimic human movement. Although future models may be used in the military or construction, Owens envisions them as engaging in Mecha vs Mecha battles for entertainment. Fighting robots, sounds kind of familiar…
The Real Transformer
While this addition to the list in small, the technology it encompasses is perhaps the closest to the Transformers on the big screen. Able to seamlessly flow from wheels to walking, the only thing that keeps us safe today is the diminutive size, but that’s sure to change at some point…
Project Transformers
French-Swiss artist Guillaume Reymond believes if you can’t beat giant, killer robots, you might as well join ‘em. Before you join em’ though, you might as well try to scare ‘em away. By choreographing a variety of vehicles, Reymond was able to create giant arrangements that, when viewed from the sky, look like Transformers. Who knows how many space wandering robots this deterred from invading our airspace.
Have you discovered any cool, real-world transformers we somehow missed? If so, please feel free to share in the comments.
In an effort to help our Service Providers give the best service possible, we compiled a list of our top 10 tips for setting up a great Service Provider profile on uShip.com.
1. Fill out
your profile completely! The first tip toward setting up a great TSP
profile is to fill it out completely. The more information you provide in your
profile, the more comfortable a shipper will feel in accepting your bid.
2. Add Pictures & Video: Pictures and video go a long way to differentiate you from the thousands of other TSPs on the site, and help give your profile a personal touch. Show pictures of yourself, your employees, your trucks, etc. Adding video to your profile gives you an even better chance to speak to your customer. They don't have to be professionally made, but keep them professional and friendly. Help the shipper get to know you, and they'll feel more comfortable about your bid.
3. Include your USDOT or MC #s. Not only will your USDOT or MC numbers make the shipper feel more confident in your service, it will also help automate building your profile. By letting the shipper know that you're a licensed service provider you can ease their worries about trusting you with their valuable belongings.
4. Spell Check. Your profile is your public face to the shipper. If your business description is poorly written, they may assume you're a sloppy worker as well. Don't underestimate the power of proper writing. If you need help, there are many programs out there that will spell check your writing for you.
5. Use the "Terms & Conditions" on your profile. The unique "Terms and Conditions" that you can set will appear in all the bids you make on our site. Make sure to use this box to your advantage by putting info that you want all shippers to see. If you have any requirements or perks to using you over another TSP, make sure you let them know here.
6. Join the TSP Directory. By joining the Service Provider directory, you can help new users find you and put in requests for bids. This is especially useful once you start building good feedback, or if you offer specialized services. You can't look at every shipment listed on the site, so help the shippers find you.
7. Don't include contact info. Including contact info on your profile is against the uShip terms of service and can get you flagged. Avoid this blunder by keeping your contact info off of your public profile. Don't worry, we'll make sure you can get in touch once you are matched with a shipper.
8. Leave Feedback (and be professional) Every piece of feedback you leave and get shows up on your TSP profile. Make sure you are professional and polite to all your customers, even if they leave you bad feedback. Shippers want to know that you're easy to work with, and that you'll help them if any problems arise.
9. Highlight Specialty Services: If you offer any specialty services like white glove moving, piano and pool table moving, or heavy equipment moving for example, make sure to highlight it on your profile. This way a shipper can search for your services, and feel more competent that you are qualified to move their property when you bid.
10. Keep up to date with new Profile Tools: We are constantly working on new tools to help you offer a better service to your clients. By incorporating these great new tools into your profile, you can be the first to offer them to your customers. Our newest release, uShip Tracking allows you to keep your customers up to date with the location of their shipment, giving them peace of mind and confidence.
“I had the hammer down on the way home-20 to my better half and the ankle biters, but now this baby-bear is taking pictures so I’m going double-nickel.”
While the words may be in English, I may as well be speaking a different language: Trucker.
Most truckers spend some time every day on CB radios (and some never seem to get off them) and have developed their own language, a code of the road that has been defined and refined through the years. Fear not, our friends over at The Trucker’s Report have compiled a list of trucker’s lingo and sayings to help the rest of us communicate. Here are some of our favorites to help you decode the sentence above: 
Hammer Down: Going as fast as you can
Home-20: Your Home
Better half: Wife (Or husband)
Ankle Biters: Children
Baby-Bear: Rookie Cop
Taking Pictures: Police using
Radar Double Nickel: 55 Mph.
Wikipedia has also compiled a list of “Ten-Code” – code phrases used in CB and Police Radio Communication:
10-4: Ok, Understood, or Affirmative
10-20: My current location.
10-36: The time of day (as in “What’s the 10-36?”)
Take some time to study and learn these, you'll know when you're fluent if you can listen to Cleddus Maggard’s 1970s song “The White Knight” and understand what he's talking about!
Don’t forget to let us know what your favorite bits of Trucker lingo are in the comments!
Shipping the hardware needed for mining, farming and construction can be a major issue for these industries. The massive machines needed are often very heavy and extremely valuable, so the issue of transporting them must be taken into consideration whenever buying, selling or moving theequipment.
Load Specifications
Industrial machinery can be extremely large and irregularly shaped so it is important to include dimensions in the shipping listing. Different types of equipment are better suited for a flatbed, a standard trailer, a custom trailer or to be towed, so accurate specifications are essential for safe road transport.
It is also important to know the specs when shipping overseas. The roll-on/roll-off method is the most popular way to ship large machinery overseas and calls for the vehicle to be driven on and off the ship using a ramp. The flat rack container is another way to transport machinery over water. In this method machines are loaded into large racks, each with the capacity of 88,000 pounds, which are then lifted on to the cargo vessel.
Selecting a Carrier
Once accurate specifications are collected for a shipment it is time to select a carrier. Due to the large values and level of difficulty involved in hauling industrial equipment, it is best to go with a company and driver with experience. Enlisting the help of a shipping broker can relieve some of the pressures of selecting a company, while working with an independent owner/operator can make the process a bit more personal. This decision should be made in accordance with what feels most comfortable.
Prepping the Equipment
Before the moving day arrives it is important to make sure the equipment is prepared for transport. Start by consulting the owner’s manual, which should contain useful information. This will probably include, but is not limited to:
· Draining fluids
· Disconnecting batteries
· Securing loose parts
It is also important to prepare the machinery for any possible weather conditions in order to avoid damage. This can involve:
· Protecting vulnerable areas from rain damage
· Preventing fluids from freezing in the lines during winter
· Taking all necessary precautions to avoid overheating while in tow.
Once all of the necessary steps have been taken, as directed by the manual, consult with the transport company to see if there are any otherprotocols to follow. Ask about special permits that may be needed for transporting oversized loads.
Insurance
Insurance is the final issue to consider when shipping heavy equipment. While all carriers are required to have minimum liability and cargo insurance, it is important to research the specific policy to determine what damages are covered and if the minimum is sufficient for this load. If it is determined that additional insurance is needed for adequate coverage, ask the carrier what the options are. Additional coverage may be provided by the carrier for a fee or a third party insurer can be contacted. Another option to consider is to contact the company who handles the equipment’s normal insurance. It is possible that they offer shipping coverage, which may turn out to be the best option.
The vast majority of heavy equipment moves are successful and accident free. However, in the event that an accident occurs and the item arrives damaged, be sure to note this on the “Bill of Lading” and have the delivery person sign it. Contact the shipping company and insurer as soon as possible and there should be no problem resolving the issue. If there are problems collecting, a report should be filed with the Better Business Bureau and the Department of Transportation.
This Saturday, four members of the uShip team will embark on an epic journey through the Texas wilderness. The race, the Texas Wildlife Safari, has been called the World’s Toughest Canoe Race–and, with 100 teams racing 262 miles day and night in under 100 hours, I don’t think you will get a lot of argument!
This year promises to be the most challenging year to date. Because of record low rainfall across Texas, water levels on the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers are 50% lower than at any other time in the 32 year history of the race. This means that in addition to battling 100 degree temperatures, water moccasins and alligators, the team will have to deal with a dried up and slow river.
The uShip team, aptly named Succession Plan (yes, our valiant CEO is part of the team), will leave dock at 9am tomorrow morning. As this is their first year competing, their goal is to finish under the 100 hour cut-off – no small feat given that fewer than 50% of the teams will finish. Teams must carry all of their own gear in the boat, and can only get water and ice from their trusted team managers/captains.
All of us at uShip wish our uShip sponsored team the best. For those that want to track the progress of the brave (and yes, somewhat crazy) team, please follow them on their GPS tracking page which will go live tomorrow. You can also follow uShip on Twitter for in-race updates from the team managers at @uship.
And now, please meet the mighty six person ‘Team Succession Plan’:
Team Managers/Captains
Caitlin Marr – Product Associate
Gillian Smith – Office Manager
Boat Crew
Matt Chasen – CEO
Andy Michaelis – Sr. Web Developer
Michael Foroobar – Sr. SRA Associate
Michael Holt -- Controller
uShip.com shipping customers can now track the location and activity of shipments and Transportation Service Providers from the uShip Tracking Center. Customers that accept a bid from a participating Power Provider have the ability to track their shipments while in transit for added peace of mind. They can also find TSPs in their area, allowing them to submit more targeted bid requests.
The feature is currently only available to Power Providers but will soon be made available for the entire marketplace. uShip offers several options for tracking your shipments, from manual status updates by TSPs to GPS location tracking on Sprint and Nextel mobile devices in partnership with WaveMarket.
Learn More >
Personalizing your workspace, being your desk or your truck, is a normal part of the workplace. When we think of personalizing a truck, we think of having a few pictures, seat covers, maybe a bobble-head or two, or a custom metallic gloss paint job if you’re really serious.
In Japan, truck customization is a bit more involved: custom mirrors, stainless steel truck decks that look like dragons, full murals on the trailer, and hundreds of neon flashing lights. It’s such a common practice in the country, that it’s an art form of sorts called Dekotora. Although the practice started with individual drivers using spare parts to customize their rigs, it has since become an entire industry in Japan, with readymade parts available for a myriad of customizations, no matter how specialized. The result is truck stops that look more like casinos than rest areas.
Check out some of our favorites.
For more pictures check out Jalopnik's Dakotora archive, and more at Dark Roasted Blend.
Because you care about your horse, you want to make sure the transport process goes smoothly. Although the unexpected occassionally happens (sometimes with a pleasant twist), with a little preparation you can increase your chances of everything going well.
First, you'll want to make sure that your horse isn't injured or sick. The transport process can be stressful for a horse, so starting with a sick horse is asking for trouble. Get health certificates from a veterinarian, as your horse transporter may likely require this.
After that, just be sure your horse knows how load and unload and plan your shipment well in advance. Your horse may be hesitant and nervous, but by planning out the transport ahead of time, you can make it easier on both of you.
If you want to find out more about transporting your horse, visit our horse transport category for more hints and tips and list your horse to get bids from transporters.
On March 19, 2009 we published a brief post about the four finalists for Goodyear’s Highway Hero award. Here we follow-up with one of the finalists, Jorge Orozco-Sanchez, as he recently got back on the road.
Eight months ago Jorge Orozco-Sanchez came face to face with every trucker’s nightmare; an oncoming vehicle in his lane. The terrible accident that ensued occurred when an SUV drifted in front of his 18-wheeler on a two-lane highway near Lucern, Colorado. Amazingly, Orozco-Sanchez was able to climb from his cab in time to pull two young children from the burning wreckage.
In the following months Orozco-Sanchez struggled to overcome the accident. In addition to the haunting memory, the crash totaled his truck and left him out of work. However, as news of his situation spread, aid soon came to the heroic driver. Financial assistance has allowed Orozco-Sanchez to begin making payments on a used rig, as well as cover insurance, and Goodyear donated 18 new tires.
Now, less than a year after the accident, Orozco-Sanchez is back on the road. Although the emotion of being behind the wheel for the first time was overwhelming, he says he is “very happy, excited. Very thankful to all the folks who helped me get back on the road."
Through it all Orozco-Sanchez insists that he is not a hero, just a person in the right place at the right time. Click here for more on this story.
Spend thousands of hours on the road and you'll see some wondrous sights. Beautiful sunsets and glowing streets are just part of the job. Luckily for those of us stuck behind a desk instead of behind the wheel, there are some incredibly talented drivers taking amazing photographs of life on the road. We recently came across the Trucker's News Photo Group on Flickr that has over 2200 of the best photos taken by truck drivers on the Great American Highway.
Here are some of our favorites, but be sure to check out the flickr page for more!
b-truck by jimexpress44
Tripodi by DingosGotMyBaby
Oshkosh by static_bob
Utah Sunrise by SomewhereinUSA
Thanks to all those talented truckers that share their photographs with the world. We really enjoy seeing them and hope to see more and more. If you have your own photos to share, make sure to let us know where to find them in the comments!
Imagine if the only information you had for finding a delivery spot for your loads was a few lines of cat-scratch scrawled on a tiny bit of paper. Sometimes the location will be missing a name, or a street number, others it will have the wrong city, or be made out to “The second house after the barber shop”. You are expected to make every delivery, on time and to the right address. Now imagine you have to make millions of these deliveries a day.
If you work for the US Postal Service you don’t have to imagine it. There are about a million packages and letters that are mislabeled or practically unreadable, and they all have to be delivered. Computers have gotten better and better at understanding human handwriting - 95% of handwritten envelopes can be deciphered by computers compared to 2% in 1995. Yet the remaining 5% that the computer could not interpret still need to be sent, and so the USPS employs an army of postal detectives, called Keyers.
At Remote Encoding Centers across the country, hundreds of Keyers look through scribbles, typos, and omissions to try to figure out where the letter should be delivered. Does this letter go to 14485 or 1448 S.? Is the package addressed to someone named Nola, or New Orleans, LA? By using a combination of tips, tricks, and a little common sense, the keyers can manage to deliver 75% of the indecipherable letters to the right address. Sometimes a letter and a number is enough to turn an undeliverable piece into a success. The goal is to find each piece’s recipient in less than 20 minutes, but it’s not unusual to sort through 1000 pieces of mail an hour.
As computer technology improves in effectiveness, more addresses are typewritten, and demand for postal services declines, fewer of the keyers and centers are needed, with plans to shut down three of the remaining five centers in 2010. For the time being USPS will continue to rely on these Postal Detectives to keep the largest civilian fleet going through rain, shine, and mislabeled envelopes.
The Maine Professional Drivers Association held their annual
Professional Truck Driving Championship
last week in Bangor, Maine. Trucks come from
across Maine to show their driving skills with rigs of all different sizes:
from step vans to twin trailers. Competition was fierce but friendly, with age
old rivalries between different companies and teams that have been going on
since the first championship in 1949.
The event is designed not only as a fun-spirited truck-driving contest,
but to promote safety and professionalism on the road. To emphasize the focus
on safety, entry was limited to drivers who had an accident and ticket free
record for the last 12 months prior to the event. To qualify for the driving
competition, the driver must also past a written safety exam on state and
federal regulation, which along with the pre-trip safety check, is part of the
requirements for the Grand Championship.
To mix things up even further, drivers don’t drive their own
vehicles. They had to use another company’s rig to complete challenges such as
judging distances for stops, or backing into a tight delivery spot. At the end of the competition, a grand
champion was selected. Matthew Richardson of FedEx ground won first place in
the Twin Trailers and “Rookie of the Year” categories, ultimately winning the
Grand Championship title, and gaining entry into a three-day national
competition scheduled for later this year in Pittsburgh, PA.
uShip congratulates Mr. Richardson in his victory, along
with all truckers who take the time to learn and practice safety in their rigs
and on the road.
