What To Consider When Shipping A Tractor
Transporting a Tractor, things to keep in mind
The tractor is the quintessential machine for many farmers, and it has been a staple of the farming industry shortly after John Deere invented the first tractor in 1892. We know that farmers in North America need to understand the main factors to consider when shipping a tractor.
John Deere. New Holland. Case IH. Massey Ferguson. All of these companies have been manufacturing quality tractors for decades.
Tractor Market
Tractor sales are expected to increase over the next few years. Research company Mordor Intelligence published a report in 2019 that forecast tractor sales by size from the years 2020-2025. The report foretold of an average compound average growth rate (CAGR) for tractor sales in North America of 6.2 percent with the fastest growth in Mexico.
This growth is echoed by another report published by Transparency Market Research that forecasts a CAGR for tractor sales in North American and Europe at nearly 3.9 per cent.
Impact of Covid
Neither report foresaw the reduction in global output and demand due to the Covid pandemic and governments’ responses to it.
However, economists, speaking more broadly about the economy, have stated the economies in Canada and the United States will see growth in 2021 compared to 2020 and 2019, and numerous industries will benefit from the pent-up demand as companies and individuals delayed making some purchases during the pandemic.
Shipping services for tractors
After doing your research, you have bought the best tractor for your farm.
Now, you have to get it to your farm.
But, who do you trust to haul your precious cargo? And, how much is it going to cost to ship it?
Which Trailer for your Tractor?
When researching tractor transport services, you should first verify they have the type of trailer you need. In order to know the type of trailer you need, look up your machine’s specifications and trailer types.
Usually, just a simple flatbed is necessary but, if any parts of the machine protrude past the trailer, then the tractor is oversized.
Driver Caliber
Whether you use a hauling company or an owner-operator trucking company, it’s important to vet the company and/or driver. Besides finding out if they have the right trailer for your load, you should find out if they’ve hauled in the jurisdictions in which your machine will be hauled, if they have the necessary insurance to haul your load, their safety record and their customer service.
If possible, use your networks to ask about the haulers they have used in the past and which ones they recommend. You can also visit the website of a hauling association to see which companies are members of the association. Companies that become members of associations usually do so out of a desire to improve themselves.
If you really want to take your investigation to the next level, go to a truck stop or truck rest area to observe which companies are transporting equipment similar to yours, which trucks are damaged and which ones appear to be tied down properly? You can even approach the drivers and, if they’re willing, talk to them about the companies for which they have driven and what their opinion is of each company.
Connect with a heavy hauler
Of course, if you use Canada’s fastest growing load board—Trusted Dispatch—the task of vetting expert truckers is significantly reduced.
Trusted Dispatch uses an end-user driver rating system to rate drivers. Drivers that don’t perform well will get less favourable ratings. Great drivers get great ratings and more work via Trusted Dispatch.
Of course, Trusted Dispatch is well trusted by the farming community. Agricultural dealer AgDealer.com, sees the value Trusted Dispatch provides and partnered with the company in 2019 as the preferred hauler of the equipment they sell.
Tractor shipping rates and services
Finding a professional, qualified hauler you trust is only part of the equation. You also need to find one that will offer their services at a reasonable rate.
There is a lot for a driver to consider when calculating their hauling rates. Drivers have to consider the cost of fuel, drive time, the return trip, wear and tear on their equipment, tolls and other transport charges, and more.
This can lead to a higher cost than you want to pay. Read more the costs of shipping equipment, here.
Expert truckers look for loads they can haul whose pick-up location isn’t far from the route home and whose drop-off location isn’t far from the driver’s point of return. Since haulers charge shippers for the return portion of the trip, haulers can charge little for loads that don’t take them much out of the way of the return trip.
This practice can lead to significant discounts to shippers.
So shippers and haulers can take better advantage of this potential, Trusted Dispatch created a platform and an app.
The platform and app make hiring a heavy hauler as easy as ordering an Uber.
Getting Your Shipping Quote
First, from the Trusted Dispatch homepage (TrustedDispatch.com), click on “Get Your Instant Shipping Quote”.
A new page pops up. You can see from the top of the page, getting a quote is a four-step process.
- Enter your pick-up location
- Enter your drop-off location
- Enter your load
- Get a quote
Entering your location is easy enough, however, there is an interactive map to help you pinpoint locations.
The company’s specs tool makes it easier to enter your load information. On many load boards, you have to manually input the machine’s dimensions and weight, but Trusted Dispatch automatically populates that data for you; all you have to do is enter the make and model of the machine. This saves time and reduces frustration since you don’t have to look for the machine’s specifications.
After the machine specifications populate, hit “next” and you instantly get a free quote.
If you are happy with the quote, you can publish it and one of Trusted Dispatch’s expert truckers will pick up the job and you can accept the trucker or reject them in hopes of one that meets your criteria.
Once you accept a hauler, you immediately pay the quoted price to Trusted Dispatch, who then pays the driver after the delivery is complete. The quoted price is always the price you pay.
From the decreased shipping costs to the specs tool to the free and easy quotes to the quality, professional drivers, to their partnership with AgDealer.com, Trusted Dispatch is one of the best shipping services for tractors. Find out more about how to ship your tractor with Trusted Dispatch.
