Shipping a Boat: uShip transporters deliver through smoke, sleet or shine

When uShip transporter Frank Hagwood (windinhair) signed up to ship an antique boat across the southwestern US, he couldn’t have guessed his delivery would be anything but ordinary.

Though being a full-time trucker has kept him mostly on the road and out of the water – he still appreciates the elegant curves and craftsmanship of a well-built vessel. 20 years of transporting boats has made him a veritable expert, so when a 1937 Gar Wood Custom Utility was listed on uShip, Frank knew he was the man for the job.

See the uShip listing here.

“Gar Woods are handmade one at a time,” Frank said. “It was the only one of this particular series ever made. The boat has metal emblems from the Marines and ‘Semper Fi’ on the back. I have military stickers on the back of my truck, so I was very proud to tow it.”

A silver-level Power Carrier, he let the customer know that the cargo would be insured, and offered his own MC and DOT numbers for added assurance. Later that day, the customer accepted Frank’s bid for the job. Frank set off to transport the boat from Santa Clara, CA to College Station, TX for a charity auction – the proceeds benefitting the Taelor’s House Foundation.

While he was makingthe trek halfway across the country, an ice storm hit as he entered west Texas. Being a pro Frank knew to “slow down, take your time, and be especially careful” which worked… until he saw smoke billowing out from the wheel bearings of the customer’s trailer.

After checking with the customer, Frank had three hubs replaced at an El Paso shop and didn’t stop till he reached his destination. Calamities aside, Frank was able to deliver the boat without a hitch (no pun intended) for the charity auction.

So what drives truckers (ok, we’ll stop) like Frank Hagwood to get the job done, no matter what? “Everyday customers don’t know much about the transportation industry,” Frank said. “So having a solid reputation on uShip for the whole United States to see really means something. We take pride in our hard work, and it’s important that we treat customers like we wish to be treated.”

To read thousands of unique shipping stories directly from happy uShip customers, visit our uShip stories page.

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Romney Pet Faux-Paw: How Not to Ship Your Dog

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney continues to be hounded by a dog problem that occurred 25 years ago.  Apparently, the former Massachusetts governor transported his dog in a kennel tied to the roof of the family car during a 12-hour trip from Boston to Canada. 

One of the latest jabs at the issue that's been dogging Romney came through a video (below) from MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group, that characterizes him as "Bad for Dogs."

While Romney's approach is clearly a safer means of pet transport than Chevy Chase's ficticious Clark Griswald character in National Lampoon's Vacation, it's by no means the proper, humane way to get the job done. 

In fact, every year thousands of people turn to uShip Pets to get it transport done right.  Puppies, rescue dogs, long-distance buys of virtually every breed and size imaginable make their way through uShip.  Check out the thousands of stories left by satisfied customers who have had amazing experiences getting connected with their dogs.

 

No dogs were harmed in the writing of this blog post.

 

uShip India Launched

uShip continued its growth worldwide today by launching localized support for users in India.

The Indian site joins 10 other localized versions of uShip, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, the rest of the European Union, the United States, Canada and Australia.

The launch of uShip India will introduce a nation of more than 1.1 billion people to the world's largest online marketplace for transport services. We see this as a huge opportunity in a rapid-growth economy. At present, the Indian freight industry generates $140 billion and makes up 14% of India's GDP.

The Indian government has made great strides in infrastructure investment, and naturally uShip is excited to be a part of the growth of this emerging market.

Since about 80% of India's transport services are provided by independent owner-operators and small fleets, we expect the uShip platform will empower many small businesses across the subcontinent.

Not to mention, the Internet economy is among the fastest-growing in the world, with ecommerce and mobile markets growing by leaps and bounds every year. uShip looks forward to forming strategic partnerships with online businesses in India to solve their shipping needs.