Shipping Option - Uship

You may have seen the TV show "Shipping Wars". Basically, people with trucks bid on shipments from the website Uship, and the customer gets to choose any bid he wants based on price, type of vehicle, rating of shipper, etc. The show, as expected, is made for TV, but Uship does offer a good option if you have items to ship. The reason I am telling you this is because I had to make a shipment and decided to try them out.

First, I did all the packing, weighing, etc. Turns out I had 10 average sized moving boxes with a total weight of 600 lbs. Next, I posted it on the Uship site with details for pickup and dropoff locations (the bidders do not see exact address, just city/state). The first bids seemed like "auto" bids from bigger freight companies, and a lot more than I was planning on paying. I already had a LTL quote for about $200 to go the 500 miles, but I figured I could find someone heading the same direction that wanted to make a few extra bucks and use the empty space on the back of the truck.

Bids continued to come in, dropping down from $500 to $235, then $215, $195, etc. I finally got a bid for $140 last night, which I agreed to because I was hoping they could get it on their truck and delivered today. I was tempted to wait for a lower bid, but I didn't want to wait until next week. Plus, this guy had 97 reviews, 96 of which were positive. On top of the $140, I had to pay Uship $19.99 so my total came out to $160. Try getting that price with UPS! Plus I didn't have to put on a pallet, shrink wrap, get a pallet jack, etc. for a freight company.

The guy came and got the boxes this morning and it turns out he does a regular route from Michigan to Florida about once a month. If things go well, we agreed to do more business without going through Uship and he could do the same job for about $100-$125 because Uship also takes 25% from him. This looks like a win-win for us both, and this guy seems really good.



I hope this info helps you guys with your bottom line. Another thing to consider, too, is becoming a shipper through them. If you are like me and hand deliver your product, you may get frustrated at taking an empty truck all the way home. You can look at the Uship site to see if anyone needs something delivered on the same route you are taking. Just something to consider.

Originally Posted by Mick

I have warned people against this site for about five years, till I've given up and just tell them be careful and only blame themselves when things go wrong. In short - do your "due diligence". Oh, you don't know how? Be ready to join the club of "The Ripped Off". The majority of trips go through fine. It's those few don't don't. U-Ship will accept NO responsibility.

So far so good for me. I did my due diligence and I think it has paid off with a possible great contact made for future shipments. Like anything else there are always opportunities to get ripped off. Now that my first dealings with this guy have gone smooth I plan on handling future stuff through him directly and not Uship. Naturally there will be contracts and agreements like any other carrier, for my protection. Your words of warning are to be well heeded, but I wouldn't want to single out a specific person/organization, as the potential for risk is inherent within the entire industry. In fact it is inherent in any industry, so care should be taken with all business dealings. Even in the past glory days of "handshake" agreements, people were still ripping off people. Welcome to the wonderful world of human nature, so take Micks advice and protect yourself as best as possible.

I love the show..

Chicks are smokin..

I used U Ship a few years ago when I was still in car business.I had good luck with no problems and met sum nice people with sum that I am still in touch with and made some great friends.

Uship cant be held responsible....they just set the deal up. Same with ebay or really any other middle man. For instance, you cant sue me it I help you buy a house (I am a real estate broker ad well) if the other party backs out or something...as long as I adbised you correctly. Why would you think uship should have some responsibility? They are just bringing to independent parties together and facilitating the deal for a fee.

It is up to you to put a contract in place for protection AND if enough value, insure the load. Alsi chevk to make sure the shipper has insurance or are bonded. If you dont have a clue about that stuff...then you have to educate youself or use a company like ups that owns their trucks and the drivers are employees.

I have never understiod people that bad mouth a company that doesnt own or have control over another party...they just facilitate things but beyond that have no responsibility.

That woukd ve like me saying amaxon sucjs because my new flat screen tv is broken or better yet arrived broken from the shipper...I would go after the shipped for the damage, not amazon.

given how ive seen them treat a lot of the stuff on the show I would not use them to treat what they would think of as trash even worse that the better things they carry right now I am looking into contacts of truck drivers that are good people trying hard to work in this crazy world of long haul driving. the ones that are independent drivers are who I am talking about that can pick up multiple loads but those who at times only are getting say 10-12 pallets going though this way so I can load another 6or8 paying $200-$250 for a whole shipment loading it myself so they only have to unload fast as they want and it gets they in 1-2days that way. now I am not talking about total strangers but people I get to know and so far I have found 2 people who like the idea since its some extra easy cash with out all the fuel cost since there going that way with maybe half hours tops to unload and check it in for processing and this way they can fill up the truck more and make more money.

The original post was just a way to inform people of yet another option to ship their material. I am not a shill for the company, but liked my experience enough to post results. Once you separate reality from the TV show, you can see Uship as a tool. Like any other tool used properly, it can make your job easier. Not used properly and a tool can hurt you. Please don't let the TV show or one bad experience exclude you from looking at this as an alternative to expensive UPS or USPS shipments, or even for freight. Many "qualified" independent OTR truckers use this site and I would think it would be a GREAT way to make contacts in this business. As a final note, my delivery arrived in perfect condition, and the carrier called twice to update the status/arrival of the shipment. He will be getting a great review from me and I look forward to working with him again to keep my shipping costs down.

I would remind him of the contract he signed and remind him of the consequences...ie I would report thw load as stolen along with his dot number ect AND sue him I to the stone age. He would go to jail, I would seize his truck ect for the money owed and be happy to sell his stuff off to pay for it. Yes a PITA but you have to be willing to not get screwed with...I am one of those people...oh and taken stlon goods over state lines...interstate commerce felony, so I can sic the bigger boys on him.

The point is I dont work with anyone that is not bonded, insured and has a good rep. I have a contract in place and know my rights. Any of those that screw with me learn the hard way.

Oh I also have a friend that was a broker...but because someone steals a load I cant see how you are liable. Your bond is to make sure you pay the shipper ect. You might have to submit stuff for a lawsuit, not no be personally liable for booking a legit shipment with a shipper. Again just like I cant be held liable for something I coukd have no knowledge of in a r e al estate contract (say mold in the walls that I coukd not see or dwfective wiring).

Originally Posted by Mick

I was a freight broker for several years. I was the "middle man" between the shipper, trucker and receiver (basically the same as what U-Ship does). I was absolutely responsible to the shipper for selecting the truck and to the truck for the load to be picked up. I was "bonded" and could be held liable to either party for certain things. What U-Ship has done is cherry pick the brokering aspect without being held responsible. There is PLENTY that can go wrong. The show Shipping Wars is "made-for-tv" but the problems (and "near-misses") portrayed are actually things that can go wrong.This is just one example - What would you do if somebody loaded your car, drove to another state, then called you demanding another $500 before he'd deliver it?

I would call the police, show him the signed contract, then file a report and have the guy arrested. Very simple. We can play the what-if game all day, but really comes down to doing your homework and due diligence (as you stated in original post). There was a similar problem in the moving business where guys would load a truck and demand more $ before offloading. The company was held to its contract and, as I recall, heavily fined (see Father and Son movers lawsuit Google). Anyway, even though Uship is brokering, you are still dealing with independent drivers that very typically are incorporated. Treat your dealings with them just as you would any other corporation. You stated that you were held responsible in your former job, but also went on to say that you selected the truck. Well, that puts the onus on you. With Uship, they just put the people together and give the shipper the choice of who they want to use. But they also offer insurance options to cover losses. I also think they offer a remediation service in worst-case situations as you describe, but I would have to look further into their info to confirm if they do this and how it works.

We got a couple of smart Georgia boys on here... Well done Shendog and good points WeBuySellTrade......

I've used U-ship but not lately. Early on; I had a bad experience with a one-man hot shot runner. He picked up the package and then ended up in a hospital for heart surgery. After that; he hauled my package of engine parts on a car dolly which shook the s### out the box and lost a bunch of bolts. It eventually got to my customer. I'm sure that was an exceptional deal. I'd use the independents again but I did hook up with some good brokers off U-Ship and I've been using them. The best is S3 Logistics, broker is Mike Bergfeld. I've shipped stuff coast to coast with them.

Originally Posted by diesel1

I've used U-ship but not lately. Early on; I had a bad experience with a one-man hot shot runner. He picked up the package and then ended up in a hospital for heart surgery. After that; he hauled my package of engine parts on a car dolly which shook the s### out the box and lost a bunch of bolts. It eventually got to my customer. I'm sure that was an exceptional deal. I'd use the independents again but I did hook up with some good brokers off U-Ship and I've been using them. The best is S3 Logistics, broker is Mike Bergfeld. I've shipped stuff coast to coast with them.

I went to check out S3's website, and there are errors on several pages...such as to their enroll form. Do you use their website?