What is White Glove Shipping?
White glove shipping is when the driver must do more than deliver the freight from point A to point B. This could be unpacking the load, bringing the cargo into a particular area, or even assembling the shipped load in some way. In white glove shipping, the shipments should be viewed as projects rather than a simple delivery.
Benefits of White Glove Shipping
More Than a Driver
When using a white glove service, you are getting more than a delivery. You are getting a technician, a mover, and sometimes an entire team. This mode is used for the very custom orders where you need to lay out exactly what you need.
Quality and Security
With white glove shipping, your freight is getting the best care it can possibly get and the highest form of service and support.
Reliable
White glove shipments are very involved on all ends which means you can count on reliability. The entire process is set up to ensure that everything goes according to plan.
Price Affecting Factors of White Glove
Since white glove shipping is so specialized and so diverse there are countless factors that could impact the price of a quote. Below are some of the more common elements when it comes to white glove shipping.
- Time sensitivity – Time sensitivity plays a large role in white glove. Does the entire shipment and project need to be done within 8 hours? Or do you have an entire day?
- Amount of additional work after/before delivery – White glove is not always just the shipping of the cargo but sometimes the installation of a product. The price of the freight quote can differ depending on the amount of work that goes into the job.
- Number of stops – Often with white glove shipping there will be multiple stops along the way. The number of stops will have an impact on the end quote along with the total distance traveled.
Ship with Becker Logistics
Information Needed for a Quote
It takes time to reach a final agreement on a white glove quote. There are a lot of factors to go over and there is not a clear-cut set of rules to generate a quote for a white glove shipment. There are some things that can help the delivery process go smoother. For one, either give a layout of the place being delivered to or picked up from so that any specialty instructions or installations can go smoothly.
Specialty White Glove Deliveries
White glove shipping is already such a customizable and niche shipping service that there are not any subsets within the mode. It’s possible that a specialty trailer would have to be used but it would still just fall under white glove.
Tips for White Glove Shipping
Have a timeline and plan in place. White glove shipping is very complex, so you should have a plan in place for when something comes up. Additionally, work with a trusted partner. These kind of shipments are usually reserved for very important projects and shipments so be sure to use someone you trust. The last thing you want is to be left in the dark.
White Glove FAQs
A shipment falls under the white glove category once there is more than a delivery happening. So, if anything needs to be installed, built, or anything else then it is going fall into this category.
Related Blog Posts
What’s the Difference Between a 3PL, 4PL, and 5PL?
There are many needs within the supply chain space. Needs that get filled by companies that can take on the challenges and excel. The most
How to Choose the Best Shipping Company for Your Operations
Choosing the best company to handle your shipping is vital to your entire operations. The entire supply chain falls apart without reliable and quality shipping
The Function of Third Party Logistics Companies
Let’s take a step back and examine the function that third party logistics companies play in the supply chain and business in general. First off,