Shipping & Freight
Shipping and Freight: How Your Order Gets to the Jobsite
Twin Coating Supplies ships nationwide from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with orders placed by 1:00pm CT on a business day dispatched the same day whenever the items are in stock. Small parcel orders move by ground carrier. Heavy orders, generally anything over about 150 pounds, move by LTL freight on a pallet.
Twin Coating Supplies ships nationwide from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with orders placed by 1:00pm CT on a business day dispatched the same day whenever the items are in stock. Small parcel orders move by ground carrier. Heavy orders, generally anything over about 150 pounds, move by LTL freight on a pallet.
Most suppliers in this category publish nothing about shipping, which is a problem when the product is a pallet of resin or a machine that needs a forklift at the other end. We would rather tell you how it works before you order than surprise you at the curb.
Below: dispatch timing, ground versus freight, what liftgate and residential delivery mean, how machines are delivered, why solvents can only travel by ground, and exactly what to do if something arrives damaged. Freight pricing depends on weight, destination and accessorials, so heavy orders are quoted rather than fixed. Call 817-676-6793 for a freight quote before ordering equipment.
Order cutoff and dispatch
Orders placed by 1:00pm CT on a business day ship the same day when everything on the order is in stock. Orders placed after the cutoff, on weekends or on holidays go out the next business day.
If something is not in stock, we call you rather than sit on the order. Usually the choice is to ship the in-stock items immediately and follow with the balance, or to hold and ship complete. Tell us which you prefer and we will note it.
Freight orders have one extra step. A pallet has to be built, wrapped and picked up by the carrier, and carrier pickup windows are not parcel pickup windows. Same day dispatch on a freight order means it leaves our dock that day.
Ground shipping versus LTL freight
Light orders ship by ground parcel carrier: tools, rollers, blades, tape, small quantities of flake and single pails within parcel weight limits. Ground shipments get a tracking number and deliver to the door.
Heavier orders ship LTL, which stands for less than truckload. As a general rule, orders over roughly 150 pounds go LTL, and that catches most multi-pail coating orders, most large flake orders and every piece of equipment. Your material is palletized, wrapped and moved on a freight truck, delivered by appointment rather than dropped at the door. Freight needs someone on site to receive and sign, and expects the receiver to have a way to get a pallet off the truck.
- Ground parcel: light items, door delivery, tracking, no appointment.
- LTL freight: over roughly 150 lbs, palletized, curbside, delivery appointment, signature required.
- The freight carrier calls to schedule. Give us a phone number that will be answered.
- Freight cost is driven by weight, class, distance and accessorials, so it is quoted per order.
Liftgate service and residential delivery
A freight trailer deck sits several feet off the ground. If the delivery address has no loading dock and no forklift, the pallet has to come down on a liftgate, a powered platform on the back of the truck. Liftgate service must be requested when the shipment is booked and it costs extra, because it requires a specific truck and more time at the stop. If you do not order it and the site cannot unload, the delivery fails and you pay for redelivery.
Residential delivery is a separate charge. Carriers price residential stops differently because access is harder, stops take longer and the equipment is different. A home address, a home shop and in many cases a business run out of a residence all classify as residential, and carriers reclassify addresses on their own. Both accessorials are quoted with the freight rather than fixed.
- No dock and no forklift means you need liftgate service. Request it before the shipment is booked.
- Residential delivery is a separate accessorial from liftgate, and both may apply to one stop.
- A failed delivery generates redelivery charges that cost more than the accessorial would have.
- Even with a liftgate, the pallet comes off at the curb. Moving it from there is the receiver's job.
Machines and heavy equipment
Grinders, burnishers, dust extractors and similar equipment ship freight on a pallet and are heavy enough that unloading needs planning. A forklift at the delivery point is the simplest answer. Where there is no forklift, the shipment needs liftgate service, and you should still expect to move the crate from the curb yourself.
Call 817-676-6793 before ordering any machine. Two minutes on the delivery address, the site access and the available equipment lets us quote the freight accurately, book the right accessorials and give you a realistic transit estimate. Sorting it out after the order is placed always costs more.
- Every machine ships LTL freight on a pallet.
- Forklift at delivery is easiest. No forklift means liftgate service.
- Call 817-676-6793 for a freight quote before ordering equipment.
- Inspect the machine and note any damage on the delivery receipt before the driver leaves.
Solvents, resins and regulated liquids
Many products in this catalog are regulated for transport. Solvents, some catalysts, certain cleaners and a number of coating components are classified as hazardous materials for shipping, and that limits how they can move.
Regulated liquids ship ground only. They cannot travel by air, which rules out air parcel and every expedited air option regardless of how urgent the job is. Build ground transit into the schedule, or call and we will tell you honestly whether it can make it. Temperature is the other constraint: resin products can be damaged by freezing and by extreme heat in transit, so on a shipment moving through severe weather it is sometimes better to hold a day.
- Regulated liquids ship ground only and cannot go by air, including expedited air.
- Hazardous materials handling fees, where they apply, appear in the freight quote.
- Some regulated products have destination restrictions.
- Freezing and extreme heat can damage resin in transit. Ask us if the forecast looks bad.
Inspecting your delivery and filing a claim
Read this part twice, because your position on a freight claim is largely decided in the two minutes the driver is standing in front of you.
Inspect before you sign. Count the pieces against the delivery receipt. Walk the pallet and look at every side and the top for crushed corners, punctures, staining or wet spots, leaning stacks and torn shrink wrap. If anything looks wrong, write it on the delivery receipt before you sign, specifically, noting how many pieces are damaged and what you see. A clean signed receipt states that the shipment arrived in good condition and makes a concealed damage claim much harder to win. If the damage is extensive you can refuse the shipment or the damaged portion of it.
- Count the pieces against the delivery receipt before signing.
- Note damage on the receipt itself, specifically, before you sign.
- Photograph the pallet, all four sides, the damage and the annotated receipt.
- Call 817-676-6793 the same day so the claim can start immediately.
- Report concealed damage immediately and keep all original packaging until the claim is settled.
Getting a freight quote
Freight is priced per shipment. Weight, freight class, distance, delivery address type and accessorials such as liftgate all move the number, which is why any supplier quoting one flat freight figure for every heavy order is either overcharging most customers or losing money on the rest.
To quote accurately we need the delivery zip code, whether the address is commercial or residential, whether there is a dock or forklift on site, and what is on the order. Call 817-676-6793 or email twincoatingsupplies@gmail.com with those four things and you will get a real number. For contractors ordering volume, the Tier Partner Program is worth a conversation, since consolidating onto fewer, larger shipments generally reduces freight cost per pail.
Frequently asked
How fast does Twin Coating Supplies ship?
Twin Coating Supplies dispatches in stock orders the same day when they are placed by 1:00pm CT on a business day, shipping nationwide from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with light orders moving by ground parcel. Orders placed after the cutoff or on weekends and holidays go out the next business day. Transit time after dispatch depends on carrier and destination.
When does an order ship by freight instead of ground?
Orders over roughly 150 pounds ship by LTL freight on a pallet rather than by ground parcel carrier, which covers most multi-pail coating orders, large flake orders and every piece of equipment. Freight shipments deliver curbside by appointment and require a signature, unlike ground parcels that are simply delivered to the door.
Do I need liftgate service for my delivery?
You need liftgate service on a freight delivery whenever the site has no loading dock and no forklift, because a freight trailer deck sits several feet off the ground and the pallet has to be lowered. Liftgate is an additional charge that must be requested when the shipment is booked, and it is quoted with the freight.
Why does residential delivery cost extra?
Freight carriers charge more for residential delivery because residential streets are harder for a tractor trailer to access, the stops take longer and the equipment required is different from a commercial dock delivery. Home addresses, home shops and businesses operating from a residence all classify as residential, and carriers will reclassify an address themselves.
Can solvents and coatings ship by air?
Solvents and other regulated liquids cannot ship by air and move by ground service only, because they are classified as hazardous materials for transport, which rules out every expedited air option regardless of how urgent the job is. Build ground transit time into the schedule, or call 817-676-6793 to confirm what is achievable.
What do I do if my freight delivery arrives damaged?
Inspect the shipment and note any damage on the delivery receipt before you sign it, because a clean signed receipt states that the goods arrived in good condition, and a concealed damage claim afterward is far harder to win. Photograph the pallet, all four sides, the damage and the annotated receipt, then call 817-676-6793 the same day.
How do I get a freight quote on equipment?
Call 817-676-6793 or email twincoatingsupplies@gmail.com with the delivery zip code, whether the address is commercial or residential, whether the site has a dock or forklift, and what is on the order. Freight is priced per shipment based on weight, class, distance and accessorials, so heavy equipment is quoted rather than fixed.