Shipping without exemption question

FIRST General Forum
1

Hello Everyone,

Brief background: This is my first full year doing administration for team 1793 (Norfolk, VA). I’ve had a few years of mentoring under my belt. Our current model has changed to district and one of our events is about ~3.5 hours away in MD.

We also have a large team currently have about ~40 core students and 25 auxiliary members.

We usually transport the robot ourselves, we wish to take as many members as possible and so I wanted to explore other possibilities to save space. I have looked at the shipping information and it is quite detailed for the Shipping Exemptions (Drayage service, boxing, FedEx requirements, etc). However, if a team decides to ship the bot themselves, there are a few questions I have to any other teams who have experience using this method.

  1. I’m assuming following crating methods approved for Exceptions is a good example to follow. Just wanted to verify.

2a) A drayage location is provided for exemptions, but not for individuals. Will FedEx hold the package to be picked up on Competition day? We would have no trouble transporting the robot from a local location to the competition site.

2b) If FedEx does hold the crate, has any team had experience with leaving the crate there as is so it can be shipped back after a few days?

  1. We have a competition the week before. Is shipping on that Monday and expecting it by Thursday in the realm of possibility? (can be verified, just wanted to see if the idea was even worth entertaining).

I apologize for the length and appreciate any insight!

Thank you,
Karl

2

Karl -

The answers to most of your questions can be best determined by working with a local FedEx office directly. Likely, all things are possible if you’re willing to pay.

Another option for drayage is to work with the team who is hosting the district to see if they will receive your crate for you. If not, perhaps another local team?

Another option (especially with your tight turnaround) is to rent a truck or trailer to drive the robot and your tools separate of the team bus/vans. Many teams do this.

One thing to remember is that even if you crate the robot, it still needs to be in the bag with appropriate documentation.

Good luck!

-CF

3

Karl-- Team 1137 in Mathews, VA is also going to the same pair of events (Hampton Roads week 3, then Central MD week 4). Maybe reach out to them and ask if you could work together on transportation and logistics?

4

I have not seen this years shipping information, but in years past you could not ship your robot directly to a district event. My impression is First does not set up drayage at the venue for districts. You can ship it somewhere close to the event (A helpful local team?). You can ship it to the local FedEx terminal, but they will expect you to take your crate with you when you pick up your robot. The freight terminal may not be particularly close to the venue. FedEx at least is not set up to store things. You are essentially shipping LTL freight. Anything in a local district distance will generally be a 2-3 transit.