Shipping facts seem to be pretty simple. After all, if you choose 2 Day Shipping your order should get to you in 2 days, right? Unfortunately, a lot of people make similar assumptions when that logic may not always be the case. Rather than assume, its best to know the general shipping policies and norms. Consider this article a cheat sheet for your next pop quiz on shipping information. Please note that these facts apply whether orders are placed on our website or over the phone.
Carriers
Highway and Heavy Parts uses a variety of carriers. For smaller, lighter items, we will usually ship via UPS. Any shipment that is near or over 150 pounds ships truck freight. Our truck freight carriers include FedEx, R&L Carriers, SouthEastern Freight Lines, Holland Freight, Pitt Ohio Freight, and ABF. We will use other freight carriers as well, but these are our most common ones.
The choice of which carrier to use is based on what makes the most sense for each individual order. Some carriers have boundaries on where they can deliver, for example, and we will obviously only use a carrier that can deliver to you. Some carriers also have a limit on the times and days they can deliver in and on, which will be explained more in the next section.
Business Days & Hours
Business days are Monday through Friday, from 7:00AM to 5:00PM Eastern time. These are the carriers business days, as well as HHPs. While we have staff by the phone on Saturdays, we do not consider that a business day since we are unable to ship. We also cannot process orders made online on Saturdays until the next business day.
The one carrier exception is UPS, which can deliver on Saturdays. However, unless Saturday delivery is specifically mentioned, UPS will stick to a Monday through Friday business week. For example, if you order something on a Friday and choose Next Day Air shipping, it will arrive to you on Monday unless you note Saturday delivery. This is a standard UPS policy.
Its always good to be aware of upcoming holidays, as well. HHP does not operate on federal holidays. These holidays are New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. While HHPs main office in Coleman is open all other business days of the year, be aware that not all of our warehouses or carriers will be fully operational during other select days around these holidays, especially the winter holidays. If you are curious as to whether or not the items you need will be able to be ordered and delivered around a popular holiday time, you can always call in and ask.
Handling Time
Most orders placed before 2:00PM Eastern time will have same-day handling. Pending availability, certain items may take another day or two to put together. The earlier an order is placed in the day, the better chance that it will go out the same day. Sometimes rebuilt items may take extra days for handling if we need to wait on a core to come in, and sometimes rebuild kits may need to be assembled. This is not common, however, and a salesperson will let you know ahead of time if one of these situations will cause extra handling time.
Tracking
The day after your complete order ships, you will be emailed a copy of the invoice from your transaction. This invoice will have your tracking number and freight carrier listed on it in the upper right corner. The carrier will be in an acronym format. If you have not received an emailed copy of your invoice, you can always call HHP at 844-304-7688. Invoices will not be emailed if we did not receive an email address from you when you placed your order, so be sure to supply us with one if you would like that information sent to you automatically.
UPS tracking numbers can be inputted directly into Google.com and searched. Freight carriers tracking, or PRO numbers, can be looked up in the carriers website. A helpful website that we have found is PackTrack. You can input the tracking number (without the carriers acronym on the end), choose the correct carrier, and be instantly directed to the carriers website.
Shipping Delays or Exceptions
Delays and exceptions are any out of the ordinary occurrences that cause shipments to arrive later than originally scheduled. Common exceptions are if the shipping address is inaccurate or if there is bad weather somewhere along the carriers route. With freight shipments, residential addresses can also cause a delay, as the carrier may need to contact you to set up a drop off. Given the heavy nature of freight shipments, particular equipment may be needed to unload the shipment and residential addresses do not typically have that equipment. This is why carriers sometimes charge extra for residential deliveries, as well.
If Highway and Heavy Parts becomes aware of a delay or exception, we will contact you to let you know about it. We understand that for many of our customers, even a one day delay can ruin a schedule and lose you a lot of money. If given notice of a delay that is an issue, you can always call in and work with our staff to find an expedient solution.
If a delay has occurred, we can usually file a claim with the carrier to get you a refund. This does not necessarily mean that the carrier will approve the claim and issue a refund. For example, no carriers we work with will issue a refund for a delay if the delay was caused by weather or an inaccurate or residential address. If the delay is entirely the fault of the carrier, without outside factors affecting the shipment, a claim can be submitted and a refund can be issued. HHP will forward any refund or credit received from a carrier directly to you.
Highway and Heavy Parts seeks to provide the best parts with the best service. If you have any outstanding questions about shipping or general questions about ordering from HHP, please give us a call at (844) 215-3406.