The Nationwide Delivery Process
Since 1997, Appalachian Woods has successfully shipped our custom reclaimed wood products to jobsites and homes across the country. Nationwide delivery isn’t an exception for us; it’s a standard, highly refined part of our daily operations. We believe an extraordinary experience means supporting you from our mill shop to your door, utilizing a trusted network of specialized carriers to ensure your investment is handled with the respect it deserves.
Scheduling Your Delivery
We prioritize communication to ensure you are ready when the truck arrives.
Transit Notification: Once your order is dispatched, the trucking company will contact you 1–2 days in advance to schedule a delivery day. Please note that standard residential delivery guarantees a day (e.g., Thursday), not a specific time window.
Need an Appointment? If you need to coordinate a strict time window for your installation crew, please let your salesperson know prior to shipping. We can request a “Delivery Appointment” upgrade from the carrier for an additional fee.
- Lead Times: While lead times vary by project, your Sales Order provides a specific estimated ship date. We recommend not scheduling your installation crew until the wood has arrived and been inspected.
Truck Sizes & Access
Our wood is heavy and often arrives on large equipment. It is vital that we know of any delivery constraints before the truck leaves our mill.
- Standard Delivery: Most orders arrive on a 36-53 foot standard freight trailer.
- Flatbed Delivery: Large orders or oversized beams may arrive on a 65-foot flatbed-trailer.
- Restricted Access: If your jobsite is on a narrow road, has low-hanging trees, or is in a residential area with weight limits or limited space for movement, you must notify your salesperson during the quote process. We can arrange for a smaller “box truck” delivery for an additional fee. Please note that requesting a specialized truck often adds 1 to 2 days to your transit time so the freight terminal can pair your order with the correct equipment.
Unloading Your Order
Freight delivery is technically “curbside” or “tailgate.” The driver is responsible for bringing the truck to your location, but the receiver is responsible for offloading. Ask one of us here if you have questions about this.
Hand-Unloading: For standard flooring orders, you should have a crew of at least 2–3 people ready to hand-unload the bundles from the back of the truck. Inside the large skid, the flooring is packaged in manageable nested bundles of 18 to 22 sq. ft.
Inside the Trailer: While carriers try to load your material near the rear doors, depending on the delivery route, your skid may be positioned further forward. Your crew should be prepared to walk in and out of the trailer to retrieve the bundles.
The 20-Minute Unloading Limit: Standard freight carriers strictly enforce a 20-minute free unloading time limit once the driver is ready. Please ensure your crew is on-site and ready to work to avoid incurring costly carrier detention charges.
- Liftgate Service: This rarely works because most of our flooring shipments are on long skids that are not conducive to being lowered to the ground via liftgate. For smaller items like furniture etc, we can often request a liftgate to lower the pallets to the ground.
- Equipment Required: For heavy beams, a forklift or skid steer is required on-site to safely remove the material from the trailer.
Our Delivery Guarantee
While our legal shipping terms are F.O.B. Origin (meaning ownership transfers at our loading dock), we realize that freight claims can be a headache for customers. To provide a stress-free experience, we offer:
- Courtesy Claim Handling: If the carrier damages your order, we handle the insurance paperwork and claim logistics for you. You don’t have to fight the freight company; we do it on your behalf.
- Expedited Production Priority: If damage occurs, you won’t be sent to the back of an 8-week production queue. We move your replacement material to the front of our production line to keep your project moving.
- Zero Additional Cost: We will provide replacement material for any wood damaged in transit at no additional cost to you, provided you follow the “Receiver’s Checklist” below.
The Receiver's Checklist & Terms
The Receiver’s Checklist (Steps for Success)
To allow us to advocate for you with the carrier, you must follow these industry-standard steps:
- Inspect Before Signing: Look for signs of “crushed” packaging, broken pallets, or wet wood while the material is still on the truck.
- Note Damage on the BOL: You must write a specific description of any damage on the driver’s Bill of Lading (BOL) before signing.
- Take Photos: If you see damage, take 3–5 photos of the material while it is still on the trailer.
- Notify Us Within 48 Hours: Contact us at 800-333-7610 or [email protected] within 48 hours. This allows us to meet the carrier’s strict reporting windows.
Estimated Costs, Firm Quotes & Storage
Estimating Your Freight Costs We believe in transparency. While every order is unique, we want to give you a realistic idea of what to expect for nationwide delivery.
Freight costs vary depending on the total weight of your order, the exact jobsite location, and current carrier fuel surcharges. However, as a general baseline, you can budget approximately:
$0.75 per square foot for Mid-Atlantic shipments.
$1.25 per square foot for West Coast deliveries.
Please Note: Because freight rates fluctuate and every jobsite has different access requirements, these numbers are strictly ballparks. Your official Sales Order will always include a firm shipping quote so there are no surprises. To get an exact rate for your project, simply submit a Quote Request and our team will calculate the logistics for you.
- Firm Quotes: Your Sales Order includes a firm shipping quote. We try not to add “surprise” surcharges after the fact. On rare occasions we do have to re-quote the delivery because of unusual circumstances like high fuel surcharges from the carriers or because some new information came up about the delivery details. We will keep you informed if this is the case.
- Free Storage: We provide 30 days of free storage once your order is complete. Beyond 30 days, a monthly storage fee of $200 for the first pallet and $100 for each additional pallet will apply. See our Terms page for more details.