Can Glu-Lam-Log ship materials anywhere?
Yes. We’ve been in business for eighteen years, and during that time we’ve shipped materials to the entire continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, and several countries overseas. If you want our products we'll get them to you.
How do we ship our materials?
Our shipments are generally delivered to your construction site on flatbed trailers.
Once my order is ready for delivery, how long can I expect to wait until delivery?
That obviously depends on where you live and how far away you are. We'll notify you when your order ready and call to confirm that you are prepared to accept shipment. Once you give us the go-ahead we can usually book a truck within a day or two. Over the road semis typically travel approximately 500 miles per day.
How much will it cost to ship my materials to me?
Ball park figure? These days, hiring a full truck to ship from Montana to the East Coast costs approximately $3,000. So, that's about the most a truck would cost. As a rule of thumb, it costs approximately $1.25 per loaded mile to ship our products. Shipments to remote locations, or to locations where trucks have to "deadhead" to find return freight can cost more. We always include a shipping estimate with our quotations.
Does Glu-Lam-Log operate its own trucking fleet?
One of our goals at Glu-Lam-Log is to deliver the highest quality materials to you at the lowest possible cost. Due to the nature and volume of our shipments, it’s not feasible for us to operate our own trucking fleet. Instead, we go through independent brokers to find available trucks. Due to our shipping volume, we are able to negotiate fair rates.
How many trucks will I need for my order?
The amount of material that fits on a truck is governed by two elements – space and weight. As you can imagine, the size and weight of shipments vary significantly from order to order. Elements such as the specific product and the size of the house have a big effect on how much space the order takes up, and how much it weighs. In our experience, however, all but the largest houses will fit on a single flatbed trailer.
My order is small. Do I need to pay for a whole truck?
Why pay for truck space that you don’t need, right? Rest assured that you’re not the only one with this concern. Many orders will fit on a portion of a truck deck. In these situations we do our best to set up “load shares”. A load share combines your order with other materials, typically heading in the same general direction. Shipping cost is split between multiple customers, which saves you money. Since we ship all over the country, we can typically combine loads from our own yard if we are given enough time to make the necessary arrangements. If you live within a 500 to 750 mile radius of our facilities, we can usually arrange economical transport via a local carrier.
How do you go about shipping small packages?
We're seeing an increasing number of cases where clients need only a limited amount of siding or paneling to finish a room, or even just an accent wall. In the cases where your order is very small, there are a couple of options. If you happen to live in the Northwest and would like to take a scenic drive, you’re more than welcome to stop by Glu-Lam and pick up the materials yourself. We love visitors! In situations where this isn’t an option, however, we will ship orders LTL (less than truckload) via common carrier. Rates for this sort of shipping vary depending on the weight of your order and the zip code of the destination.
How do I unload the materials once they arrive?
The customer is responsible for making arrangements to have the materials unloaded upon arrival. For typical log home packages, this process will require an all-terrain forklift. Our materials are loaded onto the truck in bundles that can be safely unloaded by a forklift with an experienced operator. On small LTL shipments people often open the bundles and unload by hand.
How large are the bundles?
The maximum dimensions of a typical bundle are 4’ wide x 2’ tall, and up to 16’ long. The Maximum weight is about 3000 pounds per bundle.
How do I know when the order will arrive?
Delivering goods by ground transportation involves many variables such as weather and road conditions, but we do our best to ensure that you know just when your truck is going to arrive. When your order leaves our yard, we will notify you with an estimated time of arrival (ETA). We also instruct the driver to call you en route, at least 24 hours prior to arrival, to confirm the ETA. We make sure that the driver and his trucking company clearly understand that failure to notify the receiving party at least 24 hours in advance of arrival could delay unloading.
Will the shipping process damage the products in any way?
At Glu-Lam-Log, we take care to produce the highest quality products. Our goal is to get products to you in the same excellent condition they were in when they left our yard. We wrap all bundles in high quality, UV resistant plastic, and tightly band the bundles with a sheet of plywood on the bottom to prevent any damage to the materials. Every truckload is then tarped and photographed before it leaves our yard. The load should reach you in the exact same condition in which it left Montana. We ship only via bonded carriers who insure the loads they carry. All loads are insured for complete replacement value.