PAYMENT TERMS

Freight charges are due and payable upon loading in the form of a wire transfer, direct deposit or credit card payment (CC payment is subject to 3% processing fee). Payment in full must be cleared prior to cargo being offloaded from our trailer.

If loading or unloading is delayed more than 2 hours, in addition to all other freight charges, there will be a $80 per hour waiting charge, which will be payable before the boat is off loaded. If there is any problem with the loading or unloading that would hold us for a day or more then there is a charge of down time of $750/per day for the truck, and $300/per day for any escort cars.

The contract is based on the mileage as stated. Any route deviation or extra miles required by state permits which will create additional cost maybe charged additionally based on expenses.

 

CANCELLATION TERMS

Cancellation with refund is required one week prior to scheduled loading date.

 

BOAT PREPARATION

This boat preparation guide was compiled to assist you, the boat owner, in properly preparing and securing the boat for overland transportation. Please make every effort to prepare the boat according to these guidelines. Oversee the preparation yourself or have a qualified yard do so. CARRIER cannot be responsible for damage due to improper preparation or loading by the owner or his/her agent, for faulty or defective cradles, trailers, chains, binders, or other equipment provided by the owner or his/her agent to secure the cargo.

CARRIER believes it is our job to inform you of what is involved in getting your boat ready for overland transport. We have prepared this list to help guide you. Please take the time to read this information. Afterwards, please sign and date the last page and fax it back to us.

All of our drivers are fully licensed and insured. They are experienced, dependable boat transporters who will take the utmost care to deliver your boat in the best condition. However, please keep in mind that the boat has to be strong enough to withstand overland shipment. CARRIER cannot take responsibility for damage due to weakness or inherent dry rot. CARRIER is not responsible for damage due to weather and vandalism. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you.

 

General Information

1. The driver will perform a brief inspection only of the exterior of the boat. The condition of the boat will be noted on a condition report. You, the owner, or your agent will be asked to sign this report at the point of pickup. At delivery, the boat will again be inspected; the condition report signed. Any damage noted by you or your agent upon delivery must be noted on the bill-of-lading that you sign when you or your agent accepts delivery of the boat. Photos will be taken at loading and unloading. A copy of the condition report will be send to your email.

2. Lifelines, stanchions, and bow/stern pulpits should be removed if they cause the boat to be over legal height. The legal height limit is 14’0” in most States. This means that the total height of your boat should be no taller than 13' 6". If you boat is taller than 13’ 6", you will need to notify us immediately.

3. We cannot be responsible for damage due to low hanging tree limbs or branches. Many marinas have this picturesque driveway that can cause major damage to boats. Please let us know in advance if your marina has low tree branches. Also, don’t hesitate to ask your marina to cut these branches back. CARRIER will not be responsible for any resulting damage to the mast if mast is not properly wrapped prior to pick up. Due to nature of vibration and road debris while en route. CARRIER will not be responsible for damages to bottom paint, which may peel off or scratch during long trips. CARRIER liability is limited to terms and conditions warrantied by insurance underwriters and to actual damages caused by collision, theft or vandalism as outlined under insurance policy terms. In the event of any damages to the yacht, insurance claim has to be submitted and claim decision rendered by underwriters will be considered as final to both parties. Insurance claim has no bearing on payment of freight or balance of freight due to CARRIER under current transport contract.

4. All items inside your boat should be stowed and properly secured. Drawers and cupboards should be taped shut. We do not assume any responsibility for damages that occur due to items shifting inside the cabin.

5. Equipment such as radios, depth sounders, knot meters and such should be removed from their brackets on deck and stowed inside the cabin. All electronics, radar, hailers, horns, antennas, propellers, flag masts, lights, anchor lights, etc., must be removed, packed securely and securely stored below. CARRIER will not be responsible if they are damaged or if they vibrate off.
Note: If boat is not properly prepared for shipment, boat will be shipped 'as is' and CARRIER will not accept responsibility for any resulting damage. 2 Boat gear only: CARRIER cannot ship household goods.

6. If you are shipping a dinghy on board or if you have had to remove any superstructure, these items should be well padded. DO NOT leave dinghy on davits.
7. All cloth and canvas, including but not limited to, side curtains, biminis, compass covers, boat covers, etc. should be removed in order to prevent wind damage. CARRIER will not assume any responsibility for any canvas left on the topside of boat during shipment.
8. All ports, hatches, windows, etc. should be locked tightly shut. Check all fittings for weakness or rotting. If the hatches leak, seal them. Tie or tape over hatches, windows and locks from the outside. CARRIER will not assume any responsibility for damages caused by hatches that blow open or windows that break due to wind damage.
9. For safety and weight concerns, drain all water and fuel from tanks, holding tanks should also be empty to prevent any spillage during transport. Remove any drain plugs from the hull. During winter months, water should be drained from water systems, pumps, air conditioners, etc.
10. Plastic or Plexiglas windshields or windscreens should be removed and stored inside the cabin. Plastic cannot withstand the wind pressure. CARRIER will not be responsible for any windshields or screens that are damaged during transport due to wind damage.
11. CARRIER will not assume responsibility for any household items left inside the boat: stereos, televisions, VCR’s and such should be secured. The cabin should be locked and the key taken with you. Please do not give the key to the driver, unless you have a duplicate --- they may forget to leave it with the boat.
12. CARRIER does not recommend shrink-wrapping your boat for highway transport. CARRIER will ship shrink-wrapped boats; however shrink-wrap may not stand up to highway speeds or high winds. The drivers do carry extra shrink wrap tape and every effort will be made to repair the shrink wrap, however, if it starts to rip and come off, the driver may at his/her discretion, remove the wrapping. CARRIER is not responsible for any damage that occurs due to shrink-wrap.
13. Remove anchors, spinnaker poles and any loose items from the deck and secure properly.
14. If you are planning to ship your boat on a cradle or a trailer, some extra precautions should be taken. Inspect the cradle carefully for loose bolts or weakness of any kind. A cradle should fit and support the hull of your boat securely, and also be in good repair. Your boat needs to be well secured to the cradle or trailer. CARRIER does not assume responsibility for damage attributed to these devices. Our driver, at his/her discretion, may decide to load your boat separately from the cradle or trailer, if he/she feels they will not stand up to the overland transportation.
15. a. For boats with outboard or I/O engines, please make sure that there is power to the battery in order to raise or lower your engine (s) or drives if needed. If you have a small outboard engine, i.e.: for a dinghy, please remove it from the boat and/or stow it properly in the cabin to prevent theft. 
b. For all other boats, please disconnect batteries and secure, or if there is a disconnect switch, be sure the switch is in the “Off” position prior to transporting.
16. Due to the inherent problems of a wood boat, CARRIER does not accept any responsibility of damage or loss to a wood boat.

17. Due to vibration during transport the paint might be damaged although the pads are secured with carpet and CARRIER can not guarantee the paint condition. 

 

Additional Instructions for Sailboats

17. On center board sailboats, make sure the board is secured and will stay up in transit. Some sailboats may develop some separation between the keel and the hull. This is not structural damage but separation of the mounting bolts or drying out of the paint or filler. Light built or racing sailboats can expect some hull indentation form the support pads. These indentations generally disappear when the boat is returned to the water.

18. Sailboats also require a little more preparation, standing rigging, turnbuckles, masthead lights, antennas, wind indicators, mast winches, spreaders, and etc. should be removed from the mast. CARRIER does not assume liability for damage attributable to rubbing and/or chaffing by equipment left on the mast. Mast should not be freshly painted prior to shipment because of chaffing. Mast should be wrapped in plastic film since it will be secured on the trailer beside the boat, as it may get road grime on it. Carpet should be provided for the mast at the tie down points. Do not secure the mast to the boat, as there is a space on CARRIER’s trailer for the mast. Should the mast be secured to the boat, CARRIER will not assume liability for damages caused by mast hitting sides of the sailboat while in en-route.

19. Remove all flag masts, lights, outriggers, antennas, etc.

20. If your power boat is low enough to ship with the flying bridge on, remove all lights, wheels, masts and windshields that protrude over the bridge. All Plexiglas should be removed and packed below with a cargo blanket. If your power boat is not low enough to ship with the flying bridge on, you will have to have a cradle built for the bridge to be shipped in on the forward deck or cockpit area. Every point touching the deck or rails must be sufficiently padded. Remove all electronics and valuable items from the bridge, pack securely, and store below. I have read all four pages of this boat transportation contract and I do agree to and understand all of the above. 

 

• once job is booked and trucker hired, customer and trucker enter into direct contractual agreement to move customer’s boat
• Boat Trucking provides templates for bill of ladings and trucking contracts to use as convenience tools between trucker and customer, however, trucker can also request customer to sign any other contact directly
• Once job is booked, Boat Trucking is not involved in or have knowledge of the agreement made between customer and service provider (carrier or broker).

 

 

Arbitration

Governing Law/Consent to Jurisdiction and Venue: These Terms and Conditions of service and the relationship of the parties shall be construed according to the laws of the State of Florida USA, without giving consideration to principles of conflict of law. Shipper and CARRIER irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the Courts of the State of Florida, County of Miami Dade, USA, and waive any right to bring any actions in any other states or Federal Court. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, or the breach thereof, shall be settled by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its Commercial (or other)  Arbitration Rules, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. (b) agree that any action relating to the services performed by CARRIER, shall only be brought in said courts; (c) consent to the exercise of in personal jurisdiction by said courts over it, (d) further agree that any action to enforce a judgment may be instituted in any jurisdiction and, (e) waive trial by jury and agree to trial by judge in all disputes.

 

 

Boat trucking ROLE and responsibilities

Boat Trucking is a platform and marketplace where customers list shipments and select transportation service providers to service those shipments.  Every once in a while, a dispute between customers and truckers  may arise and it is important to understand Boat Trucking’ role in your transaction

For your understanding, Boat Trucking...

• does not assign particular truckers for particular customers. Truckers bid on transport jobs directly and customer has the right to choose particular trucker for the project
• once job is booked and trucker hired, customer and trucker enter into direct contractual agreement to move customer’s boat
• Boat Trucking provides templates for bill of ladings and trucking contracts to use as convenience tools between trucker and customer, however, trucker can also request customer to sign any other contact directly
• Once job is booked, Boat Trucking is not involved in or have knowledge of the agreement made between customer and service provider (carrier or broker).
• Truckers are screened prior to allowing registration on our platform for safety of record and previous performance
• Boat Trucking will monitor truckers performance, any records of complaints from customers for non performance, being systematically late or other violations will cause truckers to be banned from using our platform
• Boat Trucking has limited control over the accuracy of listings posted and relies on customers due diligence when posting dimensions, photos and other relevant information
• Boat Trucking will be available to mitigate customers complaints through our customer service department and attempt to reach successful resolution between trucker and customer in the event of dispute, however no expressed or implied guarantees are given as to outcome of particular mitigation or its result
• Each Trucker has full transport insurance policy on file with FMSCA and this transport policy is to be used by customers to make a claim for any damages in the event if boat sustains damages while in transit. Please, request a copy of transport insurance from trucker once job is booked
• In the event of cancelation or no show caused by trucker due to their specific fault, customer may request full or partial refund of initial transport deposit and request another trucker to finish a job

 

 

It is important to keep all of the above in mind when you're considering entering into a transaction with truckers

If you have additional questions, please feel free to continue perusing our Help Center or contact our __________________________

 

CANCELLING A SHIPMENT

Deals fall through, delays happen, and sometimes you just change your mind. Keep in mind that if job is booked and trucker is committed to load your boat on specific dates and you choose to cancel a contract after the fact, typically, deposit will be non refundable and will be used to cover trucker’s no show expenses.

However, If your shipment hasn't been picked up timely as contracted by trucker, you have the right to request cancelation of contract from trucker directly

Whenever a cancellation is submitted, the other party is given up to 48 hours to respond to the request and leave any comments to complete the cancellation. They also have the opportunity to dispute the cancellation. This option should only be used if the shipment has been picked up or is going to be. If a cancellation is disputed, Boat Trucking will contact both parties to see if the shipment can be completed. Once the cancellation is completed, you will receive some form of credit and/or refund.

If Trucker fails to cooperate or to issue refund after investigation is completed and their fault is determined, the depending on how you paid for the shipment, you may also contact your credit card company provider and ask to receive part of your refund as a credit back to your Credit Card.