Updated: May 31, 2024

Sending freight to and from a remote place like Hawai’i comes with a lot of moving parts. And when it involves one of Hawaii’s neighbor islands, like Kauaʻi, things can get even more complicated.

However, choosing an experienced, all-in-one freight provider can make things significantly easier. You’ll only have to deal with one company. Additionally, if they’re able to provide a range of freight services, that can lighten your load significantly. (And, in some cases, literally!)

Below, you’ll find our list of what to look for in a Kauaʻi freight provider. As you’ll see, a company that can deliver in all of these areas will give you more flexibility—and add significant simplicity to your next Kauaʻi freight shipment.

#1: A Full Range of Pickup & Delivery Services

Whereas door-to-door pickup and delivery can be a fairly standard service on the U.S. mainland, on a smaller island like Kauaʻi, not every freight provider offers door-to-door service.

  • For eastbound freight service from Kauaʻi, that might mean you need to drop off your freight at your provider’s warehouse or terminal.
  • For westbound freight arriving on Kauaʻi, that might mean you need to pick up the freight yourself—or hire another company to pick it up and deliver it to you.

For maximum convenience, look for a company that offers door-to-door service. This will save you the hassle of making your own pick-ups or deliveries—or adding an additional trucking company to the mix.

For providers that can do door-to-door service, you’ll also want to ask what kind of pickups and deliveries they’ll do, such as:

Curbside Pickup & Delivery

Curbside deliveries and pickups get dropped off or picked up outside a place of business or warehouse—for example, by your warehouse door or at the end of a driveway. You’re responsible for moving your freight where it needs to go, either out to the curb for pickup or inside your building once it’s delivered.

Inside Pickup & Delivery

When it comes to inside delivery or pickup, the delivery team will cross the threshold to drop off or pick up your freight. However, they’re not obligated to go any further—up or down stairs, down a hallway, etc. The shipment will either be dropped or picked up just inside the door. It’s your responsibility to maneuver it to or from the threshold. Packing/unpacking services aren’t included.

White Glove Pickup & Delivery

White glove represents the highest service level for pickups and deliveries. Here are two examples for how white glove service might work:

  • During a white glove pickup, a delivery team would come into your warehouse to pick up your freight wherever it’s situated, package it (if needed), then get it on its way to its final destination.
  • During a white glove delivery, a delivery team would bring your freight into your warehouse, unpack it, assemble it (if needed), and put it into place.

Not all providers on Kauaʻi offer all of these service levels. By working with a provider who has all of these pick-up and delivery capabilities, you’ll have the flexibility to match the right service level with your needs. No need to call around or hire extra help.

#2: The Ability to Assist with Packaging, Palletization, and Crating

Freight traveling to and from Kauaʻi crosses over thousands of miles of open ocean. Using the right packaging materials—and the right packaging techniques—are critical to ensure your freight arrives in perfect condition.

If you need assistance in this regard, ask your freight provider if it’s something they can help with. For example, if you need a few boxes shrink-wrapped to a pallet, a custom crate built for a sensitive piece of machinery, or just some advice on how to pack delicate or high-value cargo for its journey, will your provider be willing to assist?

Having this capability accessible as needed can provide you significant peace of mind, especially if you’re 1) new to shipping freight or 2) opening a new line of business with a different type of cargo.

#3: Ownership from Pickup Through Delivery

When you’re moving freight to and from Kauaʻi, there are a number of different providers who get involved along the way. In even the simplest scenario, there’s the trucking company that does the pickup at the origin, the steamship line that handles the ocean freight, and the trucking company that does the delivery at the destination.

 

You could hire all these providers yourself, or you could hire a freight forwarder to coordinate all of these pieces for you.

  • Some Hawaii freight forwarders are asset-based, meaning that they own their own warehouses, run their own fleets, and employ their own delivery teams.
  • Other operations use agents, which essentially means that they contract out pieces of the journey.

When everything goes well, you might not notice a difference. However, when there’s a problem—and a freight forwarder makes extensive use of agents—it can make issues of responsibility unclear.

For example:

  • If a shipment gets damaged, it’s hard to know exactly which party is responsible unless you can track down exactly when the damage occurred—during pickup, ocean transit, or delivery, for example.
  • If a shipment arrives incomplete or incorrect, again, you’ll need to know exactly where the problem occurred. Did the trucking company miss a pallet at the origin point, or did a pallet get left at a warehouse along the way?
  • If a shipment doesn’t arrive when it’s supposed to, who’s at fault? With a bunch of carriers in the mix, it’s tough to track down the responsible party.

However, if you’re working with an asset-based provider, it’s easier to get to the bottom of any challenges, since your project will largely be executed by that provider’s own network of drivers and teams.

Along those same lines, it’s important to ask your provider whether they’ll take ownership of your shipment from origin to destination. Even if they do contract out a portion of the project, can they still get you timely updates? And, more importantly, if something goes wrong, will they track down the problem? Or will that responsibility fall to you? Ideally, you’ll want to find a provider who’s willing to give you a single point of contact to manage your shipment from start to finish.

Asking questions in this arena will help you pick a provider who’s willing to take responsibility for your shipment from stem to stern. If anything goes awry, it can save you some serious hassle.

 

#4: A Complete Portfolio of Freight Capabilities

When you’re searching for a provider to assist with a single shipment, you might not review the additional services they offer.

However, choosing a Kauaʻi freight provider with a complete portfolio of freight capabilities can offer you an advantage down the road if your needs change. When that happens, you won’t need to vet an entirely new company. Instead, you can count on your current freight partner and simply expand your relationship.

 

Plus, when you’re working with an all-in-one freight provider:

  • You’ll be able to arrange for a number of different freight services with one single phone call. As your operation grows and changes, it can save you significant time.
  • It may also save you some money. By using one provider for your freight needs, that provider will get a more complete picture of your logistics flow. This positions them to recognize any opportunities to optimize your shipments, streamline your freight movement, and reduce your costs.

On Kauaʻi, what constitutes a complete portfolio of capabilities? Look for a provider that can offer:

Full container services (FCL): including hauling, loading, unloading, port recovery, and drayage

Less-than-container load options (LCL): including palletized freight and loose freight

Specialty freight, including oversized loads and hazardous freight

Heavy freight, including construction materials

Warehousing, including palletizing and shrink-wrapping

Storage, both on Kauaʻi and the mainland (to keep costs down)

Local pick-up, including curbside, inside, and white glove service

Local delivery, including curbside, inside, and white glove service

By selecting a Kauaʻi freight provider who can handle all of these services with a single phone call, you’ll set yourself up for success as your organization’s needs grow and change.

#5: The Right Equipment to Handle All Kinds of Projects

Along similar lines, it’s also to your benefit to choose a Kauaʻi freight provider with a complete fleet of equipment to handle all types of freight—and situations.

 

Having the right equipment for the job means a much lower likelihood of freight damage. Rather a provider who can “make it work” with what they have, look for a provider who can handle your freight with the highest levels of professionalism and care. That starts with the appropriate equipment for the delivery.

 

Additionally, it’s important to choose a freight provider that can navigate any narrow roads or locations with restricted access. For example, tractor hauling a 40-foot container may not be able to navigate certain streets. However, a provider with a box truck or a flatbed can reload your freight in one of these smaller vehicles. This allows them to drive your freight as close as possible to your location, reducing handling and preventing damage.

 

Before you commit to a Kauaʻi freight provider, ask about their fleet so you can get a sense of how they’ll handle deliveries of all sizes and shapes to your particular location.

#6: The Expertise to Handle Oversized Freight

Finally, delivering equipment, machinery, or other oversized freight requires a particular skill set, as well as the right tools and equipment.

If you anticipate shipping or receiving this kind of freight, it’s important to select the right provider. Look for someone with not just the willingness, but also the experience to get these deliveries right. After all, equipment and machinery are a significant investment. It’s important they get handled with care so they arrive in perfect working order.

Even if you aren’t currently shipping large or oversized freight, it’s good to know whether your provider can handle these types of projects. If your needs change—or if you open a new business—an existing relationship will come in handy. Rather than having to start a new search, you’ll be able to quote out your oversized freight project ASAP.

Looking for a Kauaʻi Freight Provider?

If you need a partner to assist you with your Kauaʻi freight, our team would be happy to help! We offer a full range of freight services, including:

  • Eastbound and westbound ocean freight for shipments of all sizes: FCL, LCL, and one-off freight shipments
  • Air freight to any destination worldwide
  • Pickup and delivery services on Kauaʻi, the mainland, and anywhere in the world. Curbside, inside, and white glove service available.

We can handle almost any type of freight, including:

  • Retail goods, including returns
  • Automotive parts, equipment, and tires
  • Construction materials, such as lumber, windows, doors, flooring, cabinets, solar panels/equipment, and more
  • Home and office furnishings, including furniture, rugs, carpets, floor tiles, business equipment, and more
  • Sports equipment, watersports equipment, outrigger canoes, surfboard blanks, and more

Let us be your one-stop-shop for Kauaʻi freight. You’ll always have one point of contact throughout to monitor your shipment and update you as needed.

To talk to one of our Kauaʻi freight experts, request a complimentary quote or call us at (626) 606-9720.

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