3PD offers pay-per-use delivery

Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, February 25, 2013

ATLANTA - Home delivery service 3PD has launched a pay-per-use national service that allows shippers to plan delivery, assembly and installation of heavy goods such as furniture and appliances through a secure website.
     The new service, named 3PDirect, provides so-called "first to last mile delivery" through a network of uniformed 3PD delivery teams in the continental U.S. It is aimed at shippers who don't have the shipping volumes to justify a dedicated last-mile delivery fleet in every market where their products are sold, said Karl Meyer, CEO.
     "Until now, many heavy goods shippers were caught between a rock and a hard place," Meyer said. "They couldn't provide a nationally consistent delivery service experience because their transactional delivery options were limited to networks of dissimilar (delivery) agents."
     In addition to residential and commercial delivery and set-up, 3PDirect includes product pickup from any factory, supplier or distribution center in the continental U.S. There are no minimum shipping volumes, volume guarantees or long-term contractual obligations, the company said.
     The secure website can be accessed through www.3pd. com. Businesses can obtain price quotes, open an account and immediately begin shipping, said Meyer.
     The service is designed for shipment of large products such as furniture, appliances, televisions, fitness equipment, office equipment and cabinets.