Royal Mail and suspension units - A Warning

[Woz]

It must be noted also that:
- new equipment in the original packaging is also an indication that material is not tampered with nor modified outside of the original purpose; which can be easily referenced back to the manufacturer with supporting documents (like MSDS). Joe Bloggs homemade compressor can not and you can't expect RM or any other
transport company to figure it all out....so it goes in the bin and on to the next.
- road freight is surprisingly strict too. Nobody wants to see disasters happening in tunnels.
- for international carriage once you've handed over the goods, you may be surprised that eventually the ship's captain or aircraft pilot as absolute decision power over the goods; they can pretty much decide to take cargo or leave it on the runway or quay side for whatever reason; despite what RM or any other transport
company was willing to accept or passed any security screenings at the port authorities.
- Shipping companies effectively own the material while in transit with a very limited liability calculated by
the weight of the goods. Shipping companies all around the world are free to sell goods; for example if there
is no receiver or no one claims.

I'm a bit rusty on some of the details, but a lot of it is highly regulated and steeped in deep history from the very beginnings of trade. Ok so I know this doesn't really help with a shock absorber, but logistics is much much more complicated than what it first appears.

 

[Pyro Tim]

spot on Woz. You must have done a bit of shipping in your time

 

[Woz]

...just a bit ;-)

 

[JamesM]

Take the valve off and send it separately? A fork without the valve can't be deemed to be a pressure containment vessel, can it? :?

 

[Mike]

Sounds to me like they lost it and then the poster asked questions, they seized on the fact it was a shock as a way out. I'm not saying all posties are thieves, but this year 2 Xmas cards had been partially opened, presumably to see if there was anything worth stealing inside. A whole year without any damaged post and then 2 damages around Xmas. Suspicious? You bet.

 

[Anthony]

- new equipment in the original packaging is also an indication that material is not tampered with nor modified outside of the original purpose; which can be easily referenced back to the manufacturer with supporting documents (like MSDS). Joe Bloggs homemade compressor can not and you can't expect RM or any other transport company to figure it all out....so it goes in the bin and on to the next.

Nevertheless, if Al Qaeda decided to put a bomb on a plane, you can be sure they would disguise it inside some new product in its original packaging, not inside a brown paper bag. Original packaging is no guarantee of safety.

- road freight is surprisingly strict too. Nobody wants to see disasters happening in tunnels.

The solution to the problem we're dealing with will sooner or later be that RM and other carriers will wake up to the fact that Shock Absorbers do not explode. Even if they did, the tiny air chamber is not going to cause a 'disaster'. You only need to look at a shock pump to see how puny a shock absorber is compared to a tyre/inner tube, which has a far greater air capacity (even allowing for the different pressures) and is inherently less safe owing to being made out of rubber. But even a tyre exploding in a lorry going through a tunnel is not going to cause a disaster. These people need to use a bit of common sense.

 

[firedfromthecircus]

These people need to use a bit of common sense.

But why use common sense when you can use it as an excuse to legally steal money from people to pay your shareholders! :evil:

 

[ishaw]

Late to this party but I'm about to send an oil/coil rear shock abroad. What should I do to ensure it doesn't fall foul of the rules and get confiscated?

Cheers

 

[Pyro Tim]

If you can drain it, do so, and you'd need to flush it clean. Then on the docs state that it is free from oil, and has been flushed. Alternatively to ship it properly as dangerous goods, it's probably going to cost hundreds, to get it DG packed, documented and sent.

Or you could risk it. Your choice. If it's going to the EU, you could probably get away with it if you send it on a road service. If you are risking it, don't send by air if you can help it.

 

[ishaw]

Thanks for that, it's off to Finland so within the eu. Useful info about a road service. How do I make sure that's the route it takes, never had the option before.