There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of receiving your custom hardwood flooring from Cochran’s Lumber. It’s the final step before installation—and the moment your vision begins to take physical form. To help ensure that this exciting milestone is smooth and stress-free, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about our shipping process—from how your order is prepared to how it arrives at your door.
Preparing Your Order for Shipment
Before your flooring ever hits the road, our team carefully bundles it for safe and efficient transport. Each flooring bundle is tightly wrapped in plastic, then stacked into larger units called “hacks.” These hacks are banded, secured to pallets, and prepared for forklift loading onto the designated delivery vehicle.
Freight Types & Truck Options
We ship flooring orders through trusted freight partners offering two primary options:
- LTL (Less Than Truckload) Freight
- Dedicated Truckload Freight
LTL Freight: This standard method utilizes full-length semi-trucks. Your order will make stops at freight terminals en route to its final destination. At each stop, it’s transferred to another truck, which can extend transit time and increase handling. Dedicated Truckload Freight: For larger or more time-sensitive deliveries, we offer dedicated trucks—either box trucks or flatbeds—that carry only your order from our facility directly to your site with no terminal stops or freight transfers.
- Box Trucks are enclosed vehicles loaded and unloaded from the rear.
- Flatbeds are open trailers, typically “hotshot” style, allowing for side or rear loading.
In both cases, your flooring remains untouched by other cargo, reducing handling and ensuring a quicker, more direct route. Your Cochran’s sales representative will coordinate with our in-house logistics team to determine which freight solution best suits your order’s size, destination, and timeline.
Pickup & Transit
Once your order is ready, we schedule a pickup with one of our third-party freight partners. Our team loads the pallets via forklift, and the truck begins its journey to you.
- For LTL shipments: Expect multiple transit stops. Once your order reaches the nearest terminal to your site, the freight company will contact you to schedule final delivery.
- For dedicated shipments: Your order arrives in a single, uninterrupted trip. The driver will reach out directly to confirm an ETA.
Preparing for Delivery
To ensure a smooth offload when the truck arrives, we recommend having the following in place:
What You’ll Need:
- A crew on site: Each bundle can typically be carried by one to two people, but more hands make the job faster and safer.
- A forklift: Especially if you’d prefer not to hand unload, a forklift is essential for quickly removing full pallets from the truck.
Unloading Your Order
Whether unloading by hand or forklift, your bundles should be transported to a secure, dry area within your project site. Once offloaded, your flooring is ready for the critical step of acclimation.
Acclimating Your Flooring
Proper acclimation is key to the long-term performance of your hardwood floors. We recommend the following guidelines:
- Relative humidity: Maintain between 35%–55%.
- Temperature: Keep the space between 60°F–80°F.
- Avoid concrete contact: If stored in a basement or garage, elevate bundles on scrap lumber.
- Keep dry: Avoid any area prone to water or excess moisture.
- Protect the wood: Cover the bundles with a blanket, tarp, or plastic sheeting to prevent scratches or damage.
Allow your flooring to acclimate for a minimum of 3 days, though 5 days is preferred before beginning installation.
Important Shipping Disclaimer
Please note: Once your flooring leaves our facility and is transferred to a third-party freight carrier—whether LTL or dedicated truckload—all liability for delivery, handling, scheduling, driver conduct, and potential damage shifts to the carrier. Your Cochran’s team remains available to assist where possible, but final delivery logistics are managed by the freight provider. Have questions about your shipment? We’re here to help. Contact your Cochran’s sales representative for guidance or support at any stage of the delivery process.