Gem show shipping at the freight price: pallets to the show, purchases home.
Exhibitor freight into Tucson and Denver before move in, and dealer purchases home after the sale, quoted online in 10 seconds by the pallet. Convention pickup and delivery, liftgate, appointment window, limited access and residential delivery at $0 on the published LTL tariff. From live Warp LTL rates, one pallet from the Denver show to Los Angeles is $218.83 with 5 day transit, all inclusive, as of September 16, 2026.
By Troy Lester, Co-Founder & CRO
14,000+ box trucks and cargo vans · 50+ metros · Appointment pickup · Liftgate standard · 98.2% on-time
Live all-inclusive rates
Warp customers
Two moves, and the second one is the business
The move everyone prices is the exhibitor's: cases, lighting, tables and inventory into the venue before move in. The move the circuit actually runs on is the other one.
A dealer buys three flats of specimens from another dealer on the floor and needs them at the shop in Seattle or the house in Tampa the week after, and the show's freight desk palletizes them at the back of the hall.
In the two weeks of the September 2026 Denver show, dealer purchases left the National Western Complex on Warp for home bases in 40 states.
Every one of those pallets books to its own ZIP with the buyer's name and phone on the label, gets its own bill of lading, tracking link and proof of delivery, and pays the same price at a dock or a driveway, because liftgate and residential delivery are $0.
The circuit, priced
Out of the Denver show, one pallet, all inclusive, as of September 16, 2026.
Denver has a rated Warp lane in every direction, so its page prints the number. Tucson is five venues with four ZIP codes and no rated lane yet, so its page prices the real pair live in 10 seconds.
Both pages carry the show's own receiving rules and fees with the source under the table.
Out of 80216, one pallet, all inclusive, as of September 16, 2026. Every destination links to its full lane page.
| Destination | Warp, per pallet | Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $218.83 | 5 days |
| Dallas | $278.68 | 3 days |
| Miami | $402.81 | 4 days |
| Seattle | $318.89 | 6 days |
| New York | $387.95 | 4 days |
| Minneapolis | $292.29 | 3 days |
| Philadelphia | $360.09 | 4 days |
| Portland | $284.52 | 6 days |
Adds on a legacy LTL tariff for the same pickup at the National Western Complex: limited access $75 to $475, liftgate $75 to $504, plus a variable trade show surcharge and a 24.7% to 28.5% fuel surcharge on the base rate. On Warp every one of those is $0. The named carrier head to head for each lane is on its lane page.
- Tucson showcase: 22nd Street, Kino, GJX, TGMS, JOGS (five venues, rules and 2027 dates on the Tucson page)Late January to mid February
- Denver: the Hart show at the National Western Complex, the Denver Gem and Mineral Show with the Hardrock Summit, the Colorado Mineral and Fossil Fall ShowSeptember
Dates per Each show's exhibitor pages; linked from the venue pages. Your receiving window comes from the show's exhibitor kit, not the show dates.
The show’s freight desk and the truck: who does what
The show’s named contractor owns everything inside the hall. Warp owns the road.
Every gem show names a freight coordinator in its exhibitor kit: it receives advance pallets, runs the forklift, delivers to the booth, packs on the floor at move out and stages the outbound pallets.
Those services are billed on the show's sheet at the show's rates, and no carrier can include them.
Warp's price is the road: the truck to the receiving area before the show and the truck away from it after, with the convention pickup, liftgate, appointment window and limited access at $0.
The rows below are what the shows publish for the inside half, so the two bills are visible before either one lands.
- $50 + $25
- Denver, National Western Complex: unscheduled freight that is not UPS and forklift service are $50 for the first pallet and $25 for each additional. An unscheduled delivery with no pre-arrangement at all is $450.
- $150 a pallet
- JOGS Tucson: $150 per pallet delivered by anyone but UPS, $75 per pallet if UPS shipped, $10 per box. Advance freight cannot go to the Tucson Expo Center before move in.
- $50 + $25
- 22nd Street Tucson: forklift $50 for the first pallet and $25 for each additional, cash only on site. Early pallet days cost $325.
- Be there
- JOGS and GJX both say venue staff will not sign for freight. A company rep has to be in the booth to receive.
- $0
- Warp: convention pickup and delivery, liftgate, delivery appointment, limited access and residential delivery, all $0 on the published tariff. The quoted price is the invoiced price.
Source: Hart Gem Shows, Denver exhibitor information and JOGS Tucson, exhibitor information and Hart Gem Shows, 22nd Street exhibitor page and Warp LTL tariff, accessorial charges. The show's exhibitor kit sets your dock, window and marshaling instructions and wins on anything here.
What rides as freight, and what does not
Minerals, fossils, crystals, geodes, beads, lapidary rough, cabochons in flats, display cases, lighting, tables, tents and booth fixtures are ordinary palletized freight and ride at the prices on these pages.
Precious metals and stones, artwork, antiques and museum items are prohibited commodities on Warp LTL (tariff Section 5), and cut gems and finished jewelry belong with the armored carriers the shows list.
The rule of thumb: if it is insured by the carat, it is not an LTL pallet.
Pack specimens in flats, band the flats to the pallet, and stretch wrap the whole load; the driver moves the pallet, never the flat.
What Warp does not do at a gem show
Forklift work, booth delivery, packing, crating or storage inside the venue: those are the show's freight desk, billed on its sheet.
Warp does not deliver before the show's receiving window, because the venue will not accept it.
For a whole booth on a dedicated 26 ft box truck, the liftgate is standard and the price is one number for the truck.
Frequently asked questions
Does Warp charge a convention center or trade show fee at a gem show?
No.
Convention and trade show pickup and delivery is a $0 line on Warp's published LTL tariff (Version 1.2), and so are the liftgate, the delivery appointment window, the limited access venue and a residential delivery.
The fuel surcharge is 0%. Legacy carriers publish $75 to $475 for limited access and $75 to $504 for liftgate on top of a variable trade show surcharge.
How much does it cost to ship a pallet home from a gem show?
$218.83 from the Denver show to Los Angeles, $278.68 from the Denver show to Dallas, $402.81 from the Denver show to Miami, $318.89 from the Denver show to Seattle, one pallet, all inclusive, as of September 16, 2026.
Any other pair prices in 10 seconds at the customer portal, and the quoted price is the invoiced price: no fuel surcharge, no cubic capacity or linear foot rerate, and the pickup at the venue, the liftgate and a residential delivery at $0.
Can Warp carry gemstones, cut stones or jewelry from a gem show?
No. Precious metals and stones, artwork, antiques and museum items are prohibited commodities on Warp LTL (tariff Section 5). Shows list armored carriers for that inventory.
Minerals, fossils, crystals, beads, lapidary rough, display cases and booth fixtures are ordinary palletized freight and ride at the quoted price.
Can freight arrive at a gem show before move in?
Not at the venue.
JOGS says advance shipments cannot be shipped directly to the Tucson Expo Center; GJX accepts nothing before the Saturday before opening at noon; the Denver show sells early delivery days and bills $450 for an unscheduled delivery with no pre-arrangement.
Book the Warp delivery against the receiving window in your exhibitor kit, or ship early freight to the advance handler named in that kit.
Who moves the pallet from the truck to my booth?
The show's freight desk, the contractor named in your exhibitor kit.
Warp delivers to the venue's receiving area and hands the pallet to the desk; forklift and booth delivery are its services at its published rates ($50 for the first pallet and $25 for each additional at the Denver show, for example).
Pallet jacks are banned on some show floors, so the desk's forklift is the only way in.
About the Warp freight network
More about the Warp freight network
Warp is a technology-driven freight network that combines cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL capacity under one operating system. Shippers get instant rates, real-time tracking, and access to 70+ cross-dock facilities and 14,000+ cargo vans and box trucks — with 80%+ US LTL zip-to-zip coverage and nationwide FTL, box truck, and cargo van.
The network is supported by 24,000+ vetted FTL carriers.
Unlike traditional brokers, Warp uses AI to match the right vehicle to every load based on weight, dimensions, urgency, and cost targets. Cross-dock operations reduce transit time by eliminating unnecessary terminal transfers.
Pool distribution and zone-skipping programs help enterprise shippers lower per-unit delivery costs while maintaining tight appointment windows.
Self-serve shippers can quote, compare, and book freight online in under two minutes. Enterprise accounts get dedicated capacity planning, committed rate programs, and a named operations team. Every shipment includes scan-level visibility from pickup through final delivery.
Warp operates across the contiguous United States with regional density in the Southeast, Texas, Midwest, and Northeast corridors, and West Coast and Southwest coverage from Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix.
Warp operates 70+ cross-dock facilities across the US, with named markets including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, New York, Savannah, Orlando, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Dallas-Fort Worth, Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Los Angeles. They support faster transfers and fewer touches on recurring lanes.
Freight modes and vehicle types
| Mode | Max payload | Max cube | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo van | 3,500 lbs | 400 cu ft | Time-sensitive, last-mile, light pallets |
| Box truck | 10,000 lbs | 1,500 cu ft | Regional distribution, no dock required |
| LTL | Per-pallet | Shared trailer | Lower per-pallet cost via cross-dock routing |
| Dry van / FTL | 42,000+ lbs | Full 53-ft trailer | High-volume lanes, recurring programs |
Cargo vans handle loads up to 3,500 pounds and 400 cubic feet, ideal for time-sensitive deliveries, last-mile retail replenishment, and lightweight palletized freight.
Box trucks carry up to 10,000 pounds and 1,500 cubic feet, fitting most regional distribution and store delivery needs without requiring a loading dock.
Dry vans and full truckloads move 42,000+ pounds for high-volume lanes and recurring programs. LTL shipments share trailer space on optimized routes through Warp cross-docks, reducing per-pallet cost by consolidating multiple shippers on the same vehicle.
Warp does not default every shipment to a 53-foot trailer. The AI engine evaluates load weight, cube, delivery window, and cost to recommend the right vehicle. Shippers see all available mode options with live pricing in one comparison screen before booking.
Cross-dock operations
Cross-docking at Warp facilities keeps freight moving instead of storing it: inbound freight is sorted and transferred directly to outbound vehicles, typically within hours. When inventory does need to sit, Warp's fulfillment centers in Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New Jersey hold it inside the same network, with same day delivery within 30 miles of each.
This reduces dwell time, lowers damage risk, and compresses delivery windows. Warp cross-docks support pallet-in, pallet-out operations with scan-level tracking at every handoff point.
- Atlanta — Southeast retail flow
- Chicago — Midwest manufacturing and replenishment
- Houston — Texas industrial distribution
- New York — dense Northeast delivery
Facility locations are selected for corridor density: Atlanta handles Southeast retail flow, Chicago serves Midwest manufacturing and replenishment, Houston covers Texas industrial distribution, and New York supports dense Northeast delivery. Each facility operates on appointment-based scheduling to prevent congestion and maintain throughput consistency.
Enterprise freight programs
Enterprise shippers get committed rate programs, dedicated account management, and custom SLA design. Warp builds lane-by-lane rate structures that account for volume commitments, seasonal variation, and mode flexibility. Operations teams monitor shipment execution daily and intervene proactively when exceptions occur.
Self-serve freight quoting
Shippers enter origin and destination, load details, and delivery requirements to see live rates across all available modes. Quotes include estimated transit time, vehicle type, and total cost.
Booking takes one click. After booking, shippers track every shipment with real-time GPS location, milestone updates, and proof of delivery documentation.
Industries and use cases
Retail shippers use Warp for store replenishment programs that deliver to hundreds of locations per week on tight appointment windows. Apparel brands use zone skipping to bypass regional parcel sortation and reduce per-unit delivery cost.
Food and beverage companies rely on time-definite delivery for perishable goods. Manufacturing operations use Warp for inbound vendor consolidation, combining multiple supplier shipments into fewer, fuller loads through cross-dock facilities.
Distribution companies use pool distribution to serve multiple delivery points from a single origin, splitting full truckloads at cross-docks into smaller last-mile vehicles.
Urgent freight recovery covers emergency capacity needs when primary carriers fail or demand spikes unexpectedly. Middle-mile optimization reduces cost and transit time on the longest segment of multi-leg shipments.
Get a rate to or from the show.
Tucson prices live by venue; Denver prints its lanes. Convention pickup, liftgate and the appointment window are $0, and the quoted price is the invoiced price.
14,000+ box trucks and cargo vans · 50+ metros · Appointment pickup · Liftgate standard · 98.2% on-time
Performance figures are computed from Warp network data. See our methodology.
By Troy Lester