Trade show shipping at the freight price. Convention fee $0, liftgate $0, fuel 0%.
Quote it online in 10 seconds and book by the pallet on LTL or the whole 26ft box truck, with the appointment window aligned to move-in. Convention delivery, liftgate, appointment and limited access are $0. Drayage from the dock to the booth is the show's bill, and we say so up front.
By Troy Lester, Co-Founder & CRO
14,000+ box trucks and cargo vans · 50+ metros · Appointment delivery · Liftgate standard · 98.2% on-time
Live all-inclusive rates
Warp customers
Every show is two bills. Warp prices the first one in full and none of the second, and says so before you book.
Warp rows: LTL Tariff, Version 1.2, published in full. Legacy ranges: published tariffs from FedEx Freight, Old Dominion, XPO, Estes, SAIA, ABF and R+L. Contractor rows: The Exhibitor Advocate 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates (224 exhibitor manuals, 23 cities) and published Shepard and GES material handling terms.
What trade show shipping costs on Warp
The freight leg to the venue prices like any Warp lane, per pallet on LTL or per truck on a 26ft box truck, quoted online, with convention delivery, liftgate, appointment and limited access at $0 and fuel at 0%.
From live Warp LTL rates, one pallet Los Angeles to Las Vegas is $199.48 with 2 day transit, and one pallet Indianapolis to Chicago is $230.91 with 2 day transit (as of October 13, 2026).
Both are all inclusive: the liftgate at the dock, the delivery appointment window, the limited access venue and the convention delivery flag add nothing, and the invoice matches the quote.
For a full booth, price the 26ft box truck on the same quote; it's one number for the whole truck.
The part of the show bill Warp can't touch is material handling inside the venue, which the show's contractor bills after the event at $2.28 per pound on average in 2025, with a 200 lb minimum per piece.
The figure above shows both bills side by side. Nobody else in the category quotes this online; every incumbent, including the official contractors, works from a request form and a callback.
In the quoted rate, at $0
- Convention and trade show delivery
- Liftgate at the receiving dock
- Delivery appointment window
- Limited access venue
- Fuel surcharge, 0%
Never added after booking
- Cubic capacity reclass after delivery
- Linear foot penalty
- Rebill above the quote
- Membership, account or platform fee
Pick the venue, get the rate
Six convention centers, one tap each; the destination ZIP fills itself and you type the origin.
Las Vegas and Chicago have their own pages with every priced origin listed.
For any other venue, pick it here or type its ZIP, and the rate comes back in 10 seconds with convention delivery, liftgate, appointment and limited access already at $0.
Book it from the quote, or price the 26ft box truck for a full booth on the same screen.
Pick the venue. The destination fills itself; you type the origin.
Quote a move to any venue
Convention delivery, liftgate, appointment and limited access at $0. The quoted price is the invoiced price.
All-inclusive per-pallet pricing · No signup required
Who ships trade show freight with Warp
Exhibitors at corporate shows, B2B trade conferences, and consumer expos. Exhibit houses moving displays between shows. Event planners coordinating freight across multiple sponsors.
AV and production companies delivering gear to venues. Marketing teams shipping branded crates, demo equipment, and printed material.
The common thread: time-windowed delivery to a venue with specific receiving rules.
How appointment delivery works at a convention center
Most venues operate on a tight move-in schedule with assigned drop windows by exhibitor.
Warp coordinates the appointment delivery time during booking; the driver arrives within the window and checks in at the marshaling yard or assigned dock per venue policy.
The driver provides bill of lading, signed proof of delivery, and photo confirmation.
For shows that use a drayage provider for the final last mile from receiving to booth, Warp's delivery completes at the show's receiving point and drayage takes the freight from there.
Box truck vs cargo van for show freight
For full pallets, crated displays, or freight totaling 4 or more pallets, the 26ft box truck with liftgate is the right vehicle. It handles full booth shipments with a ramp to ground level.
For crates, smaller case goods, or 1-3 pallets, a cargo van is faster and cheaper. Both modes get dedicated dispatch, appointment windows, and the same tracking.
Use the customer portal to compare both rates side by side.
Common convention venues served
Las Vegas Convention Center, McCormick Place Chicago, Javits Center New York, Orange County Convention Center Orlando, Moscone San Francisco, Anaheim Convention Center, Atlanta International Convention Center, Walter E. Washington Convention Center DC, Kay Bailey Hutchison Dallas, NRG Park Houston, Cobo / Huntington Place Detroit, Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia, plus dozens of regional centers.
Warp dispatches local carriers familiar with each venue's receiving rules.
The Las Vegas Convention Center and McCormick Place each have their own page below, with priced lanes in and the venue's published receiving rules.
What Warp does not do at the venue
Booth setup, display assembly, AV installation, drayage handling beyond delivery to the show's receiving point, or unloading inside the booth space.
Warp delivers the freight to the venue per the show's receiving policy. Your exhibit house, your AV team, or the show's drayage provider handles the inside-booth work from there.
Two-man crew accessorial is available for heavy crates that need careful unloading at the receiving dock.
Recurring program for multi-show exhibitors
Brands and exhibit houses running 6+ shows per year typically benefit from a recurring program with dedicated drivers and locked per-show rates.
Warp builds the program around your show calendar and standing freight requirements (vehicle type, crew, appointment latitude).
For one-off shows, the customer portal handles per-load booking without a contract.
Frequently asked questions
How much does trade show shipping cost?
Two bills. The freight leg, from your dock to the venue's receiving dock, prices on Warp like any lane: per pallet on LTL or per truck on a 26ft box truck, quoted online in 10 seconds.
One pallet Los Angeles to Las Vegas is $199.48 with 2 day transit (as of October 13, 2026), and convention delivery, liftgate, appointment and limited access are $0 with a 0% fuel surcharge.
The second bill is material handling at the venue, billed by the show's contractor after the show: $2.28 per pound on average in 2025 with a 200 lb minimum per piece, per The Exhibitor Advocate's annual survey of 224 exhibitor manuals.
Warp's quote covers the first bill in full and none of the second.
Does Warp charge a trade show or convention fee?
No. Convention and trade show delivery is a $0 line on Warp's published LTL tariff (Version 1.2), and it's a selectable option when you book, so the driver arrives briefed for venue check in.
Legacy carriers list it as a variable surcharge on top of $75 to $475 for limited access and $75 to $504 for liftgate. On Warp those are $0 too, and the quoted price is the invoiced price.
What is trade show drayage, and is it in the Warp price?
At a trade show, drayage means material handling: the show contractor moving your freight from the venue's receiving dock or advance warehouse to your booth, and back out at move-out.
It's billed per hundred pounds with a minimum per piece, and it's the line exhibitors get surprised by weeks after the show.
It isn't in the Warp price, and no carrier can include it, because the show contractor holds it by exclusive contract.
Warp prices the leg you can shop, tells you where it stops, and never adds a fee at the dock.
Will Warp deliver directly to my booth?
It depends on the venue. Many convention centers require all inbound freight to drop at a marshaling yard or central receiving dock; the show's drayage provider handles the final move to the booth.
Warp completes delivery at the venue's designated receiving point per show policy. Some smaller venues allow direct to booth delivery; confirm during booking.
Can Warp pick up freight from the show at the end of the event?
Yes. Outbound pickup is booked the same way as inbound delivery.
Schedule the pickup appointment window aligned to show move-out, and Warp dispatches a vehicle to collect from the venue's outbound receiving point.
Two-man crew and liftgate accessorials are available for heavy crates.
Does Warp do booth setup or display assembly?
No. Warp delivers and picks up the freight.
Booth setup, display assembly, AV install, and break-down are handled by your team, your exhibit house, or the show's installation and dismantle (I&D) provider.
What about drayage charges from the show provider?
Drayage is a separate charge billed by the venue's contracted drayage provider (typically GES, Freeman, or Shepard depending on the show), per hundred pounds with a minimum per piece: $2.28 per pound on average across 224 exhibitor manuals in 2025, per The Exhibitor Advocate.
Warp's rate covers delivery to the venue's receiving point; drayage from receiving to your booth is the show's contracted service and not included in the Warp invoice.
How do appointment windows work?
Warp confirms the delivery window during booking based on the show's published move-in schedule and the venue's receiving capacity. Most appointments run 2-4 hours wide.
Tight one hour windows are available on qualifying lanes; request during booking.
Can I track the freight in real time?
Yes. Every shipment includes live GPS from the Warp driver app, scan events at pickup and delivery, photo proof of delivery, and electronic signature.
Track from the Warp dashboard or via REST API integration with your TMS.
What if my freight is refrigerated or temperature-sensitive?
Temperature-controlled box trucks are available for food service, pharma, and other cold-chain freight requirements. Request during booking.
Cargo vans are not refrigerated; use a box truck for temperature controlled show freight.
About the Warp freight network
More about the Warp freight network
Warp is the open source freight network: the tech is free and the network is open. We run Warp LTL, our own carrier, Warp FTL, cargo van, box truck and fulfillment ourselves, with every major LTL carrier, parcel, ocean and air plugged in beside them. Our driver app rides on every truck and our warehouse app runs every cross-dock, so an open network of 38,000+ carriers behaves like one carrier you control. Warp is licensed by the FMCSA as a property broker and freight forwarder, and runs the network itself: instant rates, live tracking, 70+ cross-dock facilities, 14,000+ cargo vans and box trucks, 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 quote for your next show.
One-off show delivery quotes are self-serve at the customer portal, with the convention delivery fee at $0. For multi-show exhibitors or exhibit houses with recurring needs, talk to Warp about a program.
14,000+ box trucks and cargo vans · 50+ metros · Appointment delivery · Liftgate standard · 98.2% on-time
Performance figures are computed from Warp network data. See our methodology.
By Troy Lester