Freight and Logistics Operation Treats a National Treasure as Carefully as if it Were Alive

US – Historically the old fossils on the News Desk here at the Handy Shipping Guide have always been inundated by emails of the latest and greatest freight shipments, and our skeleton staff have no bones about discarding the boring ones. Sometimes however something comes along that is truly deserving of a rapturous round applause when a subsidiary of an international logistics behemoth, FedEx Custom Critical, safely transported the remains of a rare Tyrannosaurus Rex from the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana way east to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The 65 million-year-old fossil, named The Nation’s T-Rex, will be on display at the Smithsonian where it is on loan for 50 years. It is intended to be the centrepiece of the new dinosaur hall at the Museum, which is slated to open in 2019. Measuring 38 feet long and weighing seven tonnes, the T-Rex made the 2,300 mile journey from Montana to Washington, D.C., on a specially-branded FedEx Custom Critical truck, carefully packed inside 16 wooden crates. The truck, driven by a husband-and-wife team, was equipped with the latest in innovative technology, including a GPS system programmed with the optimal route identified by the FedEx Custom Critical White Glove Services team.

Throughout the four-day journey, proactive monitoring and visibility were provided through ShipmentWatch, a new FedEx Custom Critical Service that utilises SenseAware® devices to observe the shipment’s defined specifications such as temperature (to be kept at a steady 22^oC), humidity, light exposure and barometric pressure while in transit. FedEx say that this unique offering is what makes them the logistics carrier of choice when it comes to the safe delivery of priceless artefacts such as the T-Rex. Virginia Albanese, President and CEO of FedEx Custom Critical said: 

“FedEx Custom Critical has the experience and expertise in delivering some of the world’s most precious cargo, and this unique shipment showcases our ability to once again create a perfectly tailored solution for our customer. We are thrilled to have collaborated with the Smithsonian to deliver such an important piece of history to our nation’s capital.”

Montana rancher Kathy Wankel first discovered an ‘arm’ bone of the dinosaur in 1988 in the Fort Peck Reservoir—the first T-Rex arm bone ever found. After bringing the bone to the Museum of the Rockies, a team initiated an intense excavation around the reservoir. The search resulted in the unearthing of 80% of the dinosaur’s skeleton. The Nation’s T-Rex is now regarded as one of the most complete specimens known to man.