Imaging systems, lab analyzers, surgical robotics, and clinical equipment need specialty freight, not commodity LTL. Air-ride, climate control, FDA chain-of-custody documentation, inside delivery, OEM-coordinated install. Hospitals, imaging centers, biotech labs, and OEM service organizations book through ATI.
📞 Get Specialty Rate: (786) 574-5774 ✉ rates@ship-ati.comA 3T MRI magnet weighs roughly 10,000 to 14,000 pounds, has cryogen tanks if it’s superconducting, holds field strength that re-shimming after a rough move can take a service engineer two days to restore, and represents $1.5 to $3 million of replacement value. A standard LTL carrier picking this up off a dock with a forklift and bouncing it 1,200 miles on leaf-spring suspension is not a freight solution — it’s a service-recovery event waiting to happen.
The same logic applies down the equipment list. A Roche cobas chemistry analyzer holds onboard reagents that go out of spec above 86 degrees F. A Da Vinci surgical robot has optics that can’t tolerate the kind of vibration a normal box-truck rides expose them to. Even a portable ultrasound, light enough for one person to lift, is a $40,000 to $200,000 device with calibrated transducers worth more than the chassis. Medical freight is specialty freight all the way down.
OEM service manuals for major imaging and analytical instruments specify maximum shock and vibration during transport, typically expressed in g-force tolerances at defined frequencies. Air-ride truck suspensions attenuate road shock by an order of magnitude versus leaf-spring trailers. For most imaging systems and lab analyzers, the OEM requires air-ride to preserve the factory calibration warranty.
ATI’s medical equipment shipments dispatch on air-ride trailers as a default. Drivers carry a vibration-recording instrument (a g-force data logger) attached to the equipment for the duration of the run. If the manufacturer’s threshold is exceeded, the data is available for the post-installation calibration check and any service-engineer recovery work.
The general rule: if it has onboard reagents, batteries, optics, or a manufacturer-specified storage temperature range tighter than ambient, it needs climate-controlled transport. That includes most lab analyzers, refrigerated centrifuges, PCR thermocyclers, and certain imaging systems with sensitive electronics. Climate-controlled trailers maintain a specified temperature window (typically 60 to 75 degrees F for medical loads) and provide a temperature log for the duration of the run.
Hot-summer Texas-to-Maine moves and winter Minnesota-to-Phoenix moves both fail without climate control. The carrier’s temperature log is part of the chain-of-custody documentation that hospital biomedical and laboratory directors will ask for at receiving.
Air-ride · Climate · White-glove install · OEM-coordinated
Medical equipment doesn’t require FDA approval to ship, but resold or relocated devices fall under several adjacent rules: FDA registration of refurbishers, manufacturer service-warranty preservation, and (for hospitals and imaging centers) Joint Commission requirements for documented equipment custody during relocations. ATI provides documentation appropriate to the shipper’s requirements: bill of lading with itemized serial numbers, photo documentation at pickup and delivery, vibration and temperature logs, and signed condition reports at both ends.
For shipments where the OEM is performing the uninstall and reinstall, ATI coordinates the carrier’s arrival window with the OEM service-engineer schedule so the equipment isn’t sitting on a dock waiting for engineering coverage.
Most medical equipment can’t be unloaded onto a dock and pushed into a clinical environment by the receiving team — it weighs more than they can move, the floor needs protection, and the room placement is precise. ATI’s white-glove medical delivery includes inside delivery to the final room, uncrating, debris removal, and final positioning to floor markings. From there the OEM service engineer takes over for hookup, calibration, and commissioning. See our general white-glove delivery services guide for the broader process.
| Shipment | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Portable ultrasound (regional) | $800–$2,200 | Sprinter / straight truck, air-ride |
| Lab analyzer (mid-size) | $2,500–$8,500 | Climate, air-ride, white-glove |
| C-arm or mobile X-ray | $1,800–$5,500 | Air-ride straight truck |
| CT scanner (used relocation) | $4,000–$18,000 | Truck-only; OEM uninstall/reinstall separate |
| MRI relocation (truck-only) | $8,000–$25,000 | Cryogen handling, rigging extra |
| MRI full uninstall + ship + reinstall | $35,000–$120,000 | OEM-managed; turnkey |
Need to validate classification for accessory shipments? Use the ATI freight class calculator for NMFC lookup.
ATI coordinates specialty medical equipment freight nationwide on air-ride, climate-controlled, and white-glove equipped capacity. We work with hospitals, imaging centers, OEM service organizations, biomed dealers, and biotech labs to move imaging systems, lab analyzers, surgical robotics, and clinical equipment with the documentation and chain-of-custody requirements specialty freight demands.
Call (786) 574-5774 or email rates@ship-ati.com for a medical freight quote.
Air-ride, climate-controlled, white-glove inside delivery. OEM-coordinated install.
📞 (786) 574-5774 ✉ rates@ship-ati.com