Guide · checked November 8, 2026
How to check your SEMA 2026 material-handling invoice
Material handling (also called drayage) is the exclusive service of moving your freight from the dock or warehouse to your booth and back. It is billed by weight. Here is what to check on the final invoice, and what the published sources say.
What SEMA publishes
- Rate: $1.11 per pound for warehouse or show-site material handling at the advance rate (deadline October 22).
- After the deadline: $1.39 per pound.
- Allowance: the official price sheet says exhibitors with 800 sq ft or less receive their first 500 lb of freight free, with no restrictions.
- Small shipments: a qualifying shipment of 10 lb or less is free, per shipment.
Sources: the SEMA common booth rental items sheet and the exhibitor FAQ, both checked on the date above. Show terms change, so use the order form you actually signed.
A conflict to resolve before you rely on the allowance
The price sheet and the FAQ's general answer say 800 sq ft. The FAQ's answer about delivering freight in your own vehicle says 400 sq ft. If your booth is between 401 and 800 sq ft, get the applicable threshold confirmed in writing by the service desk before you ask for a credit.
The checklist
- Gather the file: final invoice, the full account statement, weight tickets or bills of lading, booth confirmation, and the material-handling order form.
- Match weights: does each billed weight equal the weight ticket for that shipment?
- Check the rate: $1.11 or $1.39, and does it match the date the freight arrived?
- Check the allowance: if your booth qualifies, the free 500 lb should appear once for the show, not once per shipment.
- Look for credits elsewhere: a credit memo may already be on another page of the statement. Count it once.
- Look at duplicates carefully: the same shipment on two invoices is a duplicate only if no reversal or void connects them. A replacement invoice is usually paired with a reversal.
- Check the arithmetic: pounds × rate should equal the line amount.
- Ask, don't accuse: send the contractor a specific question with the documents attached. Keep paying by the stated deadline.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and no refund or credit is guaranteed.
Want a second pair of eyes?
BoothBill reviews one handling invoice for $149 and returns an evidence report you can send. If your exhibit house already reviews these invoices, you don't need us.