Craters & Freighters operates as a premises-based specialty freight service center. The franchisee sells custom crating, packaging, pickup, shipping, storage, logistics and related delivery services to business and residential customers, then manages each job through quoting, handling, fabrication, carrier coordination and reporting under the franchisor’s software, manuals and territory rules.
A Craters & Freighters Franchised Business turns an item-specific shipping problem into a managed project: the unit qualifies the job, prices it, picks up or receives the item, designs and builds protective packaging, coordinates private carriers, manages delivery and records the transaction. Craters & Freighters Franchise Company controls the System Standards, Proprietary Software, online presence, approved inputs, national-account rules and audit access.
What does a Craters & Freighters unit sell, and who buys it?
The unit sells project-based crating, packaging and freight services rather than a standardized retail parcel transaction. Customers include companies, institutions and individuals with fragile, heavy, oversized, valuable, awkward or time-sensitive items.
Commercial work
The authorized service set includes custom crating and packaging, pickup and delivery, storage, transportation, logistics, freight forwarding and related receiving services. The official commercial-services portfolio shows demand from industrial, aerospace, medical, technology, military, auction and other organizational customers.
Residential work
The residential-services portfolio includes art, antiques, furniture, estate moves, senior moves, motorcycles and other personal assets. The same operational core applies: assess the item, specify protection, arrange handling and complete the shipment or local delivery.
The unit may perform pack-and-crate-only, transportation-only or end-to-end work. Official shipping-service descriptions include domestic, international, air, ocean, freight forwarding, pickup and delivery, and white-glove options; custom crating may occur at the warehouse or at the customer’s location.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 1–3; Item 16, pp. 29–30; Exhibit B, Operations Manual table of contents.
How does work move through the unit?
A job begins with a lead or service request and becomes an item-specific quote. The Proprietary Software then supports job flow from qualification through container design, scheduling, transportation management and reporting.
Lead intake
- Actor
- Lead Salesperson, unit team, franchisor channels or CFGL.
- Action
- Receive a local inquiry, geosite lead, referral, call-center contact or National Account assignment.
- Required system or asset
- Franchisee Geosite, approved email and Proprietary Software.
- Output
- Qualified request assigned to the servicing Territory.
Scope and quote
- Actor
- Lead Salesperson and trained unit personnel.
- Action
- Collect item details, dimensions, weight, value, origin, destination, deadline and handling needs; recommend the approach.
- Required system or asset
- Central-platform CRM, quoting and custom-container design.
- Output
- Customer-approved scope, price and schedule.
Receive or pick up
- Actor
- Franchisee employees or supervised contractors.
- Action
- Accept a customer drop-off or collect the item and move it to the Premises when work is not performed on-site.
- Required system or asset
- Required box truck with hydraulic liftgate and warehouse handling equipment.
- Output
- Item controlled by the unit and ready for preparation.
Package and crate
- Actor
- Trained warehouse personnel.
- Action
- Design, fabricate, block, brace, cushion and label the shipment for its item, mode and destination.
- Required system or asset
- Lumber, corrugated material, foams, fasteners, tools, scale, packing systems and forklift when required.
- Output
- Protected shipment ready for transport or customer release.
Transport and deliver
- Actor
- Unit personnel, private carriers and delivery providers.
- Action
- Arrange truck, air or ocean movement, shipping documents, cargo-insurance options and delivery requirements.
- Required system or asset
- Transportation management, carrier information and the system-wide insurance program.
- Output
- Completed delivery or documented handoff.
Close and report
- Actor
- Franchisee management and accounting personnel.
- Action
- Record the job, handle complaints or refunds, preserve Business Records and submit sales and insurance reports.
- Required system or asset
- Operating platform, accounting software and retained records.
- Output
- Closed customer file and monthly franchisor reporting.
The official quote-request form confirms the intake fields used to frame a job, while the brand’s pickup-and-delivery page confirms warehouse pickup, customer drop-off and white-glove variants. The FDD does not disclose a mandatory customer-payment processor or a detailed collection sequence.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 8, pp. 12–14; Item 11, pp. 15–23; Agreement §§5.4, 6.6–6.11, 6.15 and 11.1–11.3.
Who performs each operating function?
The franchisee controls the unit’s day-to-day labor and execution. The franchisor and its affiliates supply standards, channels, software, support and national-account administration; carriers, insurers and approved suppliers provide critical external inputs.
Franchisee organization
- Owner directs management full time unless an approved Designated Manager runs day-to-day operations.
- Lead Salesperson directs lead generation and daily customer sales.
- Warehouse personnel and supervised contractors perform crating, packing, pickup, handling and delivery.
- Franchisee controls staffing, compensation, complaints, refunds, licenses and workplace safety.
Franchisor and affiliates
- Craters & Freighters Franchise Company maintains System Standards, Operations Manuals, Proprietary Software and the Franchisee Geosite.
- CFGL administers the National Accounts Program; Network Logistics administers optional MyFreightPortal.com.
- The franchisor manages the Marketing Fund, advertising approval, support and periodic training.
Third parties
- Private carriers execute truck, air, ocean and other freight movements.
- The designated insurance supplier supports packers legal liability and cargo insurance; approved suppliers provide other inputs.
- Outside vendors may receive National Account work the local unit cannot perform.
This is not disclosed as an absentee model. The owner must personally participate in direct management on a full-time basis unless the franchisor approves a Designated Manager in writing. Even with that manager, the franchisee remains responsible for every Franchise Agreement and Operations Manual obligation.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 15, p. 29; Agreement §§5.15, 6.11 and 6.20.
Which systems, suppliers and assets are mandatory?
The unit depends on a mandatory operating platform, approved communications and accounting tools, a warehouse production environment, a liftgate box truck, specified packing inputs and a designated insurance arrangement.
Technology and records
- Proprietary Software
- Mandatory platform for CRM, quoting, job flow, container design, calendaring, transportation management and royalty reporting.
- Franchisee Geosite and email
- The franchisor controls the geosite domain and content and establishes approved unit email accounts.
- Local technology
- The unit supplies hardware, high-speed internet, data-processing software and an accounting program such as QuickBooks Pro.
- Business Records
- The franchisor claims ownership of customer and operating records and broad reporting-system access.
Physical inputs and suppliers
- Premises and vehicle
- The industrial Premises needs warehouse capacity and freight access; required assets include a 16- to 26-foot liftgate box truck.
- Production inputs
- Tools, packing systems, forklift when required, scale, lumber, corrugated material, foams and fasteners must meet System Standards.
- Supplier classification
- Insurance uses a designated supplier. Other inputs require approved suppliers, compliant sources or written alternative-supplier approval.
- Approval process
- The franchisor states a 30-day review period and may revoke supplier approval.
Operational data is not confined to the local unit. The platform is both the job-processing system and reporting channel, while the Agreement permits the franchisor, its affiliates and designees to retrieve Business Records and inspect associated equipment.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 6, pp. 5–9; Item 8, pp. 12–14; Item 11, pp. 15–23; Agreement §§5.4–5.6, 6.6–6.9 and 11.2.
How do Territory, channel and pricing rules affect operations?
The Territory is exclusive for another Craters & Freighters-branded outlet, but it is not an exclusive claim on every customer or channel. Customer choice, national accounts, alternative distribution and approved adjacent-market work create important exceptions.
The exclusive Territory protects against another outlet using the Craters & Freighters Marks inside its counties, but not against the franchisor’s national accounts, Internet or other reserved channels. Another franchisee may also serve a customer located in the Territory when that customer chooses the other unit.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 12, pp. 23–25; Item 16, pp. 29–30; Agreement §§1.2–1.5, 6.17 and 9.1–10.
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
The U.S. system ended 2025 with 65 outlets: 64 franchised and one in the company-owned category. Total outlet count was unchanged from 2024, but the composition shifted by one outlet.
Interpretation: the network added one franchised outlet in 2024, then in 2025 one Rhode Island outlet moved from franchised status to the company-owned category. Item 1 identifies the operator as affiliate Chair One Partners, LLC.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 20, Tables 1, 3 and 4, pages 38–42; Item 1, page 1. Counts reconcile to totals of 64, 65 and 65 outlets.
Which operating decisions remain with the franchisee?
The franchisee retains control of daily execution and employment decisions, but that discretion operates inside detailed product, technology, marketing, data, supplier, territory and quality requirements.
- Staffing: hire, fire, compensate, schedule, train and supervise employees and independent contractors; the FDD does not prescribe a headcount.
- Local management: direct daily workflow, customer communication, job scheduling, safety and complaint handling, while meeting minimum operating hours in the Operations Manuals.
- Pricing: set ordinary local prices, except for National Account terms and maximum prices imposed for specified promotions.
- Supplier choice: buy from approved sources or sources meeting specifications, and propose an alternative supplier for written approval.
- Local demand generation: choose compliant local tactics and spending inside the Territory, but obtain approval for materials and avoid unauthorized Internet use of the Marks.
- Job execution: select the authorized service configuration and manage the customer promise, provided the unit follows System Standards, carrier requirements and applicable law.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11, 12, 15 and 16; Agreement §§5.15, 6.10–6.20 and 9.1–9.6.
What operating questions remain undisclosed or location-specific?
The FDD defines control rights and required infrastructure, but it does not disclose a standard unit headcount, shift plan, customer-payment stack, average job mix or exact day-to-day allocation of sales, warehouse and driving labor.
- Role coverage: ask how units divide Lead Salesperson, estimating, fabrication, driving, bookkeeping and management duties.
- Carrier workflow: verify local carriers, claims administration and use of MyFreightPortal.com.
- Premises utilization: confirm warehouse size, dock configuration, forklift needs, storage and on-site job mix.
- Lead allocation: document routing and acceptance of geosite, corporate, referral and National Account leads.
- Technology boundaries: request a demonstration of quoting, job status, container design, reporting, accounting integration and data access.
- Territory performance: review counties, Minimum Performance Standards, adjacent areas and reserved national and Internet channels.
How does the system operate after opening?
The central mechanism is a project sale combining protective packaging, pickup, freight coordination and delivery. The franchisee’s primary responsibility is converting a qualified request into a safely executed job through trained people, warehouse assets and private carriers.
The strongest dependency is the franchisor-controlled platform, Operations Manuals, System Standards, unit geosite, data access, supplier approval and National Accounts Program. An exclusive Territory protects the branded outlet location, not every customer or channel. The largest question is the local staffing and job mix needed for sales, fabrication, driving and administration.
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