As we always try to help, here is our 5th part of the Frequently Asked Questions about Shipping Containers. Hope we can answer a few more of your questions and help you better understand the delivery process of a shipping container.
21. Do I need to do any site preparation before receiving the shipping container?
Most of the time the companies that sell and deliver don’t offer the site prep included in the price, or those who offer this option will always be extra. So discuss with your sales agent if they offer site prep or not. And to be honest why not do it yourself and save some money, since it’s not that hard at all. You just need to make sure the ground is leveled so the unit won’t sit crooked ( if it does, then you might have problems with operating the doors ). You can put gravel, asphalt, tarmac pad, and use some railroad ties or wooden beams that you can use while unloading. Clear any debris , cut frowns , limbs or tree branches that are in the way or above the delivery site. You have a full blog post about ground preparation for the shipping container here, so read it as well, it will help you for sure.
22. What are the delivery space required for delivery and placement of a shipping container?
Depending on the shipping container length, you need more or less space for unloading. So for unloading the unit with a roll off trailer , you would need 100-120t length for the 40ft units and 80-100ft length for the 20ft units, if they deliver with the 40ft trailer. If in some cases they can deliver with a short trailer, you then need 60-80ft length, and might need to pay a little extra sometimes for the specialty short trailer. All shipping containers are 8ft wide so delivery would require at least 10-12ft width for narrow spots to pass through if there are any gates or delivery between other equipment on your property. Height clearance is also important so they would need 11-12 ft height when the container is flat on the trailer and 14-16ft height clearance when tilting the bed. SO make sure that the area is cleared and no trees, powerlines or other obstacles are hanging around the delivery site. You can check the video on our main page to see how unloading takes place.
23. What type of vehicle would be delivering the shipping containers
Now most of the companies that will deliver nowadays, have a gooseneck tilt bed trailer, they are lighter and more maneuverable than a semi truck. The tilt bed trailer has the capability to slide the container off of the truck bed and into position on your property, calling it Roll Off Delivery. Containers can also be delivered on a flatbed, but this requires you to have the proper equipment, such as a forklift, to offload them at your site or do a more complicated and risky unloading, called Drag Off Delivery.
24. Does delivery of a shipping container can happen during the weekends or holidays?
Depending on each company, carrier companies and depots it can be or not a weekend or holiday delivery. Our partner company USA Containers in some areas can deliver during the weekends, only if they preload during the weekdays, because 99% of the time the depots are not operating during the weekend, or don’t have a lift operator available. In most service areas we are able to get your container delivered on the weekend. This depends on transportation availability and schedules and typically additional fees are associated.
25. Can the shipping containers be delivered in rainy / snowy conditions or off-road?
Weather greatly affects shipping container deliveries. The trucks that deliver the units are 4WD so off-road delivery would be most likely ok. Everything depends on the ground condition, because the trailers are not 4WD and are going to sink if the ground is too soft. When it comes to snow, the delivery can happen but you have to make sure the ground is firm enough or maybe frozen so the truck and trailer won’t sink during unloading. Please also be aware the container transportation moves much slower during bad weather conditions.
Hope we got a few more answers for you that will help in your search for the best shipping containers. Hope you keep reading our blog and be ready for our next awesome post.
