Shipping container delivery
Shipping containers are delivered on trucks and the type of delivery truck will depend on the size of the container and delivery destination.
Shipping containers are delivered on tilt trailers. These trailers back into position and tilt the container down into the desired location without assistance. The delivery process should take 15-20 minutes.
CONTAINER DELIVERY WITH TILT BED TRAILERS
SAMPLE SHIPPING CONTAINER DELIVERY VIDEO
Each container is delivered at ground level using a hydraulic tilt trailer. This means that the truck deck will extend out and then upwards which will tilt the back of the container down onto the ground. Once in place, the truck will then move forward slowly until the container is lowered completely into its final placement.
DOOR LOADING DIRECTION
Standard shipping containers have doors on one end. The truck backs into position to tilt the container onto the ground. If the doors are loaded facing the CAB of the truck, they will be the last part of the container to be placed on the ground. If door are loaded facing the rear of the truck, they will be placed into position first. For more information, click here.
GROUND PREPERATION
As the combined weight of the trailer & container can exceed 50,000lbs, the ground must be firm and dry to prevent the trailer from sinking. The container must also be placed on level ground. The following surfaces are recommended: concrete pad, pavement, crushed gravel base, railroad ties, etc. For more information, click here.
SITE ACCESS
The delivery truck must be able to easily enter the property and maneuver once on site. This can be an issue for 40’ containers that arrive on 53’L trailers. These trailers are unable to make sharp 90-degree turns from two lane highways or narrow entrances. Obstructions on site such as parked cars, heavy traffic, low powerlines, etc. must also be considered. For more information, click here.
STRAIGHT LINE CLEARANCE
Once the trailer has entered the property, the site must have sufficient width (15’W), height (18’H) and straight-line clearance to drop the container unassisted. For the delivery of a 20’ container, the truck will require a minimum of 65 ft of straight-line clearance. For the delivery of a 40’ container, the truck will require a minimum of 110 ft of straight-line clearance. For more information, click here.
CONTAINER DELIVERY WITH A FLATBED TRAILER
If your container delivery is outside of a major city or in a remote location, it is usually more cost effective to deliver a container with a flatbed trailer. Flatbed trailers are the most common methods of long-distance transport and more cost effective per km.
The shipping container will sit on the deck of the flatbed trailer. The deck is fixed and machinery such as a crane, boom truck or forklift will be required to unload the shipping container from the truck. For more information, click here.
CONTAINER DELIVERY WITH A STEP DECK FLATBED TRAILER
Flatbed trailers were designed to transport standard height shipping containers which are 8’6”H. Within the past decade, the shipping industry has been using high cube containers more frequently, which are one foot taller than standard height containers (9’6”H). These high cube containers require a lower deck, known as a step deck or drop deck, to transport these containers and ensure they respect legal road height limitations.
A step deck is lower to the ground, with a fixed deck and also requires machinery to unload the truck such as a crane, boom truck or forklift. For more information, click here.
MOVING A CONTAINER?
Tilt trailers which are used for container deliveries are not able to lift containers that are loaded. Customers looking to have their loaded container moved or exported, will require machinery such as a crane or heavy duty forklift to lift the container from the ground. If this service is required, we recommend customers arrange their own transport.
Our trailers cannot move loaded containers.