Once you have purchased your shipping container, it’s time to prepare for its delivery at your site. This ensures the safety of the driver and a seamless delivery process overall. Failure to prepare beforehand could result in fees from your shipping container provider. For instance, here at A&M, we may charge you a dead run fee if our drivers are unable to safely deliver or pick up the container.
Let’s go over ways in which you can adequately prepare yourself and our drivers for the arrival of your container.
Space Requirements
Lots and lots of space: this is what delivery drivers need to navigate the area and drop off the container. That’s because the trucks are very big and have to make wide turns. Ensure there is adequate space for them to turn onto your property, cross culverts, or navigate between gates and other obstructions.
Typically, containers are delivered on a tilt bed trailer. This means there must be enough space in front, where the container will come to rest. This allows the trailer to safely pull out the bed from under the container. If your container is delivered on a full-sized truck with trailer, drivers will require at least 70 feet of open space in front of the container. If your container is delivered on a small tilt bed truck, 40 feet of open space in front of a 20 foot container will be necessary.
Clearance
A trailer with container usually measures 13’6”H, but will get as high as 16 feet when raised and tilted for loading or offloading. When deciding on a location for your container and when directing your driver to that area, consider all overhead obstructions. This includes bridges, tree branches, and wires. This will prevent any unfortunate accidents from happening.
Ground Type
Because container delivery trucks are extremely heavy, they will sink when coming into contact with soft surface conditions like mud and wet grass. Choose firm and level ground for the trucks as well as proper placement of your container.
Safety
Here at A&M, our drivers are experienced and trained to deliver containers with the utmost precision. We do all we can to ensure a successful delivery without damaging the surrounding property while we do so. Safety is our #1 priority! If our drivers don’t think they can safely deliver your container, they won’t do it. However, you will still be charged.
This is why it’s important to make sure the surrounding area is open and safe! It will benefit both of us in many ways.
Check out this helpful diagram of our truck dimensions and how much room we will need to pick up and drop off your container.
Contact A&M Container
For more tips on how to prepare for your shipping container delivery, contact us. We would be happy to go over the process for your type of container and your location.