How is a Shipping Container Delivered? *VIDEO*
Many of our customers have never had a shipping container delivered before and a common issue is trying to fit a big container into a small space. In this situation our our team of experts will do their best to advise on how much room the delivery truck will need, what ground is best for a delivery and what overhead obstructions to look out for.
We run a nationwide network of hiab delivery subcontractors to help deliver and lift off our shipping containers at your site. As these are specialised vehicles, we’ve written this guide to explain how is a shipping container delivered and how these trucks operate and the sort of site conditions you will require in order to be able to accept a delivery.
This video shows one of our hauliers lifting off a 20ft shipping container at a customers site, to help show you what to expect and how the truck operates to deliver your container.
Delivering a 20ft shipping container with a hiab truck
This video shows one of our smaller delivery trucks in action, we will commonly use something similar to this to delivery anything 20ft long or smaller. Its important to note that our hauliers do all run different vehicles of different sizes so please don’t’ assume this exact truck will arrive on your site to deliver. some of our delivery vehicles for individual 20ft containers can be up to 10ft longer than this truck.
Our truck will need to run over and operate on hard standing ground at all times. Again if the driver believes he risks getting his/her truck stuck on your site they are within their rights to refuse to continue (and potentially charge for the failed delivery if we are then unable to deliver for you). For this reason if you have any concerns over delivery access in the first instance we ask for a good set of photos or a video walk-through of the site so we can best understand your delivery. If we still have concerns we may then offer a site survey. this site survey is usually chargeable but will help reduce or eliminate any risks for you (the site or customer) with regards to ensuring a successful delivery.
As you can see, the truck needs 5ft either side to extend its supports, these supports take the pressure off the lorry and help balance the delivery safely. Its important that the ground on your site can take the weight being put through the landing legs. Our drivers are unable to assess the thickness of concrete or the suitability of a specific surface, and as such we operate on the assumption that the area you direct us to offload is suitable for our truck to operate on. We do not accept any liability or claims for damage to any concrete or paved area (or similar) if the ground on your site cannot take the pressure from the landing legs. Most haulier do carry small pads to help distribute the weight on the pressure pads but again if you have any concerns please flag this up well in advance with us as we will have more options to help you out.
The hiab crane needs around 20ft of height above the top of the shipping container whilst it sits on the truck to operate, leaving enough room to manoeuvre the shipping container into position. We may need an even greater clearance if lifting over any walls or hedges or similar. For this reason its very important to advise us in advance if there are any overhead obstructions over or even near the lifting area for our vehicle. Our driver will refuse to continue with a delivery if he feels there is any risk of damaging his truck by continuing with the delivery, and you may be liable for failed delivery costs if your site is not suitable for our vehicle.
How far can the delivery truck reach when offloading a shipping container?
This is a very difficult one to give a standard answer to. Nearly all these hiab trucks are individually fitted to the hauliers spec, as such one delivery truck may have a much longer reach than another very similar truck.
The length of reach available also varies depending on the size (and weight) of the shipping container involved, and the angle of lift. (if we are lifting directly to the side of the truck next to the centre of the crane, we have a much longer reach than if we have to lift off at an angle to the truck)
As such we ask if you need the shipping container placing on the ground anywhere other than directly next to our truck, and if you need us to lift over any obstructions then please let us know well in advance. we can usually resolve most issues with access but letting us know in advance gives us many more options and significantly reduces the risk of a failed delivery.
Budgetshippingcontainers.co.uk offer the UK’s largest online range of shipping containers for sale with a nationwide network of storage and conversion yards and crane equipped delivery vehicles.
If you need a shipping container feel free to browse our online range of shipping containers for sale. You can also call us on freephone 0808 1234 215 any time 9am – 5pm weekdays and our team will be happy to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, you can use our online shipping container quote form or request a telephone callback. In both cases we aim to get back to you within 1-2 working hours (may take longer for more detailed quotes).