Guidelines and Important Information for Shipping Container Deliveries

Guidelines for the delivery of shipping containers.

1. In order to unload a 20-foot shipping container in the desired location, there must be at least 80 feet of space for backing up and sliding it off onto the ground. Additionally, a minimum width of 12 feet is required for maneuvering during delivery.
2. To unload a 40-foot shipping container in the desired location, there must be a minimum of 110 feet available for backing up and sliding it onto the ground. Additionally, a width of at least 12 feet is necessary for maneuvering during delivery.
3. The delivering area must be hardtop such as pavement, asphalt, compacted soil, gravel and any other strong surface able to support a tractor trailer or flat bed to drive upon. The area must not be soft, sharp, have pot holes, overgrown brush or be hazardous to access.
4. If delivering on grass or dirt, it’s important to keep an eye on the weather and avoid wet days and reschedule accordingly.
5. Trucks are not able to jump curbs, back into steep inclines or maneuver around tight hills. Safety is the upmost importance during delivery. Drivers will not risk tight spaces to avoid damaging their trailers or private property. Trucks are unable to drive over leach fields, unsupportive bridges, restricted weight access roads and other obstacle based areas as an example.
6. It is very common to place railroad ties, 2”x 4” s / 4”x 4” s or gravel pads / crushed stone at the drop area. Bricks and cinder blocks are not recommended.
7. All power lines must be at least 14’ high from the ground for delivery.
8. In the event a truck gets stuck in a soft area on the property, it is the responsibility of the property owner to resolve at their own expense for the truck to be pulled out by a local recovery service – please make sure the area is suitable for delivery and there are no obstructions.
9. In the event a truck shows up for delivery and the area is blocked by vehicles, construction equipment, locked gates or has inadequate space for delivery, the cost for the full delivery and return is at the responsibility of the purchaser. Trucks waiting for an area to be made accessible may charge an hourly rate 30 – 60 mins after arrival.
10. For any further questions about property access, photo/video submissions and concerns, please contact

How we deliver shipping containers.

Tilt-Bed truck

The Tilt-Bed truck is ideal for transporting containers up to 24 feet in length or a combination of smaller sizes, such as 2 x 10’ containers. It is the most compact vehicle in our delivery lineup and offers exceptional maneuverability, making it well-suited for navigating narrow city streets, mountainous terrain, and locations with restricted access.

The truck is reversed to the desired container location where the bed is tilted, allowing the container to be rolled off the back into place. A minimum of 60 feet of straight line clearance is necessary for a safe delivery with this truck. During order placement, you will be asked about your preference for door orientation – facing towards the cab or rear of the truck – as this choice impacts how the doors will be positioned at the delivery site.

Please let us know if there are clearance concerns at the site or en route to the site. We will be happy to preview the route before delivery. Rental storage containers 24’ and smaller are delivered and picked-up using these trucks.

The Tilt-Bed truck and trailer combination is capable of delivering containers up to 45 feet in length or a combination of various sizes (e.g., 2 x 20’ containers, 4 x 10’ containers). To perform the delivery, this truck requires a straight line clearance of at least 100 feet. The delivery process involves backing the truck up to the desired container placement location, tilting the trailer, and then rolling the container off the back of the trailer. When scheduling your delivery order, we will inquire about whether you prefer the container doors facing towards the cab or rear of the truck. This choice determines how the doors will be positioned at the final delivery site.

If there are any potential clearance issues at the delivery site or along the route, please inform us. We can conduct a pre-delivery inspection of the route to ensure that the delivery can be successfully completed. Our Flatbed trucks are used for delivering and picking up our 40’ standard, 40’ high cube, 45’ high cube, or 2 x 20’ rental storage containers.

Flatbed truck

The Flatbed truck is suitable for transporting containers up to 45 feet long. It does not have the capability to place containers on the ground like the Tilt-Bed truck. Therefore, offloading equipment such as a forklift or crane is necessary at the delivery site. This option is typically chosen for delivery locations that are more than 200 miles away from our yards.

Please let us know if there are any clearance concerns at the site or en route to the site. We will be happy to preview the route before delivery to confirm the delivery can be completed.

The side-lifter truck uses 2 sliding cranes mounted towards the front and the rear of the trailer to place the container on the ground or lift the container onto the trailer. This truck delivers containers from 20’ – 45’ in length or two 20 ft containers, provided that all containers have 4 bottom ISO corner castings. The side-lifter truck is the largest truck in our delivery fleet. 

The main advantage of the side-lifter truck is its load capacity of 42,000 lbs. This truck easily transfers containers from other trailers or chassis at your site, managing a load capacity of up to 72,000 lbs. Provided a solid level surface is available on-site, The side-lifter truck can stack containers up to 2 levels high. To achieve this, the driver positions the truck adjacent to where the container is to be placed. Next, the outriggers are set, and then the container is offloaded or loaded from the driver’s side only. 

When booking your order delivery, we’ll ask whether the container is to be loaded with the doors facing the cab or the rear of the truck. This positioning determines the final door placement at the delivery site.

The side-lifter truck is more expensive than the Tilt-Bed truck delivery option because it does not require a 100-feet straight line clearance to complete the delivery. Further, a side-lifter truck is used if the container needs to be set on an elevated platform or stacked on top of another container.

Please let us know if there are any clearance concerns at the site or en route to the site. We will be happy to preview the route before delivery to confirm the delivery can be completed.

The crane truck can deliver containers up to 24’ in length or a combination thereof. This truck can also pull a trailer if multiple 20’ (or smaller) containers are to be delivered to the same location. A crane is mounted between the cab and the deck to load and offload containers. Under standard circumstances, the crane can place a 20’ container about 25’ away from the truck. This truck is operated by a certified crane operator.

The crane truck is a great delivery option if the container needs to be placed over a fence, on an elevated platform, stacked on top of another container, or if precision placement is of utmost importance. Please note, the feasibility of every delivery placement is assessed on a case by case basis.

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Before the delivery of your shipping container, ensure that your site is ready by placing the container on stable, dry, and even ground such as pavement, gravel, or compacted dirt.

The Tilt-Bed and Flatbed truck deliveries are quoted a flat rate that includes 30 minutes of offloading time. If the site is not ready to receive delivery, equipment is not prepared, or etc., and additional time is required, an hourly rate per our terms & conditions will be charged in 15 minute increments.

The side-lifter and crane truck deliveries are generally billed at an hourly rate, beginning when the driver leaves our yard and concluding when the driver returns to our yard.

Prior to all deliveries, our dispatcher will contact the designated site contact 24 hours ahead to verify the scheduled 2-hour delivery timeframe. On the day of delivery, the truck driver will personally reach out to the site contact with a 30-minute window for arrival.