Access Issues Hinder Delivery
Friday, 16th October 2009
One of the main factors which can prevent a box being able to be delivered on site can be low height clearance. When ordering a delivery there may be features of your premises which you pass by day to day and do not take much notice of. However when it comes to having up to a 9 foot 6 inch container delivered which sits on a raised trailer with overhead crane, height clearance must be given careful consideration. Lots of premises have gates or height restrictions; some may have phone or power cables, entrance tunnels or overhanging trees. Any of these could prevent your unit being unloaded or even delivered in the first place. If a delivery vehicle has to return following a wasted journey you may find yourself landed with a bill. If there are height clearance issues that cannot be overcome then you may consider delivery by low-loader, this specialised trailer sits much lower to the ground as the name suggests but will come at a premium. Another option is a flat pack container, however you will find that these are rarely available second hand and will need a fairly handy crew to erect it, in most cases they are not suitable for shipping.
Space is another, perhaps more obvious point to consider. Although you may have measured the area in which you intend to land your new container, have you also taken into account the delivery vehicle? Usually a crane mounted trailer will need the 10ft or so width of the trailer and cab plus 8 ft width alongside for the container then another 5 ft for its stabilising legs either side.
The ground on which you expect the unit to sit must be level and fairly solid, however blocks or railway sleepers can help to spread the load. A more important consideration should be the ground on which the delivery vehicle needs to travel over and unload from. The combined weight of the container and trailer, particularly when lifting the container and reaching out, can be considerable. Very few drivers will risk safety, damaging their vehicle or having it stuck in mud and losing a day for the sake of one drop.
It may seem like the Spanish Inquisition when arranging a delivery or collection and that some fairly obvious questions are being asked, however a bill for a wasted journey is arguably more annoying than a few minutes discussing your site.