PLEASE NOTE: Be Ready for Delivery When the Driver Arrives
Delivery should only take about 15 minutes once the driver arrives (as long as your site is ready). If the driver is required to wait more than 30 minutes after arriving on site to start delivery, the customer may be charged for wait time. If the driver is unable to safely deliver, the customer may still be charged a dry run fee. We outsource all deliveries to professional local haulers. The customer and driver on site are responsible for all safety decisions (more info in our terms and conditions). Please contact us if you're not sure about your site.
Make Sure Your Site is Prepared for Delivery:
SPACE TO MANEUVER
Please make sure there is enough space for the truck to make wide turns, get between gates or other obstructions, and safely set up for delivery. Remember, trucks make wide turns.
SPACE TO DELIVER
The truck will be almost 10' wide, and will need at least 12" on each side (12' total width), as well as space to maneuver after the box is dropped (60' for 20' containers and 120' for 40's + space to turn and drive away).
HARD SURFACE
The delivery truck can weigh as much as 45,000-lbs., so soft surfaces such as mud or wet grass can cause the truck to sink and get stuck... If there is a risk of sinking in, the driver may refuse delivery at the site.
FREE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS
The truck is 13'6" before it tilts, and can be up to 16' tall at it's peak during delivery, make sure there are no power lines, tree branches, or other obstructions.
Learn More About How Ground Level Delivery Works for Shipping Container Deliveries:
Watch the video to get a better idea of how delivery works. If we aren't able to safely deliver to your site, you may still be charged for delivery. Make sure you've got enough space for the truck. More information below.
The Delivery Truck Needs Some Space
In order to ensure everyone's safety, please ensure there is adequate space for delivery and you have a safe environment for the driver. All of our haulers put safety first, and if we can't safely deliver at your site we won't, but you'll still be on the hook for trucking charges. Nobody wants that, so please make safety a priority and ensure you have adequate space for delivery. The Tilt-Bed will need 55' of additional space to deliver (75' total for 20' containers) and the Roll-Off truck will need 80' of additional space (120' total for 40' containers).
Make Sure the Truck Can Access Your Delivery Site
In addition to straight away backing space, the truck also needs to be able to maneuver into position at your delivery site. Because 40ft shipping containers are delivered on a tractor-trailer combination, we'll need extra space to make the turn off the road into your delivery site.
Unfortunately, in many cases this means we cannot deliver 40ft containers to residential locations. However, because 20ft containers are delivered on a shorter roll-back style straight truck, we have a lot more flexibility with delivery options for that size.
Please note, if we cannot safely deliver, you will still be charged for trucking (you're always welcome to contact us if you're unsure about your delivery site).
The Trucks are Heavy...
The combined weight of the truck, trailer and container can combine to be over 45,000-pounds. It's important that your delivery surface be firm. If there is a risk of sinking into ground not firm enough to support the truck, the driver has the right to make the decision not to deliver. If your site is questionable, make sure you talk to us before ordering... or have a back-up spot in mind where there won't be any issues.
Keep Your Container Out of Standing Water
In order to support heavy loads while in transit, intermodal shipping containers have steel cross-members underneath the wood floors. The cross-members are strong enough to withstand some rust, but if you set your container directly on top of an area where water will pool after a storm that steel underneath the floor with eventually fail. Leaving you with a softening floor after only a few years on the ground. Please make sure to keep your cross-members out of water by having wood blocks, railroad ties, etc. ready for the driver at delivery.
Make Sure the Doors are Level
The most common issue after delivery is that the doors don't open and close easily. Even though containers are all steel, if they are on uneven surfaces or loaded heavy to one side, they can twist just slightly enough for the doors not to line up properly and be very difficult to open and close. The best solution is to place wood blocks under the door frame (and ideally the length of the container). This will ensure your doors line up properly and open/close smoothly.
Most major hardware stores or lumber yards will have 8' long 4 x 4's, or railroad ties available for purchase. We recommend 2-3 pieces for 20' containers, and 4-6 pieces for 40's.... but remember that the most important spot is under the cargo doors.
More About the Guarantee
Every container is guaranteed to have doors that seal properly, floors free of holes, and to be free of any leaks. All used equipment is likely to have some surface rust, dings/dents, and other cosmetic issues. On the rare occasion that a container arrives that does not meet the guarantee, we'll either replace it within five (5) business days or pay for repairs on site (guarantee does not cover contents, or damage caused by customer and only the structural integrity of the container, customer should inspect the container for leaks upon delivery). Because neither Western Container Sales,
nor the intermodal equipment provider sees the container, we cannot guarantee color or cosmetic condition. For customers where appearance is important we recommend purchasing one trip containers or painting their container after it arrives. We do our best to set expectations, and recommend you take a look at our sample photos before you buy. If we didn't meet your expectations at all, we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee (less trucking charges). If you have any questions about how the guarantee works, please feel free to reach out to us. We're always happy to help.