Finding the right container is only half of the equation. Getting the container to you is the other half. Southern Truck & Equipment owns its own trucks so we can assure you are not wasting money on unnecessary high delivery fees. We offer two types of delivery to meet your needs: ground-level delivery and flatbed/chassis. Depending on your desired use of the container, we will match the right delivery to your specific needs.
Ground Level Delivery
We bring the container on a trailer that can set it down for you without needing any equipment on your part. The driver will back up the truck to the spot where you want the container set down. The back of the trailer tips down and there is a winch that lowers the first end of the container onto the ground. Then, the driver pulls the truck forward and uses the winch to finish setting the container on the ground. During this process, we need the length of the container plus the length of the truck plus enough room for the truck to turn to get out of the spot. That translates to 100′ for a 20′ container and 120′ for a 40′ container. In addition, when we set the containers on the ground, the container pushes down and out on the truck, so we need very firm ground that is relatively flat. Paved surfaces and gravel are best. When sizing up the spot you want the container, please think about a truck maneuvering into that location including turning in off the road.
Flatbed/Chassis Delivery
We can also deliver the container on a flat-bed trailer or chassis. A standard 20′ container weighs 5,000 pounds and a 40′ is around 8,500 pounds. While container forklift pockets are generally wider than most forklifts, they can be picked up by a forklift with 8′ or longer forks or they can be picked up by the corner castings.
Export
If you are shipping your container overseas, we can sell you a container and have it available in the nearest port/rail location. The cheapest and easiest method to load the container is to have your shipping line or freight forwarder arrange to pick the container up from our location and put it on a chassis (container trailer) or flatbed. They will take the container on the chassis to you to load. Once the container is loaded, they will bring it to the rail or port. Rail and port locations have strict rules about which drivers are allowed in for deliveries as well as the types of trailers they use for transporting containers. For this reason, we do not offer this service. But we are happy to make sure that things go smoothly for your shipping line or freight forwarder when they pick the container up from our location.
Next Steps…
Please feel free to give us a call at 800-284-1801 or send us an email for your free quote today!
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