Before Your Delivery

Getting Your Site Ready for Container Delivery

A little prep before delivery day makes the whole drop go smoothly. Our driver shows up with your conex on a tilt-bed truck, backs into position, and eases it down right where you want it. That only works when the path in and the drop spot are clear and ready. Here is everything to check before delivery day.

What to Check Before Delivery→Click a category for more detail

Straight-Line Backing RoomStraight, clear space to back the truck in. Plan about 80 feet for a 20ft conex and 100 feet for a 40ft.

Overhead ClearanceAt least 14 feet along the path and up to 16 feet at the drop. Watch for wires, branches, and awnings.

Room to TurnThe truck turns like a semi, so avoid sharp 90-degree turns right before the drop spot.

Ground ConditionsFlat, firm, and dry. Asphalt, concrete, or a compacted rock pad works best, and we can build one for you.

Timing the DeliveryThe best window for your lot or crew, ideally before customers or crews fill the site.

Door Direction and PlacementWhich way the doors face, plus a few feet of swing room so they open fully.

How We Deliver Your Conex

Most deliveries run on a tilt-bed truck. The driver backs toward your drop spot, tilts the bed up, and slides the conex down onto the ground as the truck pulls forward. Because of that, the truck needs a straight, clear run behind it and solid ground underneath.

A standard tilt-bed trailer offloading a conex at the drop spot.

For tight sites where a tilt-bed cannot fit, we can sometimes use an integrated truck instead. That option only works for 20ft containers, costs a bit more, and takes extra coordination, but it lets us reach spots a standard trailer cannot.

Delivery gets scheduled after your quote is accepted, so once you have signed off we will line up a day that works and confirm the details with you ahead of time. Everything below is worth checking before that truck shows up.

Straight-Line Backing Room

This is the single most important thing to get right. The driver needs straight-line space behind the drop spot to line the truck up and back straight in while the bed tilts and the container slides off. Here is roughly what to plan for:

Minimum Straight-Line Backing Room

80 ft20ft conex on a tilt-bed

100 ft40ft conex on a tilt-bed

50 ft*20ft conex on an integrated truck

* The integrated truck fits 20ft containers only and costs more, but it works for tight sites.

When in doubt, more room is always better. If your space is tight, tell us ahead of time and we will figure out the best approach for your site.

Watch Your Overhead Clearance

The truck and the tilting bed both need vertical room, so plan for at least 14 feet of clearance all the way along the driving path. At the drop spot itself, give a little more, up to 16 feet, since the bed rises higher while the container is tilted up and set down. As you look over the route, watch for low power lines, tree branches, awnings, and any covered or roofed areas. Anything hanging into that path can stop a delivery cold, so it helps to walk the route ahead of time and clear what you can.

A 40ft one-trip storage container on the ground next to overhead power lines for height comparison

A 40ft conex parked near power lines. On the ground it clears them, but it rides higher on the trailer and higher still when tilted, which is easy to overlook.

Give the Truck Room to Turn

A loaded delivery truck turns like a semi, so the path in has to account for that wide turning radius. Sharp 90-degree turns right before the drop spot are the most common problem we run into. If the truck cannot swing wide enough to line up straight, it cannot back the conex into place. Gentle, sweeping turns are ideal, and a little extra open space near the drop makes everything easier.

A Bolted Box truck and trailer loading a shipping container, showing the length of the full delivery rig

Our truck and trailer loading a conex. The full rig is long, so the path in needs room for it to line up and back in.

Ground Conditions

Your container needs firm, flat, dry ground to sit on, and the truck needs the same to drive and drop safely. Asphalt, concrete, or a well-compacted rock pad are ideal. We can sometimes place on or drive across grass, but only when it is very firm and dry. Soft, wet, or muddy ground is the real problem, since a loaded truck can sink or rut the surface and get stuck. If recent weather has left your site soft, let us know and we can talk through timing or a different approach.

A 40ft one-trip storage container placed on a compacted rock pad within spray-painted ground markings

A 40ft one-trip conex set on a rock pad, dropped right on the marked spot.

If your site does not have a solid surface, we can build one for you. We are always happy to lay a compacted rock pad for your rental or purchase, so you get the container and the pad from us together, often in the same day. That makes us a true one-stop shop and puts your conex on a firm, level base from day one.

Timing the Delivery

When the truck arrives can matter as much as where it goes. For retail stores and commercial lots, early morning is usually best, before customers start filling the parking lot and boxing in the drop spot. Construction sites work the same way, though the right window depends on your crew schedule and how busy the site gets through the day. Let us know your ideal timing when we schedule and we will do our best to hit it.

A 20ft one-trip storage container delivered in a retail store parking lot with painted parking lines

A 20ft conex delivered into a retail lot. Getting in before customers fill the spaces keeps the drop spot clear.

Door Direction and Placement Room

Before the truck arrives, decide which way you want the doors to face. Repositioning a conex after it is already on the ground means sending equipment back out, so it costs real time and money. Getting the direction right up front avoids all of that.

A 40ft one-trip storage container loaded on the trailer with its cargo doors facing the cab

A 40ft one-trip conex on our trailer with the doors set to the cab, which is the most common choice.

On a storage conex, the double cargo doors are on one end, so just let us know whether you want them facing the cab or the rear. Once it is placed, a welded steel lockbox protects those doors.

An office conex is set up differently. The man door sits on one of the long sides, which means we need to know whether you want it on the driver side or the passenger side. The cargo doors are welded shut, and you enter through that man door with an electronic padlock.

Whichever type you are getting, leave a few feet of open space beyond the container footprint so the doors can swing fully open. Here is the quick version of what we need to confirm before delivery:

Door Options by Container Type

Storage Containers

“To The Cab”*or“To The Rear”

Office Containers

“Driver Side”or“Passenger Side”

* Most customers choose “to the cab” for storage containers.