We go over the options in this blog post to help you choose the best option for your business.
Shipping Container Transport by Truck
Trucks are frequently used to transport containers, but the kind of truck chosen depends on the container’s size and accessibility to the destination.
A Tilt Bed Truck
We advise using a tilt bed truck if you’re transporting a container less than 200 miles. This truck’s bed can be tilted at an angle to easily allow the cargo to slide off. In other words, when the driver gets there, he or she will simply place the container on the ground without using any other tools.
(The area where you intend to place the container must have enough space to accommodate tilt bed trucks. In addition, the ground needs to be level, flat, dry, and firm.)
A Flatbed Truck
Since tilt beds are less common and more expensive to operate per mile, it is typically more cost-effective to use a flatbed truck to transport your container farther than 200 miles. You will need a crane or forklift to load and unload the modified container onto and off of a flatbed truck because it has a fixed platform and no side walls.
A Step-Deck Truck
Transporting high-cube containers requires a step-deck truck because they are 9.5 feet tall, or one foot taller than a typical shipping container. Similar to flatbed trucks, step-deck trucks have a fixed, flat platform, but the platform on a step-deck truck is lower to the ground to accommodate taller loads. The container must be hoisted onto and off of the truck bed using a crane or forklift, just like with a flatbed.
Getting Your Container Off a Flatbed Or Step-Deck Truck
In order to avoid damaging your new container, it must be properly removed from the truck when it arrives. Your container’s size will determine the appropriate technique.
- Shipping containers that are 20 feet long or less should only be lifted using a forklift with 6-foot tines that can support the container’s weight. Keep in mind that a shipping container should never be lifted by a standard warehouse forklift.
- If the container is longer than 20 feet, you will require a specialized forklift with 8-foot tines that has a lifting capacity of at least 15,000 pounds. This is required because, given the additional weight, a forklift with a 6-foot tine could damage the flooring.
For clients with larger containers, renting a crane is frequently the most economical choice. Shipping containers are simple to rig for crane transport because of their built-in corner castings.
How Easy is It to Move a Container?
For ease of movement, shipping containers were created. They were created to transport goods across the globe while protecting their contents from the elements and safely storing their contents. They are also designed to be easily transferred between different modes of transportation. Both 40 and 20 foot shipping containers are available. Unexpectedly, even when empty, shipping containers are quite heavy. An empty 40-foot shipping container, for instance, can weigh up to 4.2 tons in metric weight while a regular 20-foot container can weigh up to 2.2 tons! There are a couple of ways shipping containers can be moved easily for you – generally speaking this is with a forklift or a crane.
What Does It Take to Move a Shipping Container?
The shipping container needs to be moved, but how? Do you need to use heavy equipment to move a shipping container from one location to another? It seems there are a few ways to move these adaptable containers, depending on your resources, level of expertise, and particular requirements.
Know the Weight of Your Shipping Container(s)
Consider the weight of a specific shipping container before choosing a method. Over 5,000 pounds usually go into a typical 20-foot shipping container. In contrast, 40-foot shipping containers frequently weigh more than 8,200 pounds. Shipping containers are heavy, and as a result, they are frequently transported by semi-trucks or on flatbed trailers pulled by strong passenger trucks.
Heavy Machinery for Short Moves Or to Load Your Trailer
For moving heavy machinery like your storage container, you typically have two options: a forklift or a crane.
Forklifts to Move a Shipping Container
Some forklift models, but not your typical, small forklift, can lift a shipping container by themselves. Many smaller forklifts aren’t wide enough to prevent buckling or damage to the shipping container, nor are they strong enough to lift a shipping container completely.
If you use the wrong kind of forklift, you run the risk of having an accident because using a forklift places all of the weight or pressure of the shipping container on its center.
If you do decide to use a forklift, make sure it can lift at least 15,000 pounds. By doing this, you can be certain that the forklift’s arms will be strong and wide enough to lift your shipping container without suffering damage.
Cranes Work But They’ll Require Special Licensing to Operate
You can also save time by using a crane to load your shipping container onto the flatbed or trailer of your truck. However, cranes do need special permits or operators, so even if you drive the shipping container from place to place, you’ll probably need to hire someone to do the crane lifting for you unless you use one of these for your job.
Before making a decision, carefully weigh both possibilities.
Property-to-property Transport With Large Vehicles and Trailers
If you have a CDL, chauffeur’s license, or another appropriate driver’s license for the vehicle and trailer types you’ll be using, you can always move the shipping container by yourself using one of the two methods described above. To safely operate the large vehicles needed to move the shipping container any considerable distance, as well as the heavy machinery, you need one of these licenses.
If you have a CDL but lack the necessary tools, you can always rent a rollback truck and move everything yourself. In the long run, this might be less expensive than hiring someone to move the shipping container for you (more on that below).
Understand Department of Transportation Regulations in Your State
Suppose you don’t possess a CDL? Depending on state laws and regulations as well as those of the Department of Transportation, you might still be able to move your shipping container.. The maximum gross weight that can be moved when towing a trailer is regulated by the DOT. Make sure moving a container without a CDL doesn’t violate any local laws because shipping containers are quite heavy.
Calculating Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
You must figure out the GVWR, or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. The amount of weight a truck can carry, including its original weight, can be expressed as a single number. For example, a truck with a GVWR rating of 10,000 pounds is only permitted to tow a trailer with a combined weight that is less than or equal to 10,000 pounds. However, you must take into account the weight of the truck itself as well as any additional passengers or cargo.
You might be able to move a single shipping container at a time for a do-it-yourself construction or storage project because most states only demand a CDL if you want to transport over 26,000 pounds. But bear in mind to consider the trailer’s weight! The weight of a typical 40-foot, double-axle trailer is almost 9000 pounds. If you’re not careful, it’s simple to exceed the limit.
Methods of Moving a Shipping Container
If you don’t have a crane, there are a couple of options of how you can transport a shipping container:
Forklift Truck
As long as it is the proper kind of forklift, it can lift and move a shipping container. Regrettably, regular-sized forks will break under the weight of an empty container because they are not made to support weight across their entire body like larger ones are. This may work if you are built and of the right size for lifting heavy objects, but before using with a container, make sure your lift has been tested.
Tilted Bed Trailer
Using an angled bed trailer is the most efficient way to move a shipping container without a crane or forklift. In either case, you’ll need plenty of space on all sides with nothing in your way. You’ll need to make sure there is enough room for it to back up directly into the shipping container.
The process of picking up the shipping container is as follows:
- The trailer’s back is fully tilted as it is backed up to the end of the shipping container.
- Attach the trailer’s lower two corners that are closest to it using sturdy chains and corner castings.
- Raise the trailer’s end so that you can place some blocks beneath the shipping container’s attached end.
- To relieve the pressure on the chains and remove them, slide a block of wood or something comparable under each of the two raised corners before lowering the trailer.
- In order to remove the weight from the blocks, you must first lower the trailer and then back it up underneath the shipping container.
- While leveling the trailer, keep pulling it up underneath the shipping container.
Keeping in mind that the shipping container will be tilted using this technique means that its contents won’t be kept level. And before you drive away with the shipping container, make sure you fasten it in place securely!
Standard Shipping Containers Transport
What Kind of Truck Can Move a Container?
Your container, which can carry a combination of one 40-foot container, two 20-foot containers, or a single 20-foot container, will be moved by a standard container truck with a skeletal trailer. The offloading of the delivery would fall under your purview. This is the cheapest way to move a shipping container, measured in cost per mile. This is also the best option if you are able to safely unload the container while it is still on the truck (in a few hours) before the container is then taken directly to a port or container terminal that is equipped to lift off the shipping container) or if you are able to safely load the container while it is still on the truck (if the container is to be left at the site). Normally, the truck’s driver will wait while you load the container before driving straight to the port (or other destination) once it is full.
HIAB Equipped: Move Shipping Container
Your container will be delivered and lifted off of a vehicle equipped with a HIAB crane. These only have one crane arm. They are more expensive to operate per mile than a truck without a crane attached, but they are typically less expensive than arranging for a separate crane to lift off your container. These HIAB trucks only have one delivery arm, and they usually deliver the container to either side of the vehicle or, if necessary, elsewhere using the crane arm.
How Far Can a HIAB Lift a Shipping Container?
The typical HIAB crane has a lifting capacity of up to 15 tonnes (4 meters in reach) and 3.2 tonnes at full reach (14 meters). They can move 360 degrees to handle a variety of tasks, including moving containers.
Customer Collection
Equipment for lifting and lowering containers onto a truck is available at our depots. You’ll need a flatbed or a cargo trailer with a typical skeletal frame for your truck. Your trailer needs to have twist locks that are compliant with industry standards, and the car has to abide by site safety regulations. The container is empty and ready for pickup, but we still advise confirming with the depot before doing so.
Can You Hire Shipping Container Moving Services?
Yes, but various businesses will provide varying services.
If you’re doing your own construction, you can hire moving services for shipping containers, or if the container is in an accessible location, you can even hire a shipping container company to deliver the container to the new location.
The loading and unloading of the shipping container must be handled by the company you choose if they are only providing transportation services between locations using trucks. Some only provide transportation for shipping containers, leaving you to figure out how to mount the container onto the truck.
Hiring a shipping container moving service will typically be simpler for most people. This is due to the fact that mounting a shipping container on a moving truck and getting it moving can take up to a day or several hours.
What Does It Cost to Move a Shipping Container?
Whether you move the shipping container by yourself or hire a company to do it for you, your overall costs will change.
Your expenses will be established by the quantity of equipment you must rent if you choose to move the shipping container yourself. You might only have to pay a few hundred dollars to rent a semi-truck or a pickup that can tow a flatbed trailer. But other costs might also add up over time:
- Renting a truck and trailer, or flatbed truck can range from $50 to $300 per day (also available for weekly rates)
- You may need to rent a forklift or crane – starting at as much as $500 per day
- Consider fuel costs, insurance on rental equipment, as well as taxes and fees
The costs of a shipping container company can also vary greatly. In general, such companies will charge you:
- Some companies charge $200 flat fees for moving a container to a new spot on your own property (Storage2U)
- Depending on the quantity of containers and the weight of your cargo, the cost of using a moving company to move full containers from one home to another can range from $2000 to $4,500.
- A flat rate of $4 per mile driven is what some businesses charge.
- Don’t forget taxes and fees
Businesses and handymen are developing new strategies to transport shipping containers for people at lower costs. Make sure to look into your local options and get in touch with staff members of the company in case they have any innovative ideas for how to move your container for the best possible price.
If you hire a shipping container transportation company, be aware of a fee for “siting”, or moving a container from a delivery site to the exact spot where you want to use the container to build. That’s because choosing the right location for a container can be time-consuming, technical, and involve potentially hazardous terrain.
It might be slightly less expensive overall to move the shipping container yourself, but only if you have the required skills, authorization, and access to the tools.
International Container Moving Costs
Depending on where you need your shipping container to go, the cost can be either affordable or expensive. Shipping containers are generally less expensive to import into the US than to export to countries like China.
It might only cost you $500 to $600 to import a container from China to California, for example. Due to additional fees to cover the costs of US Customs Clearance and other factors, shipping the same container from California to China could cost you up to $3000.
Major Takeaways
What can we infer from this discussion?
- Once it has been delivered and set up at your residence or place of business, your shipping container may be moved. There are many different ways to transport your shipping container from point A to point B, depending on the type of move we’re talking about.
- Costs can vary significantly depending on the level of service, the distance your container needs to be transported, and the quantity of equipment needed for your particular container transport. The amount could range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Do your homework.
- The first time you choose a location, try to place your shipping container exactly where it needs to be. You’ll save money and time by not moving it at all.
FAQs
How Do You Transport a Cargo Container Correctly?
A forklift with 6 foot, or 1.8 meter, forks should be used to lift a 20 foot container in the proper manner. The weight of the container will be too much for a forklift with smaller forks to support. You shouldn’t lift cargo containers with a regular warehouse forklift.
What is the Best Way to Move a Cargo Container?
A truck is the most effective tool for moving a cargo container. Road transportation is the most popular method for shipping containers. The flatbed, tilt-bed, HIAB, and step-deck are the four primary truck types used for container transportation.
Can You Move a Shipping Container by Yourself?
Employing a truck to transport a container allows you to move it yourself. You will, however, require the appropriate driver’s license.
How Do You Move a Large Storage Container?
A specialized truck called a HIAB, which has a crane onboard and hydraulic legs to stabilize it, can be used to move a large storage container. An expert with knowledge of operating heavy machinery is needed to operate a truck like this.
