Metal Building
Delivery Day Tips
For many customers, delivery day starts the final push toward the steel building project finish line. As with anything preparation for delivery will be key to making the day go smoothly and the erecting process to begin.
OK… you are well underway with your project: you have educated yourself on the topic of pre-engineered metal buildings, designed the layout of your building, obtained quotes for your building, selected a reputable metal building supplier, have ordered your building, obtained any needed permits, and have selected a concrete contractor to pour the slab.
While there have been many people involved with the project up to this point, there are many that need to act in concert for the next stage of your project: metal building delivery day. In this article, we have gathered some metal building delivery day tips that will hopefully help you to prepare for a smooth delivery from the factory.
COD Balance
Unless other payment arrangements were made in advance, there is likely going to be a COD balance due on the metal building on delivery day. It is the customers’ responsibility to make sure that a Cashier’s Check is at the job-site on the morning of delivery and is for the correct COD amount. The truck driver will not allow unloading of the metal building until he has the Cashier’s Check in his possession for the COD amount indicated on his paperwork.
It is strongly suggested that the Cashier’s Check is obtained from your banking institution a few days before the scheduled delivery. We had a situation once where the customer was on the way to the bank to get their Cashier’s Check on the morning of delivery and was in a automobile accident. While not seriously harmed, the customer was delayed by several hours and had to pay the truck driver for the additional time he was held up.
The Delivery Truck
Space Requirements
The metal building delivery will likely arrive via rig and full-length (48′) flatbed trailer. It is the customers’ responsibility to make sure that all access roads to the jobsite can safely accommodate such a vehicle and support the maximum weight of 48,000 lbs.
There should also be enough room at the delivery/staging area for the truck driver to turn around to exit the job-site. Truck drivers have a hard job, that they do very well, but they are not miracle workers or magicians.
In the event the truck driver can not access the jobsite on delivery day, the erecting crew will be forced to unload the truck at the nearby staging area and shuttle the building up to the jobsite by gooseneck or lull at additional cost to the customer.
In the event that the delivery is attempted, but is unable to be accepted by the customer, the customer will incur freight charges back to the factory, daily storage charges, and freight charges back to the job-site.
Winter/Northern Deliveries
If your metal building delivery day is during the winter months in the northern regions, it is the customers’ responsibility to make sure that any/all access roads are cleared of snow/ice on the day of delivery. While most truck drivers are experienced in working in difficult weather conditions, they are not obligated to put their safety or the safety of others in jeopardy for the sake of the metal building delivery.
Delivery Delays
While every effort is made to make sure the delivery arrives at the job-site on the scheduled date and time, delays due to weather, traffic, accidents, or other events outside the control of the driver can delay delivery.
It is important for the steel building supplier to provide the truck driver with a valid mobile phone number for someone who will be at the job-site on the day of delivery so that the driver can communicate directly with the jobsite if he encounters delays.
Unloading the Truck
Unloading Labor
It is the customers’ responsibility to make sure that the required labor to unload the shipment is at the jobsite at the scheduled delivery time. The building delivery will be made by an independent commercial truck driver and commercial truck drivers do not unload freight. There are no exceptions to this rule.
The crew unloading the truck will have 2 hours to complete the task. Additional time, if needed, will be charged by the hour (the amount varies between trucking companies) and would be paid directly to the driver by the customer.
Unloading Equipment
Commercial truck drivers get paid to transport loads, not to provide unloading equipment rental. It is the customers’ responsibility to make sure the needed equipment is on the jobsite on the day of delivery. A variety of equipment can be used to unload, but must have a minimum fork spread of 4′ and a lift capacity of at least 4,000 lbs
If a professional erecting crew was hired to offload the building and begin erecting, typically they would arrange for delivery of the necessary equipment a day or two before delivery.
Don’t wait until the last minute to have unloading equipment delivered to the jobsite! We had a customer who scheduled the delivery of the unloading equipment on the morning of the building delivery and the area was hit by a freak ice storm that morning. The equipment rental company refused to deliver the unloading equipment until the roads improved, even though the building delivery driver made it to the jobsite on time.
Ultimately, the customer had to pay the truck driver for the time they spent waiting for the equipment rental company to finally get to the jobsite later that day.
Shipment Damage
While every effort is made by both the factory and the trucking company to ensure the shipment gets to the jobsite undamaged, damage can occur. When unloading the shipment, it is very important to carefully inspect the item(s) before being taken off and to take good quality pictures of any damage while the damaged item(s) are still on the truck.
Insulation Delivery
If the project includes insulation, due to the fragile nature of insulation and it’s need to be protected from the elements, it does not ride on the same open flatbed truck as the metal building. Insulation will be delivered separately from the building in a fully enclosed box truck (usually later in the day or at a future agreed upon date).
As with the building shipment, it is the customers’ responsibility to have the necessary labor at the jobsite to unload the insulation, as the truck driver is not responsible for unloading.
The Buck Steel Advantage
Whether you are considering a 40′ x 60′ metal garage, a 10,000 sq. ft. steel warehouse, a 3,000 sq. ft. steel airplane hangar, a 30,000 sq. ft. open steel riding arena, or a new steel church for your congregation, a steel building project can sometimes be intimidating to navigate alone. Whether for personal or business use, you want to minimize the cost of your steel building project while maximizing the benefit it provides.
Why not give yourself The Buck Steel Advantage and have a reputable metal building supplier, serving the steel building customer for nearly 20 years, with 1,000’s of completed projects, guide you through the metal building process?
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