Many people choose to buy their own shipping containers for house moves. In this way, you are in control of the timing, and you will own the shipping container to use as additional storage or other purposes at your new property.

Arranging delivery of full containers

The most important aspect to consider when choosing this option is the transport and delivery of the full container.
Here we try to explain the main things you need to consider:

20ft containers:
Loaded 20ft containers can normally be picked-up by most moving companies, and are easy to transport on shorter distances.

• Roll-off/tilt-bed:
  These would normally be transported on "roll-off/ tilt-bed trailers". Some of the companies offering this service do have restrictions on how far they will travel with these trucks, so plan well in advance.

  

• Flatbed & crane:
  If your are moving long-distance, it might be more beneficial to book a "flatbed" trailer, which are generally cheaper. The disadvantage is that you would have to arrange to have the loaded container lifted onto the trailer both at origin and destination. This would require either a forklift (approved for the loaded weight) or a crane.

40ft containers:
Loaded 40ft containers are more difficult to handle due to the extra length and weight. As a consequence, most ground level transportation companies are not able to pick-up and move 40ft loaded containers. In the case of moving 40ft containers, there are two options.

• Side-lifter: To transport loaded 40ft continers, the side-lifter is the ideal solution as they can take a fully loaded 40ft container and load/offload it where you need it. In this way you avoid having to book a crane or forklift. These trucks are, however, more expensive than traditional flatbed transports. However, it does remove all the headache of having to coordinate both trucking company and crane/forklift company.

  

• Flatbed + crane: As an alternative, you can book a crane at the origin to lift the container onto a flatbed truck, and a similar crane at the destination site to offload the container. While the flatbed transport might be cheap, renting cranes could be expensive, so it's always a good idea to get these costs clarified in advance.

  

Alternative - Buy an empty container delivered to your new property

If the reason for buying the container is mainly to use it at your new property, it’s also a possibility to have it delivered straight to your new property (empty) and book a moving company to do the actual move of your household goods. You can find your container here: Buy containers at Boxhub

We hope that you found this guide useful and don't hesitate to get in touch with the team in case of any questions.
Team Boxhub
info@boxhub.com
+1 (347) 2690504
www.boxhub.com