What is a shipping container?
An intermodal container (shipping container)is a standardized steel box used for the safe, efficient. and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system. “intermodal” indicates that the container can be moved from one mode of transport to another from ship, to rail, to truck without unloading and reloading the contents of the containers.
Pricing:
1. Why can’t I find prices online?
Container pricing is based on a lot of different factors:
- Where will the container be going?
- Where is the closet container we have to that location?
- Is there another location in the region that might offer better pricing?
- What size and condition do you want?
- All of those factors mixed together with the fact that containers are a commodity, so pricing changes constantly, all come into play when calculating a price quote. No Software can compare with a human calculate the best pricing for your needs
2. Why do you need my city and state or zip for a quote?
- LOCATION IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR when based on pricing. With your city and state we are able to determine the closet location to get your container and calculate the best pricing both on the container and delivery to you.
3. Why do you need my phone number or email address for a quote?
- Contact information is important when trying to get back to you with pricing information. If you do not feel comfortable with leaving us your contact information, simply giving us a call!
4. I want a container that comes out of my city and state, can you do that for me?
- We have locations throughout the United States where shipping lines sell containers. They are generally larger rail cities. We do not have containers in cities beyond those, but we can truck them from the closest location we have to you and provide you with the pricing on the container and the trucking.
Delivery
1. How is the container delivered?
- Containers are delivered in a variety of ways: tilt-bed trucks, flat-beds and chassis. All have their own pros and cons. But for the most of out quotes, we price out tilt-bed delivery. The tilt-bed truck sets the container on the ground for you, so you don’t need to have any equipment on hand.
2. What is the difference between tilt-bed, flat-bed, chassis and trailer?
- Tilt-bed: Set containers on the ground
- Flat-bed: Used for shipping containers longer distances, but cannot set them on the ground
- Chassis: Used when containers is being shipped overseas, since that is the type of trailer allowed in ports and rail yards.
3. Can you deliver two 20′ containers on one truck?
- Yes, we can. Two 20′ containers take up the same amount of space as one 40′ container. So we can bring both 20’s at the same time, SAVING YOU MONEY!!
4. Why is shipping so much?
- Containers are delivered on large tilt-bed trucks. These trucks generally are expensive to maintain and are in high demand. In addition, rarely can a container be delivered and then the truck do something else on the same run, so the driver will be making a dedicated trip to bring you container to you. When you put that all together, that generally makes ground-level delivery more expensive than having something brought out on a flat-bed or other type of delivery.
5. Can you move my full containers?
- We do not move full containers. We do not have the appropriate insurance for doing that. In, addition, moving full containers have their own set of requirements
6. Will you set up the shipping of my containers overseas?
- No, We do not set up international shipping. We do, however, make sure that if you buy a container that you will use for shipping overseas, it will be all set for export. That means making sure it is a cargo-worthy containers, that is has a survey/ certification and is numbered appropriately. Those services do have additional charges, so please make sure you let us know upfront that are looking for a cargo-worthy container.
Modifications
1. I want to modify my container myself, but don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Can you help?
- ABSOLUTELY!! We have kits for adding in man-doors, roll-up doors, windows, HVAC units, venting, skylights and much more. All of the kits come from framing to fit into the corrugation of the container. You cut the appropriate sized hole, weld in the framing and then install the door or window. The HVAC units come with a cage for additional security.
- We also have partitions, partitions with doors, platforms, etc., for making you container into whatever you want.
2. Can you modify my container for me?
- OF COURSE! We have shops located throughout the United States. Our shops can install and of the modifications listed above and can also do custom modifications for all types of projects: industrial, residential, and commercial modifications. If you share a drawing of what you want done, we can prove that out for you.
3. I want to make a house out of containers, what will that cost?
- It is difficult to say. Much like building a traditional home, it depends on the size of the house, how much we need to do to the containers, and how much you want to spend on plumbing, electric, data, flooring, etc. We do not design homes; we modify containers to fit our clients’ specifications. We do not have any pre-made homes or set floor plans. Customers bring their designs to us and we price them out. Pricing based on the amount of work involved in those plans and supplies needed.