Shipping & Delivery Policy

Effective Date: June 1, 2026

Website: shipping-containerstore.com

Thank you for choosing Shipping Container Store. We specialize in the sales and rentals of heavy-duty shipping containers across three main categories: Dry Storage, Refrigerated (Reefer), and Customized Modifications.

Because shipping containers are heavy, oversized industrial assets, their transport requires specialized logistics, heavy machinery, and precise site preparation. Please read this comprehensive policy to ensure a seamless delivery process.

1. Container Categories & Special Delivery Notes

The type of container you purchase or rent impacts transport scheduling and preparation:

• Dry Storage Containers: Our standard inventory (available in standard lengths like $20\text{-foot}$ and $40\text{-foot}$). These undergo standard inspection and are typically ready for immediate dispatch.
• Refrigerated (Reefer) Containers: These units feature sensitive, integrated cooling machinery. They undergo rigorous pre-delivery inspections (PDI) to ensure electrical and mechanical systems function perfectly before leaving our depot.
• Customized Containers: Units modified with custom doors, windows, insulation, electrical hookups, or paint. Delivery timelines depend heavily on fabrication schedules.

2. Delivery Methods & Fleet Equipment

We utilize a dedicated logistics network to bring containers directly to your site. The equipment used depends on the container type, size, and your physical space:

• Tilt-Bed / Roll-Off Trucks: Our standard method for most dry and refrigerated units. The truck bed tilts backward, sliding the container smoothly onto the ground as the vehicle drives forward. No crane or forklift is required on your end.
• Flatbed / Step-Deck Trailers: Frequently used for long-distance transport, customized architectural structures, or bulk orders. Note: Flatbeds require you to provide your own crane, heavy forklift, or rigging crew to lift the container off the truck chassis.
• Crane / Hiab Trucks: Available by special request for tight spaces, side-drops, or unique positioning challenges where a tilt-bed cannot maneuver. Additional rigging fees apply.

3. Customer Site Preparation Requirements

You are entirely responsible for ensuring the delivery site is accessible, level, and safe. Our drivers perform a mandatory safety risk assessment upon arrival. If your site does not meet these criteria, delivery will be aborted at your expense.

A. Spatial Clearances

A delivery truck requires an enormous amount of straight-line space to maneuver, tilt, and drop a container:

Container Size	Required Straight Clearance	Required Width	Required Height Clearance
20-Foot Unit	Minimum 75 feet	Minimum 12 feet	Minimum 14 feet
40-Foot Unit	Minimum 115 feet	Minimum 12 feet	Minimum 14 feet (16 feet during tilt)

B. Ground & Surface Conditions

The delivery path and final drop zone must be completely level and stable.

• Acceptable: Concrete, asphalt, packed gravel, or heavily compacted dry dirt.
• Unacceptable: Soft mud, wet grass, loose sand, or uncompacted fill dirt. A delivery truck combined with a heavy container can exceed 40,000 lbs and will sink or tip on unstable ground.
• Obstructions: You must clear the path of low-hanging tree branches, overhead utility wires, gates, fences, and sharp turns.

C. Door Orientation Selection

During checkout or order confirmation, you must specify how the container should be loaded onto our truck:

• Doors Facing Cabin (Load First): The container doors face the front of the truck and will be the last part to touch the ground.
• Doors Facing Rear (Load Last): The container doors face the back of the truck and will be the first part to touch the ground.

4. Shipping Timelines & Scheduling

A. Delivery Windows by Category

• Dry Storage Units: Typically dispatched within 5 to 10 business days after payment clearance.
• Refrigerated Units: Require 7 to 14 business days to account for mechanical testing and stabilization.
• Customized Units: Lead times vary between 2 to 6 weeks depending on engineering complexity and fabrication backlogs.

B. Coordination

Our dispatch team will contact you via phone or email to schedule a specific delivery window. On the day of delivery, the driver will attempt to provide an updated estimated time of arrival (ETA) via phone or text.

5. Rental Off-Hiring & Return Shipping

For container rentals, the return process is triggered when you submit an “Off-Hire” request through your shipping-containerstore.com account portal.

• Return delivery charges are calculated based on the distance back to our nearest depot and will be billed upon lease termination unless prepaid.
• The container must be entirely empty, swept clean, and unlocked. Customized modifications made by the customer must be restored unless explicitly permitted in your lease contract.
• If a pickup fails because the unit is inaccessible or still contains property, additional rental days and a dry-run fee will apply.

6. Aborted Deliveries & Failed Delivery Fees

If a driver arrives but cannot safely complete the drop-off due to factors within your control, it will be deemed an Aborted Delivery (Dry Run).

Common causes for an aborted delivery include:

• Inadequate turning radius or physical clearance for the truck size.
• Soft, unsafe, or uneven ground conditions.
• Uncleared physical barriers (locked gates, low wires, tree branches).
• No authorized adult representative present on-site to direct placement.

⚠️ Penalty Notice: Aborted deliveries incur a fee consisting of the full initial round-trip transportation cost, plus a return-to-depot fuel surcharge and a rescheduling fee for the secondary attempt.

7. Inspection, Defect Reporting, & Transfer of Risk

A. Inspection Upon Arrival

An authorized adult representative (18 or older) must be present at delivery to inspect the asset and sign the Bill of Lading (BOL).

• For Dry & Reefer Units: Check door seals, locking bars, and structure. Ensure reefers power up properly if electricity is connected on-site.
• For Customized Units: Confirm all custom fabrications align with your signed engineering layouts.

B. Reporting Discrepancies

Any undocumented damage or structural defects must be clearly noted on the driver’s paperwork before they depart. Take clear photographs immediately and contact our logistics department within 24 hours.

C. Risk & Title Transfer

• Purchases: Structural liability, title, and risk of loss transfer entirely to you the moment the container leaves contact with our truck bed and rests on your ground surface.
• Rentals: Risk of loss and physical liability remain with the customer for the entire duration the container is on your site, ending only when our truck successfully loads the asset for return.

8. Contact Logistics Support

If you have questions about site readiness, space limitations, or modifying an existing delivery appointment, contact our team: contact us page