Tips For A Shipping Container Live Unload

It is common practice that many people book our services to move their home contents interstate without knowing their destination address at the time of the booking confirmation.

Container Removals - A Flexible Solution

We have no problem with this however from time to time, it turns out that a customer will not have space for the shipping container to be placed down at their destination address. In this instance, there are a few options we can provide for you to consider. One of those options is a "live" or "rapid" unload. This is where the truck waits onsite while the container is unloaded. In most cases, the container will still be put down on the ground for the unloading.

How much space do I need at my property for a shipping container?

The dimensions of a 20ft High Cube shipping container are below. As well as the actual footprint of the container, we also need to make sure that there is sufficient space for the truck to place the container in place. Our moving containers are usually delivered with a tilt-tray truck (you can find out more about these types of trucks and how they work here). The tilt tray truck needs a relatively level area with, as a minimum: 4.5 metres of height clearance, 3 metres of width clearance and approximately 20 metres in a straight line from where the container is placed down at your property. Many residential driveways provide the space for this which is why tilt-tray trucks are our preferred option for delivering and picking up our moving containers. In some cases, a side-loading truck is a better option where space is limited, we can also provide these although the cost is slightly higher.

How does a live unload work?

For most live or rapid unloads, we will attempt to do them in the morning where possible. The truck will arrive onsite with your container, it will (in most cases) be put down on the ground in the most convenient position for you to unload. The premise of a rapid unload is that you are aiming to unload the container as quickly as possible. There is an additional cost to have the truck wait onsite, therefore, the aim is to keep this as low as possible. Generally speaking, most of our customers take between one to two hours to fully unload a 20ft moving container.

Here are some of our top tips for unloading your moving container quickly.

✓   Unload the container directly into a garage (or closest room).

✓   Get some help to unload - the more people helping, the quicker the unload.

✓   Be ready to unload as soon as the truck arrives.

Brisbane live unloads/loads

In the greater Brisbane, QLD area we can offer an additional service with live unloads.  We have an experienced rapid unload team who can deliver your shipping container to your address and unload the container for you while the truck waits onsite. We include two labourers as well as the driver for this. There is an additional charge for this service but it's a great hassle-free way to get the container unloaded in a timely manner. Our Brisbane rapid unload team can also assist in some cases with a rapid load. If you have all of your home contents boxed up, and ready to go, they will come out and load the container for you. As they are experienced in container removals you can rest assured that they know what they're doing and your container will be loaded correctly and quickly ready to be transported interstate.

Alternatives to live unloads

If you are not confident that a live unload is the right choice for you, we can offer an alternative. In most locations, you can unload your moving container from one of our depots. We will transport the container directly to the depot where it will be waiting for you to unload. We provide a two (consecutive) day unload time and can offer reduced storage rates also. In many cases, this may also reduce the price of your quoted move. Most of our customers who take up this option, hire a small tail-lift truck for the day and load the container that way. These are available to hire for around $100 - $150 per day Although it does add an extra step to the process, it does mean that you can still utilise the cheap container removals system even if your address is unsuitable for a shipping container.

Unloading a container at your own pace

The options above are provided as an alternative when there is no space at your address to place down a shipping container. In most cases, we can place a shipping container at your address (or on the verge/road when you have permission from your local council). Many of our customers still unload the container relatively quickly when the container is able to be left at the address - usually, people are eager to unload their furniture and settle into their new home. Occasionally, some people will keep the container onsite for an extended period if they don't have the time or space to unload the container immediately. The beauty of the container removals system is that we can accommodate all of the above scenarios and are flexible to change the plan as your plans may change during the moving process.

If you would like an obligation free moving quote, contact us today. Our small team of removals experts are happy to discuss your options, check out your address online and advise how a shipping container removal would work for you.

Click here, If you would like to complete an online quote request form.