Delivery day is the part of buying a container that most people have never done before. This page shows what the units look like, explains the three ways a container can be placed, and lists exactly what the driver needs from your site.

Photographs of stock rather than staged studio renders. Every listing on the site carries its own images, and we will send additional photographs of the specific unit allocated to your order before it is dispatched.

New 20ft high cube open side shipping container in beige, photographed from the door end with the cargo doors closed
New 20ft high cube open side shipping container in beige, photographed from the door end with the cargo doors closed
The same 20ft high cube container with both cargo doors swung fully open, showing the clear door aperture
The same 20ft high cube container with both cargo doors swung fully open, showing the clear door aperture
Side elevation of the 20ft high cube open side container with the full-length side closed
Side elevation of the 20ft high cube open side container with the full-length side closed
The full-length side of the container opened, giving forklift access along the whole unit
The full-length side of the container opened, giving forklift access along the whole unit
Corner view of the container showing the corner casting, top rail and side opening gear
Corner view of the container showing the corner casting, top rail and side opening gear

Delivery proof from recent jobs

Photographs taken on real deliveries rather than stock imagery: a tilt-bed off-load onto a driveway, a lorry-mounted crane placing a unit into a back garden, and a container checked and strapped down before it leaves the yard.

Tilt-bed lorry sliding a 40ft container off the trailer onto a residential driveway while the driver watches
Tilt-bed lorry sliding a 40ft container off the trailer onto a residential driveway while the driver watches
Titan Vault crew craning a 20ft container over a fence and lowering it onto concrete blocks in a back garden
Titan Vault crew craning a 20ft container over a fence and lowering it onto concrete blocks in a back garden
Used 40ft container loaded and strapped on a tilt-bed trailer, checked by the driver before it leaves the yard
Used 40ft container loaded and strapped on a tilt-bed trailer, checked by the driver before it leaves the yard

Three ways your container can be placed

1. Tilt-bed off-load

The trailer bed tilts and the container slides off the back as the lorry pulls forward. Fastest and cheapest method, and the one used for most deliveries. It needs a straight, firm run of roughly twice the container length, and the unit ends up where the lorry ends up, so placement is approximate rather than exact.

2. HIAB or lorry-mounted crane

An arm on the vehicle lifts the container off and sets it down precisely, including over a low wall, hedge or fence. Needs far less run-off space but more overhead clearance and firm ground for the outriggers. Costs more than tilt-bed and is worth every penny on a tight site.

3. Separate crane lift

The container arrives flat on a trailer and a mobile crane lifts it into position. This is the answer for courtyards, rooftops, behind buildings and anywhere a lorry simply cannot reach the final spot. Arranged in advance with a lift plan.

What the driver needs from your site

  • Firm, level ground: compacted hardcore, concrete or tarmac. Soft ground traps vehicles.
  • A clear approach wide enough for the vehicle and its mirrors, with room to manoeuvre.
  • Roughly twice the container length of straight run-off for a tilt-bed delivery.
  • At least 16 ft of overhead clearance along the whole route, not just at the placement point.
  • Timber or concrete blocks stacked ready for the four corner castings.
  • Somebody on site for the delivery window who can direct placement and sign for the unit.
  • A decision made in advance about which way the doors should face.

The delivery preparation guide covers all of this in full, including a size-by-size table of space requirements.

Send us your delivery photo

If you have a good shot of your container arriving or in use, email it to sales@titanvaultcontainers.com with a line about the site and we will add it here with a credit. Real photographs from real sites help the next buyer far more than stock imagery does.

Not sure your site works?

Send photographs of the entrance, the approach and the final position with your postcode. We will tell you which delivery method to budget for before you order anything.

Ask about your site Read the preparation guide

Keep reading

Delivery preparation guideGround, access and clearance requirements in full.Container size guideMatch the container size to your site access.How we inspectWhat we check before a unit is dispatched.All containers in stockLive pricing on every unit we hold.