Truck Access and Clearance Requirements

What the delivery vehicle needs to reach your placement area.

A delivery vehicle carrying a 40ft container is a long vehicle with a long turning circle, and it has to approach the placement area in something close to a straight line. Tilt-bed unloading in particular needs room behind the vehicle roughly equal to the container plus the truck, because the bed tips and the container slides off backwards.

The exact figures depend on the vehicle the carrier sends, and they are not the same for every route or every operator. Rather than publish a number that might not apply to your delivery, we confirm the requirement when we quote.

What tends to stop a delivery

Gateways narrower than the vehicle. Overhead cables and branches. Sharp turns with a wall or a curb on the inside. Soft verges either side of a hard track. Parked cars, which are the most common and the easiest to fix.

Check delivery to your ZIP code

Delivery is quoted against your address and site access, so the price depends on where the container is going and what the truck can reach.

Frequently asked questions

How much room does the truck need?

Enough to approach the placement area in close to a straight line, and for a tilt-bed, room behind it roughly equal to the container plus the vehicle. That means 80 feet of straight-line approach for a 40ft container and 60 feet for a 20ft, with a 50-foot turning radius for the truck and trailer.

How wide does my gate need to be?

Fourteen feet, the same as the route itself.. Measure the narrowest point of the whole route rather than the gate alone; posts, curbs and wing mirrors decide it more often than the opening does.

What about overhead cables and branches?

They stop more deliveries than narrow gates do, and they do not appear on a map. Check the full approach for cables, branches, carport roofs and signage. Fifteen feet of overhead clearance is the figure to check against.

What happens if the truck cannot get in?

The delivery fails and is rescheduled, usually with a charge, which is why the access questions are asked before the vehicle is booked rather than after.

Requirements for this route

Minimum straight-line clearance: 80 feet for a 40ft container, 60 feet for a 20ft
Minimum road width: 14 feet, with 12 feet the absolute minimum
Minimum gate width: 14 feet
Minimum overhead clearance: 15 feet
Vehicle type: a single-axle tilt-bed or flatbed for a 20ft unit, a tandem-axle for a 40ft, and a tri-axle or extendable trailer for 45ft to 53ft

Send a photograph taken from where the truck would stop, looking towards the placement area. That answers most access questions faster than measurements do.