Construction projects are heavily orchestrated events, requiring careful planning and sequencing to ensure permits, labor, materials, and inspections all happen in the right order and according to a tight timeline. Every holdup can throw the entire schedule off-kilter and risk the project being completed on time and on budget. That’s why it’s so critical to have materials show up on a job site exactly when they are needed. Working with a logistics partner versed in construction and understands the complexity and importance of fitting deliveries into an exacting construction schedule is one way project managers can ensure success.
Here are 5 things project managers can do to avoid shipping delays to jobsites:
1. Plan ahead!
It can be challenging to plan shipments in advance, especially when you’re relying on a supplier to tell you when the materials are ready for pickup. Giving your logistics partner advance notice of a shipment or building a contracted schedule can be a cost-effective way to avoid shipping delays.
Construction freight can be difficult to source last-minute capacity for because of the niche carrier pool that can move this freight. Raw materials and heavy machinery often get shipped on flatbed trailers for easier offloading at jobsites, and flatbed carriers get busy quickly during peak construction season. If the freight is over-dimensional, it takes additional time to plan routes that avoid low bridges and weight-restrictive roads.
Planning ahead with your logistics provider can allow them to build a system of booking loads ahead, often with the same carrier, thus avoiding delays and exorbitant last-minute carrier rates.
2. Be specific with your weight and dimensions.
Common construction freight like trestle beams or excavators, are often classified as oversized, meaning it exceeds legal size and weight limits and requires special permits to move. Providing accurate dimensions to your logistics partner helps them source a carrier with the correct certifications from the start and cuts out time spent waiting for permits. This wait time is especially costly if you have a rigging company charging by the hour, waiting on site to offload oversized freight.
Even if the freight itself isn’t overweight, heavier items like industrial generators can become classified as overweight when paired with the wrong truck. Older trucks and electric trucks tend to be heavier and are less ideal for heavy hauls. Providing your logistics partner with the freight’s exact weight can mitigate this issue. Shaker weighs our trucks before pickup and calculates the final weight of the freight and the rig to make sure everything falls below the legal limits. When a shipment is overweight and there’s no way to get it under the limit, a smart logistics partner can fast-track the process of getting extra permits to keep the shipment on time.
3. Describe the jobsite.
Vague jobsite descriptions are another common cause of delays, because unprepared trucks might not be able to navigate the terrain around your site. For example, job sites in cities are often too tight for full combination trucks to access the delivery point. Access roads around the site can be too steep or rough for the truck to safely traverse. Finally, new builds that aren’t on the map yet might be difficult for drivers to find. All these factors can delay a delivery, leaving contractors waiting and racking up their hours.
It’s important that you clearly communicate the nature of the jobsite with your logistics partner so they can plan accordingly. Shaker’s team gives drivers direct coordinates for deliveries to hard-to-locate sites, or we instruct drivers to rendezvous with a project manager at a nearby gas station to be escorted to the jobsite.
For industrial or commercial job sites, requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE) often apply to anyone who sets foot on the site, not just construction workers. That means a driver entering the job site to unload a trailer might need to have a hard hat, steel-toed boots, reflective clothing, gloves, or a number of other safety items. Accurately describing the requirements for people entering the jobsite can be just as important as describing the terrain and topography of the area around the site.
4. Know your accessorial needs.
Not all construction shipments are flatbed or full truckload freight. When you need an extra pallet of tools to get to the site, LTL shipping is a cost-effective solution. However, an LTL delivery could fail if the right accessorials aren’t added.
Accessorials are a la carte services that some carriers, most commonly LTL carriers, provide for jobs that fall outside of typical pickups and deliveries. The most common accessorials project managers should be aware of are liftgate and limited access charges. A truck with a liftgate is required for deliveries to locations that don’t have loading docks, and most construction sites are considered limited access because drivers must follow certain safety protocols (PPE or consignee signature required) to make the delivery.
If these accessorials aren’t specified, LTL carriers might load the freight onto a truck without the right equipment, or the carrier can refuse to deliver the freight and will take it back to the pickup location. If you’re not sure what accessorial charges apply to your shipment, it helps to have an experienced logistics provider who is familiar with LTL shipping and jobsite deliveries.
5. Choose an experienced construction logistics partner.
Having the right logistics partner can be the difference between smooth sailing and a major setback on site. Shaker Logistics has over 30 years of experience handling efficient transportation for long-term construction projects. With real-time tracking on all trucks and 24/7 access to our team, project managers can trust that Shaker delivers on time. Reach out to us today for a partner that understands the fast pace of construction.