Office Trailer Shipping

Have the power drop disconnected by the utility or a licensed electrician, cap the panel, and coil and secure the service cable. Disconnect data and phone lines, water and sewer where fitted, and shut off and secure any propane. A live connection on move day stops the whole operation.

Tape breaker panels shut, latch the HVAC disconnects, and confirm rooftop units are secured to the structure. The goal is a unit that is electrically and mechanically dead, with nothing dangling that can catch at highway speed.

Remove electronics, monitors, printers, and anything valuable or fragile: none of it is covered by the carrier’s cargo insurance, and highway vibration is harder on contents than years of jobsite use. Empty the file cabinets and latch or tape every drawer: a loaded four drawer cabinet is a battering ram in transit.

Furniture that stays should be pushed against walls and strapped or blocked so it cannot slide. Whiteboards, shelving, and wall mounted fixtures either come off the walls or get checked fastener by fastener. Walk the interior imagining the unit hitting a pothole at 60 mph, and secure accordingly.

Everything attached to the outside of the unit comes off before transport: entry steps and ramps, skirting panels, awnings, porch railings, signage, and exterior lighting on brackets. These items are not built for highway wind load, and they are the most common damage and road hazard sources in office trailer moves.

Stack and strap the removed pieces inside the unit if they travel with it, or set them aside for the site crew. Label the hardware. An hour of removal at origin saves a day of repairs at destination.

If the unit still has axles and tires, find out when they last rolled. Tires dry rot on blocks, bearings seize, and brake lines corrode. A unit that has sat for years may need tires and a bearing service before tow-away, or it may be better loaded by crane onto a deck.

Tell your SAC coordinator what you actually know about the running gear. There is no penalty for a unit that cannot roll, only a different method, and finding out on pickup day instead of at booking is what costs money.

Lock every door and window and confirm the latches actually hold. Give the driver the keys at pickup or secure them where your coordinator knows to find them: the delivery end needs to open the unit for the condition report.

Photograph the interior and exterior in daylight before the move, corners, roofline, hitch area, and underframe included. The Bill of Lading condition report is the formal record, and your photos back it up.

The tractor needs room to back under or hitch up, swing the length of the unit through the gate, and pull out without threading overhead lines. Jobsites add mud to the problem: a loaded tractor cannot cross ground a pickup struggles on.

Walk both sites before booking. Measure the gate, look up at the wires, and consider where the unit will actually sit at destination. If access is tight, discuss staging or crane assistance with your coordinator in advance rather than on move day.

Oversize moves run on permits, and permits run on accurate paperwork: dimensions, weight, route, and dates. Confirm who at your operation owns the move, and give your SAC coordinator that person’s direct number. Site supervisors change, and a move day question that cannot find an answer becomes a delay.

For dealer and fleet moves, confirm the release paperwork with the seller or yard in advance. The driver should arrive to a unit that is expected, released, and ready to roll.