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Obstacles Faced When Moving Mobile Offices
When acquiring a mobile office, one must prepare for a number of difficulties involved with the transportation and delivery of the office. Some of the routine obstacles include: over dimensional freight, road worthiness of units and driver restrictions. In addition to these “normal” transportation issues there are some niche obstacles that are faced by logistics companies, customers and transportation vendors. If all parties are committed to communicating effectively in a proactive manner, then a plan can be arranged that will ensure timely delivery.
Unlike dropping a 53’ dry in a drop lot or a dock, these mobile offices need to be placed on a hard, level surface. The customer needs to ensure they have gone through the required protocol to guarantee their site is in fact ready to receive a mobile office.
One of the biggest challenges is weather. While the transportation industry as a whole is greatly affected by the weather, the impact is greater for mobile offices. There are often state wide shutdowns for wide loads if there is any kind of rain, or even wind. Snow, sand or mud will delay the office setup process as it is nearly impossible to access a solid piece of ground to set the units on. What makes weather issues more difficult is that clients oftentimes struggle to understand non-local weather related delays.
There are also different state requirements that affect these moves. Permits (blanket or state) are needed to move these units, and some larger cities have restrictions prohibiting travel between 6:00am-9:00am and 2:00pm until 5:00pm. These restrictions result in longer lead times being needed to deliver the units.
Although there are some similarities between the mobile office market and traditional transportation, there are many differences that require extra coordination, skill and the ability to make last minute adjustments. In order to satisfy you client’s goals and exceed all their expectations, you will have to provide great customer service and an efficient on time delivery.
If you have any questions or if you would like additional information please contact sales@allynintl.com
Allyn International Services, Inc. (Allyn) is a privately-owned supply chain management consulting firm established in 1992. Allyn offers customized best in class solutions to meet your global supply chain needs.