Logistics
Site Prep and Delivery: What Happens Before Your Trailer Arrives
Delivery day goes one of two ways. Either the truck arrives, sets the unit in two hours, and everyone gets on with the job, or it arrives, cannot reach the pad, and you pay for a second attempt plus a week of schedule. The difference is 30 minutes of preparation.
What the delivery actually involves
We truck the unit in (double-wides come as separate halves), back it onto your pad, set it on blocking, level it, install steps or ramps, and on multi-section units join and seal the halves. You connect power through your electrician, and water and sewer if the unit has plumbing. Typical cost: $1,000 to $5,000 each way depending on distance and complexity.
The access checklist
Walk the route from the street to the pad and confirm:
- Width: roughly 12 ft clear the whole way, more at turns. Gates, gateposts, and parked equipment are the usual offenders.
- Overhead: power lines, tree limbs, and canopies above about 15 ft. Look up the entire route; everyone forgets one line.
- Ground: firm enough for a heavy truck in the site’s wettest realistic condition. Fresh fill and irrigated turf swallow trucks.
- Turning: the truck arrives long. Tight turns near the pad may need the unit walked in with equipment, which is quotable in advance and expensive as a surprise.
Send us phone photos of the route and pad with your quote request. Our crews plan sets from photos every day, and it converts delivery-day surprises into line items.
Ground and pad prep
You do not need concrete. You need firm, level, draining ground: compacted gravel is the standard answer, existing asphalt is fine, and reasonably firm native soil works for shorter placements. Standing water is the disqualifier; it undermines blocking and rots everything above it.
Slope matters less than people think (blocking handles moderate grade) but plan drainage so water runs away from, not under, the unit.
Utilities
Power: every unit needs it. Options are a temporary pole set by your electrician, an existing building connection, or a generator. Confirm the unit’s service requirement (30 to 100+ amps by size) against what your site supplies before delivery, not after.
Water and sewer: only if the unit has plumbing. Many sites skip built-in restrooms entirely and pair the trailer with portable sanitation, which avoids connection costs and permit questions.
Data: decide before delivery where the line or antenna enters. Drilling the wall after setup is possible and annoying.
Anchoring, skirting, and steps
Tie-downs and anchoring are code-driven: wind zones (coastal Texas, Florida, the Carolinas) require engineered anchoring, and we quote compliant setups when the delivery ZIP says so. Skirting is optional almost everywhere but earns its cost on any winter placement by protecting plumbing and cutting heating load. Steps are code-required for egress; ADA ramps where the public enters.
The timeline
- In-stock singles: 3 to 10 business days from signed agreement in most metros.
- Double-wides: add set complexity and often a week.
- Custom configurations and restroom units: two to six weeks depending on fit-out.
The schedule risk that matters is yours, not theirs: sites that are not ready burn the delivery slot. Have access, pad, and power sorted before the truck rolls.
Winter and wet-season deliveries
Ground condition is the whole game in bad weather. Frozen ground is actually a friend: it carries trucks beautifully, and northern crews schedule hard-freeze deliveries on purpose. The enemy is the in-between: thaw cycles and spring mud that swallow a loaded truck to the axles. If your delivery window lands in mud season, plan one of three outs: a compacted gravel approach, ground protection mats (quotable with the delivery), or honest flexibility on the date.
Rain-country sites should walk the route the day after a storm, not the day of the quote, because that is the condition the truck might meet. And winter placements should order skirting with the unit rather than discovering in January that exposed plumbing and a cold floor cost more than skirting ever did. None of this is exotic; it just has to be thought about before the truck rolls, which is why we ask about ground and season in the quote conversation.
The five-minute version
- Walk the route; confirm width, overhead, ground, turning.
- Photograph route and pad; send with your quote request.
- Prep firm, level, draining ground.
- Match power supply to unit requirement.
- Book delivery only when the site is actually ready.
Ready to schedule one? Get a quote with your site photos attached to the conversation, and we will price delivery accurately the first time.