Pallet delivery companies that work for ‘typical’ yards?

rara007

rara007

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Hi there!

Getting more delivered by the pallet now the local haylage company’s standards have become very mixed. Every delivery is a drama- message not got through you can’t fit a massive truck down, nothing to move the pallet off of where it falls (quite literally with the state of the tail lift vs our lanes camber) unless you have a perfectly flat concrete base, rigid delivery schedules but someone needs to be there.

Is there a company I can signpost the suppliers to? It’s not a cost issue I’m happy to pay for the service as tbh 1 tonne of goods blocking the road 50m up an hour before I go to work is of very little use to me!
 
It will all come down to who the supplier uses, but your have the same issues.
Most pallets will be kerbside.. which means they get if off the truck how you move it is your issue not theirs.
Most companies will have some Luton vans, you can try asking the supplier to highlight access issues when booking.

Equally buy yourself a pump pallet truck so you can move it down the lane yourself. They cost a couple of hundred quid.
 
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Exactly what jhoward said. The only other option might be to arrange your own collection using a known local friendly courier but I image it would be costly

You still need fairly flat surface tho to move a high, heavy pallet on a pallet truck
 
A lot of companies will only deliver pallets of a certain weight on 12 ton plus lorries.

I used to get pallets of pellets delivered in smaller vans, which was fine. They then changed the rules and said they had to come on bigger lorries, which sometimes struggle to turn at my place. When I asked I was told the above.

This could be part of the reason you are struggling.
 
I have this problem with my deliveries of pallets of bedding. Luckily our yard is off a main road so they end up dumping it at the gate as they say the yard isn’t flat enough anywhere. My biggest bugbear is that, despite me asking the bedding company for a specific delivery day, it comes whenever. The last time I asked for it to be delivered on the following Friday and it turned up on the Monday of that week! Luckily I was at the yard with the farrier but I do work part time.
 
tda said:
Exactly what jhoward said. The only other option might be to arrange your own collection using a known local friendly courier but I image it would be costly

You still need fairly flat surface tho to move a high, heavy pallet on a pallet truck
Click to expand...
It's the height ...
Even a Luton van is only around 6 foot in height.

Op any farmers around with a cherry picker? They have the forks on that could maybe run it down to the yard.
 
My experience is pretty much the same as yours OP.

The delivery time annoys me. Very rarely reliable and that is something they should have control over.

Unfortunately though curbside is common unless you have a level flat solid area with turning room (even then it’s driver dependant, normally if you are there they will oblige).

My yard is crushed stone rather than concrete so I only get kerbside delivery.
I tie a tow rope around the pallets and tow the delivery close to where I need it using my truck. Then restack.
 
I have to pay to split deliveries into 1/2 pallet loads that a local firm can then put on their 7.5 tonne. That used to be ok but they have a new lorry and the tailgate needs a totally flat surface or the lorry pointing slightly downhill to work.
 
Yes we’re 5min from the local depot so either get 8am with 5min notice (I work an hour from home finishing 9am..!) or unspecified last thing that’s usually 1-3pm, evolving to around 5.30pm just after you’ve arrange someone to be there at 1-3pm. The yard is type 1 and an 18 tonne Horsebox can turn around - it’s not a tiny bog. Glad it seems a unanimous issue, literally every delivery is a drama of sorts and I was wondering what I’m missing!
I’ll see if they need to be split to go on a smaller truck or what the maximum height/weight they’ll take.
I guess there’s not much demand for it nationally but there seems to be a gap for non commercial pallet deliveries..!
 
rara007 said:
Yes we’re 5min from the local depot so either get 8am with 5min notice (I work an hour from home finishing 9am..!) or unspecified last thing that’s usually 1-3pm, evolving to around 5.30pm just after you’ve arrange someone to be there at 1-3pm. The yard is type 1 and an 18 tonne Horsebox can turn around - it’s not a tiny bog. Glad it seems a unanimous issue, literally every delivery is a drama of sorts and I was wondering what I’m missing!
I’ll see if they need to be split to go on a smaller truck or what the maximum height/weight they’ll take.
I guess there’s not much demand for it nationally but there seems to be a gap for non commercial pallet deliveries..!
Click to expand...
It's not a gap, problem with non commercial is they are a pain.
It often means blocking a road to off load, and then people expect you too get to their doors/garages/stables
And then they want pallet/rubbish taken away

Legally a commercial vehicle can block a road for 15 minutes. Most people won't know this.

It is illegal for most vans/lorries to take away waste. It requires a commercial licence and different insurance

The time spent faffing about on residential delivers massively cuts down route time so not favoured

If your only 5 minutes away from the depot stick some wanted ads up for someone with a flatbed that has a tail lift, that may do it for 20 quid (your be lucky) at times that suit them.
The depot can fork it on
Get the sack trucks and leave them ready he can pull it off by yr yard.
It's a 15 minute job...
 
rara007 said:
Yes we’re 5min from the local depot so either get 8am with 5min notice (I work an hour from home finishing 9am..!) or unspecified last thing that’s usually 1-3pm, evolving to around 5.30pm just after you’ve arrange someone to be there at 1-3pm. The yard is type 1 and an 18 tonne Horsebox can turn around - it’s not a tiny bog. Glad it seems a unanimous issue, literally every delivery is a drama of sorts and I was wondering what I’m missing!
I’ll see if they need to be split to go on a smaller truck or what the maximum height/weight they’ll take.
I guess there’s not much demand for it nationally but there seems to be a gap for non commercial pallet deliveries..!
Click to expand...
A lot of hauliers unsurprisingly, want neat pallets, quick tip, someone on site with flt. This is how the palletline type companies operate, that's how they keep the cost acceptable
There are plenty that do non commercial but it will cost!
 
Yes- 1 mile away from the main local base where they seem to all end up! I do think it would be easier to get a flatbed pony cart set up to haul it back 250kg at a time sometimes..!

Do you have any details of any companies who will do non commercial and are easy to work with? Don’t need anything removed just a truck that can get down a (straight) single track lane (dead end, no issue blocking it) and deliver onto hard standing on a pre arranged day. Can turn around on hard standing if up to approx 18 tonne Horsebox length, really big will need to reverse in or out. Appreciate bespoke runs will cost but would rather that than the current roulette.

Thankfully for anything we want removing the skip companies are much easier…!
 
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I’ve just been googling second hand fork lifts 😅 Could collect from them for the distance we need!

Unfortunately all our local farms are also on hardcore (or broken concrete complete with holes and puddles) and mostly not as easy or flat as ours for access, the closest big flat space probably is the pallet yard!
 
rara007 said:
Yes- 1 mile away from the main local base where they seem to all end up! I do think it would be easier to get a flatbed pony cart set up to haul it back 250kg at a time sometimes..!

Do you have any details of any companies who will do non commercial and are easy to work with? Don’t need anything removed just a truck that can get down a (straight) single track lane (dead end, no issue blocking it) and deliver onto hard standing on a pre arranged day. Can turn around on hard standing if up to approx 18 tonne Horsebox length, really big will need to reverse in or out. Appreciate bespoke runs will cost but would rather that than the current roulette.

Thankfully for anything we want removing the skip companies are much easier…!
Click to expand...
Couriers will do it even if it means braking the pallet down to get it in a van, but your looking at high costs .
Id post on your local FB pages asking for a man and van and stipulate high roof/Luton/flatbed.
If it's a regular thing add that too as a bit of cash in someone's hand is often an incentive
 
The cost of non commercial deliveries is just too cost prohibitive for most people. My partner has a small haulage company and ran a 3.5t curtainsider but a lot of people wanted it at a price that a profit was un achievable so he moved the van on eventually and just does commercial again
 
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