3 Pro Tips for Offloading Prefabricated Modular Buildings More Efficiently

Before you offload prefabricated modular buildings at the construction site, do these three things.

Summary: 

• A staging yard near the construction site gives you a buffer between delivery and set and stitch.
• Two shuttles running between the staging yard and crane pick point keep unpacking and offloading flowing.
• An experienced modular construction transport company is key to the success of your delivery.

Offloading prefabricated modular buildings is one of the phases of transportation where costs can unexpectedly skyrocket and delays can set back entire projects. But, as a team with years of experience moving mods, we at Stream Modular have learned a few things worth sharing. In fact, there are three key strategies we put in place when offloading industrialized construction projects that allow this final phase of the project to run smoothly. 

1) Create a staging yard near the construction site. 

As the name suggests, a staging yard is where the mods can be offloaded from the factory, staged for final delivery, and then transported to the job site itself. This gives you a buffer between when the units arrive and when the crew needs them on site to set and stitch — which is crucial in modular construction, when pieces of the project follow a precise sequence. We always advise creating the yard near the construction site so we can easily transport the modules there ahead of time, then over to the site quickly. The closer it is to the build site, the better logistically.

As part of our pre-project process, we fly out to assess everything from the factory to the job site — and that includes choosing the best location for a staging yard. Then we plan for ways to make movement seamless between the yard and the construction site. This can mean improving the flow for trucks or the layout for the staging itself. This is an essential ‘controllable’ because we know that the ‘uncontrollables’ are bound to happen.

2) Hire two job site shuttle drivers for transport.

We also find having two drivers dedicated to shuttling modules between the yard and crane pick point to drive efficiencies. In this scenario, one shuttle is always unloading while the other is staged, while removing wrapping, and can roll right in after to unload the next mod. 

This is a strategy that has worked in our favor many times, including a recent affordable housing project in downtown LA where manufacturing and weather delays set the project back nearly two weeks. Yet, because we coordinated two shuttles to run at all times between the staging yard and job site, we were able to make up a lot of time and almost meet the original delivery date. This is a great example of how the uncontrollables can seemingly derail a project, but, with proper and thorough planning from a seasoned transport and logistics partner, you can make up time and money. 

3) Communication is key, always

For us, communication starts at the very start of every prefabricated modular buildings project, setting expectations and establishing relationships so we’re setting everyone up for success. This means we ask a lot of questions. How many boxes are going to be shipped per day and delivered per day? What’s at stake? If something runs late, what happens? Is there a plan B in place? Or does the job site shut down? 

When the time comes to offload at the site, constant, clear communication becomes even more critical. We work closely with the onsite crew to ensure everyone is aware of timing of deliveries, any issues that arise with ingress/egress access, and other unexpected occurrences. With strong communication, we can work with the crew to be as efficient as possible and make up for any lost time from factory delays or weather setbacks.

Need expert logistics advice on offloading your prefabricated modular buildings?

Talk to our experts about how we’ve streamlined offloading for dozens of clients and the kind of tailored solution we can create for your project.

Stream Modular is a transportation logistics company specializing exclusively in modular construction. We help modular manufacturers and builders transport mods, pods and panels so they arrive on time and safely to the build site.