1. Check with your local City Hall to see if you need a permit to have a 20’ or 40’ container positioned at your home or facility. Some trucking companies may require a copy of the permit prior to delivering the container. If you fail to acquire a permit where permits are required, any charges that incur will be billed to you.
2. When the container arrives at your door, inspect it. Make sure there are no holes in the container BEFORE the driver leaves. Sweep out the container to remove any debris, dirt or dust.
3. The container comes to your door 4 feet off the ground. There are no ramps or lifts to assist you when loading. You can make your own ramps, rent your own ramps or hire labor to help you load your container.
4. Packing and loading your container well is the key to minimizing damage during transit. Start at the front of the container (opposite of the container doors) and work your way back. Load all heavy items on the floor and load all light items on top.
5. There are several ways to secure your items inside the container:
   
   • There are rings or loopholes throughout the container located on the container walls near the floor. You can use rope, metal straps, bungee cords, etc. to secure your items.
   • The walls of the container are corrugated or have grooves. You can use plywood and 4’x4’s to make partitions or to keep things from shifting frontward or backward.
   • The floor of the container is wood. You can use nail items down to the floor or you can nail wood to the floor to keep things from shifting.
6. When you are done loading the container we do suggest using 2’x4’s or 4’x4’s to brace the back of the container. The key to a successful load is a tight fitting load. If your items can easily shift, damage is more likely to occur.
7. BEFORE the driver leaves your premises with your container, make sure to acquire the driver’s signature as proof that the driver has picked your container. Record the container# and seal# for your records.

1. Make sure all fragile items are heavily bubble-wrapped and secured well in the box. Use Styrofoam peanuts, clothing, pillows, etc to provide extra cushion.
2. Make sure all boxes are packed FULL. If there are voids in the boxes, they can easily collapse which can cause damage.
3. Make sure your boxes are securely shut using adhesive tape.
4. Label your boxes with your first and last name, country your shipping to, and the amount of boxes you have (1 of 8).

Do not use printed newspaper to wrap your goods or to fill any voids.