Moving a shipping container with a crane in Memphis

What a container weighs

Container specs come from the box’s owner, and the weights are stamped on the doors. One large container lessor lists these for its standard dry boxes:

Container	Empty (tare)	Max gross, loaded
20-foot standard	4,850 lb	67,200 lb
40-foot standard	8,168 lb	71,650 lb
40-foot high cube	8,587 lb	71,650 lb

Empty, a container is a light lift for a truck crane. Full, it can weigh as much as the crane itself. Empty it first if you can.

Photo: AlfvanBeem / Wikimedia

Matching the crane to the box

• Empty box, truck parks next to the spot. A 15 to 30-ton truck crane usually covers it.
• Over a fence or a building, 30 to 50 feet out. A 35 or 40-ton truck crane.
• Loaded box or a long reach. 50 tons or more, which on the posted sheet means an 8-hour minimum and an oiler.

Tell the operator the container size, whether it is empty, where the delivery truck will stop and where the box needs to land.

Ground, wires and the street

Outrigger pads need firm ground, and so does the landing spot. Delta soil around Memphis turns soft after rain, so gravel or mats help on a back lot. Check overhead lines: Tennessee law keeps the crane and the load 10 feet from high-voltage lines unless MLGW has made them safe.

If the crane or the delivery truck has to take a lane on a city street, Memphis charges $50 plus $10 per lane per day and asks for 10 calendar days of notice.

Rough costs

Job	Crane	Rough bill before extras
Empty 20-foot box, short reach	15 to 30-ton truck crane, 3 hours	$585
Empty 40-foot box over a fence	35-ton truck crane, 4 hours	$960
Loaded box or long reach	50-ton all-terrain crane, 8 hours	$2,800

From the posted sheet. Add the delivery truck, rigging if not included and any lane closure.