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Have you ever tried loading a shipping container using a tractor or piece of heavy machinery that won’t fit in the entryway? Or have you ever stored something in your cargo container that would be more quickly moved if you were able to access it with your forklift? You’re in luck, we think you’d benefit from using a side opening container. Today, we’re looking at what these specialty containers are, how their doors work, and the unique advantages they give to our customers. If you’re unfamiliar with the world of intermodal storage containers, here’s a little synopsis: Traditional shipping containers come with one pair of doors on one narrow end of the unit. These doors are functional, and will work just fine for the majority of us. But they can limit how easy it is to load and offload cargo, the order in which we need to load the container, and what types of cargo will ultimately fit.   Shipping Containers With Side Doors: Opening a Whole New World Of Possibilities A side opening container or open side container is a shipping container that, in addition to the regular, lockable double doors located on one end, includes an additional pair of bi-fold doors on one of the longer sides.      The bi-fold function of the side doors allows for two opening sizes. If you’re working with a 20 foot side opening container for example, the initial hinges that swing open nearest to the center of the container make for an eight foot opening. You are then able to open the side doors even further in order to create an opening that allows for a nearly 20 foot opening. That’s why you’ll also hear these referred to as “full-side access containers.”   Purchasable Condition and Sizes Side opening containers are only purchasable in either new or “one-trip” conditions. Similar to other specialty container types, the newness implies the quality and strength of the structure. You’ll want a strong, undamaged in order for it to best support the installation and function of these doors. These containers can be purchased in 20’ and 40’ lengths, just like regular shipping containers. Furthermore, variations with standard height (8’6”) and high cube height (9’6”) are available as well. The exact type of open side container you choose will determine its additional features. Most are constructed almost entirely with 14-gauge steel and may or may not include fork pockets to allow you to move the containers with forklifts.  The majority of containers are all manufactured for ISO specifications.   How Do You Open an Open Side Container? Opening your full-side access container doors is easy, and the doors are made almost identically to the regular doors on the narrow end of a shipping container. They can be opened from either the inside or the outside depending on the handles that come with a unit, or you can install handles for your workers if that works best for your needs. The doors usually open a full 270°, enabling you to move wide cargo into the shipping container and enjoy full mobility without getting cargo stuck on either door.  Some side opening containers include doors that have water sealing to help keep the interior cargo and the container secure from water damage and some types of vermin. Alternatively, some types of side opening shipping containers may use roller doors instead of regular doors. These roller doors will open from bottom to top and roll into the container’s top side. This is ideal for loading larger than average cargo into a container.   Advantages of Side Opening Shipping Containers Your open side shipping containers come with plenty of benefits, especially compared to their standard door counterparts. Quick and Easy Access To Your Precious Cargo For starters, these containers make it much easier to load and offload certain types of cargo. With standard end-wall doors, you need to carefully plan your loading process so that you and your workers can get to important cargo quickly. Furthermore, reaching and unloading a large piece of cargo located deep inside a container can be challenging in a time-sensitive situation. It might require you to empty out all of the stored items between it and your doorway. Side opening containers solve this problem by allowing you to access the middle or rear of a shipping container without having to dig through to your target cargo from the front. The worst case scenario is that you have an item on the opposite side of your side opening doors, but that would mean only being 8 feet or less from your target item – way less to move than something 20 feet or 40 feet inside a container.     Work Smarter Not Harder (Or More Dangerously) with a Side Opening Container Additionally, loading cargo with a forklift, tractor, or a bobcat is a lot easier thanks to the location of these doors. Easily lift and move heavy, awkward items with your machinery rather than requiring your whole team to try and lift with their legs and backs. We’ve all been there, but typically we only do it wrong once before we say to ourselves, “We’re never doing that again!” This will prevent working harder than you need to and avoid accidental serious injuries. Extra-large items that don’t fit in regular shipping container doors can be more easily stored in standard shipping containers with these inclusions. This also means that utilizing the available space in a given shipping container will be easier and more efficient. You won’t have to make as many concessions with empty space with a side opening shipping container.   Uses for Side Opening Shipping Containers There are plenty of practical uses for these container types. Let’s take a look at a few ways you might decide to use yours.   Great Long-Term Storage Containers As with their regular counterparts, side opening shipping containers are perfect storage solutions – particularly for storing bulky goods that need to be retrieved quickly and easily. They’re

Shipping containers are tough, durable storage solutions that do a great job of keeping your stored items out of the harshest weather elements – rain, sleet, snow, and UV light exposure.  However, some of us want even more help controlling the inside temperature and conditions of our containers. Let’s talk about shipping container insulation, today. What do we mean by insulation? For shipping containers, insulation is any material that prevents heat energy from flowing elsewhere in order to keep a container’s internal temperature consistent.  These include materials to cover the outer surface and to enhance the interior walls. We’ve seen everything from “proper” insulation materials such as commercially available foams and fiberglass materials to the creative use of blankets, clothing, and hay bales. Let’s take a look at why you might consider insulation, and what your options are.   Why bother insulating shipping containers? Anyone who’s touched the outside of a shipping container on a hot day has probably experienced the instant flash of pain on their hand. Similarly, shipping containers can feel like ice boxes if you open them up in the dead of winter.  Since standard shipping containers aren’t insulated by default and they’re made of thermal conducting steel, the air temperature of your container most likely reflects these extreme conditions.  So to protect your temperature sensitive items such as antique goods, art, vinyl records, wines, foods and organic materials, medical devices, or electronics, insulation is quite important. For those of you considering a shipping container home, it’s easier to understand the importance of a well insulated space. Insulation represents both you and your family’s comfort and the cost of your energy bill.   Common Types of Insulation You Can Use for Your Shipping Containers There are several types of insulation you can use with your shipping container. Let’s take a look at a few:   1. Styrofoam or Other Closed-cell Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS) Insulation This is a great material for adding a general layer of insulation to a storage container.  Specifically, using boards of Styrofoam and applying them as a layer on the walls and ceiling. These boards are easy to install and, as a bonus, also limit the echoing of sound. To use Styrofoam as an insulator, some folks apply a strong glue material to the panels that adhere them to the walls of the shipping container. Or you can use another mounting material on the bracketing bars that run horizontally (lengthwise) on many container models. You may have already seen this type of insulation in action if you’ve ever rented a climate-controlled shipping container – odds are that the rental company used Styrofoam insulation since it’s cost-effective and easy to maintain. When a Styrofoam board goes bad or breaks, simply replace it!   2. Spray Foam You can alternatively use a spray foam insulation. Oftentimes this is not an aesthetically pleasing option, but it’s easy to apply without a lot of experience. You buy cans of a spray foam product, which eventually settles on the surface of your shipping container and hardens over time (be sure to read directions about the optimal temperatures to use spray foam). The more time passes, the more secure the insulating spray becomes. It can act as a capable sound barrier, resists bacterial and fungal growth, and doesn’t compress or easily break the same way that regular Styrofoam or batt materials (more on batt later) do. However, you will need a large amount of spray foam to get the entire job done. Be sure to purchase it in large quantities to avoid spending more than your budget calls for. Spray foam insulators come in two major types: expanding and non-expanding foam Expanding Insulation  Is much better for sealing, which can defend your shipping container from moisture damage. However, you’ll need to trim away excess spray foam material after it has hardened. This comes in Open-Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam (ocSPF) or Closed-Cell Spray Polyurethane Foam (ccSPF). Non-expanding spray foam  Doesn’t expand after you apply it to the walls of your shipping container. You may need to apply a little more to ensure proper sealing as a result.  These foam products come as damp spray cellulose, which is made from shredded and recycled paper products. Adhesives bind all the cellulose within those materials together. They also come as cementitious foam, which is a mixture of minerals, water, and air that give it the appearance of concrete.   3. Batt Insulation This material is one of the most common insulators used in home construction. If you’ve ever participated in a home remodeling project, odds are that you saw this pink-colored insulator filling the walls between the wooden support beams. As a child you might have wondered why they insulated the walls with cotton candy.  In a nutshell, batt is made by weaving very fine strands of different materials together. These include: plastic fibers glass cotton mineral wood batt itself   You don’t have to make your own batt, of course – it can be found at most home improvement or shipping container equipment stores. They usually come in small blocks or rolls that are easy to stack on top of one another. It’s convenient to apply batt insulation when a shipping container is being constructed or when taking the walls apart. Most people will decide on this insulating material ahead of time or take a shipping container apart to stuff it in the steel walls, floors, and ceiling.  You likely won’t want to attach this material on top of the already existing steel paneling. The pink fiberglass material irritates the skin and eyes. It’s best to keep it covered up.   4.  Blown Insulation Or loose-fill insulation refers to materials such as shredded paper (cellulose), perlite, and loose-fill fiberglass insulation. While these materials are effective, they can be messy and often require a cavity to be filled by the materials. These are rarely installed by hand but instead, as their name implies, are blown in with machines.   5. Blankets Beyond

You’re loading a standard shipping container for the first or second time ever and after several hours of loading your heavy furniture and goods, you realize that you’ve made a mistake. You’ve poorly organized your container. You need to be able to access some of the pieces in the back more regularly than you initially anticipated, and you haven’t left yourself the room between your things to maneuver your stored items, easily. OR… You have a small trailer full of tools and boxes that you want to store temporarily. You decide it would be most convenient to leave everything on the trailer as it will fit inside the shipping container, no problem. However, upon attempting to back it in and after a couple of bumps and dings, you decide you might be better served just to simply unload everything from the trailer. Does any of this sound familiar?  If so, it’s time to start exploring some door layouts that help people like us more easily organize and access our goods without all the hassle of extreme organization and logistics.  Today, we’re talking about the significance of the double door containers and whether or not they might be the best choice for your next project. What is a Double Door Shipping Container?     You guessed it, it’s a shipping container with two pairs of doors – one set on each short end of your container. The result is a long hallway that allows you to walk in one entrance of the container, through the center, and out the other side.  Because of this functionality, you might occasionally hear double door shipping containers referred to as “tunnel-tainers”.   Do They Come in Standard Sizes? Yes. 2-door shipping containers come in the ISO-regulated dimensions of 20ft and 40ft lengths, with standard heights of 8’6″ or 9’6″ (High cube dimensions). They’re made with the exact same materials as regular shipping containers, and can be modified or protected from the elements in the same ways we’ve discussed in other overviews on this blog.   Double Door vs Single Door Containers – Why Use 2-Door Containers, Anyway? Double door shipping containers’ versatility makes them a popular alternative to the traditional standard door versions. The most obvious benefit is that double door shipping containers allow you to load and unload cargo from either end of the container.  A standard door container, in contrast, leaves some items potentially stuck in the back of the container without close proximity access. This can result in the need for regularly adjusting and moving your stored materials, and in the worst case scenario, completely emptying a container to get sufficient access and removal of large items in the back.   The Advantages of Double Entry Containers: Let’s expand on the usefulness of these containers by first considering our two scenarios in the intro of this post.      Advantage #1: Better Access and Easier Organization In the first scenario, we mistakenly loaded our shipping container without fully understanding which pieces of furniture we would need to access more regularly than others. Our poor organization and use of a standard door layout have made for a less than ideal experience.  If we had purchased a double door container, we would have a second access point on the backside of the unit. This convenience means that we’re always within 10ft to 20ft of the goods we need depending on the length of our container. Additionally, it allows for an organization plan that has us putting storage items that we need less often, in the center of the container. And hopefully, if space allows and we won’t be transporting the container, we can leave a small walkway to navigate the container’s contents more quickly.   Advantage #2: The Drive-Thru “Tunnel-tainer” In the second scenario from the intro, we are missing the convenience of pulling the trailer straight through the container.  While you might be able to back your trailers, boats, and small pop-up campers in with your driving skills, there is no doubt that being able to drive in forward is much easier. That means it’s often quicker to execute and you risk less damage to the trailer, your vehicle, and the storage container itself.   Advantage #3: More Access for Tools and Machinery To Load Heavy Cargo A double door container can be quite advantageous if you are loading irregularly shaped cargo that is difficult to move around. Awkward, heavy items often require the use of machinery or human-enhancing tools as well as the ability to approach it from multiple angles. If you’ll benefit from loading your pieces of cargo with tractors, pallet jacks, or hand trucks (dollies), a double door container will help make sure you can easily access both sides of the container with your tools.   Advantage #4: Easier Conversion Believe it or not, if your goal is to convert your container and you want to modify both ends of it, it might be more cost effective to buy a double door shipping container.  Removing the doors on one end is often less invasive and easier for the do-it-yourself builder or carpenter than buying a standard door container and attempting to remove the back wall and fit it for your future custom doors or wall feature. This leads into our next advantage.   Advantage #5: The Tunnel As Design And Bridge Feature As shipping containers continually grow in popularity in construction projects, home building, bridge uses, and public walkways, some people have found that putting several double door containers together can give your project a creative, unique appearance. Simply remove the doors, connect your containers, and seal them together to create long hallways for offices, schools, and so much more. Not only do they make the design of spaces look contemporary, but they give walkways and pedestrian overpasses the extra benefit of keeping people out of the rain and cold.   Advantages Cost Money So Make Sure You Budget For Them Double door shipping containers tend to cost more

You bought your brand new, shiny shipping container from Rent-A-Container. It was the perfect experience. The container came promptly. It was delivered in the exact spot you scoped out and prepared utilizing our container site preparation overview.  Then, as you start loading it full of storage materials and valuable cargo, you realize that your location could have been better. No, it needs to be better. Now what? Can you move your container? How do you move your storage container? Today, we’re going to address how to move your container a short distance on your own property and how to move your container to another piece of property altogether.   What Does It Take to Move a Shipping Container? How exactly does one go about moving the shipping container? Can you drag a shipping container from place to place, or do you need to use heavy machinery? Turns out, there are a few ways you can move these versatile containers depending on your budget, expertise, or specific needs.    Know the Weight of Your Shipping Container(s) Before deciding on any method, consider the weight of a given shipping container. Standard 20-foot shipping containers usually weigh over 5,000 pounds. Meanwhile, 40-foot shipping containers can often weigh over 8,200 pounds. Because of these heavy weights, shipping containers are often transported using semi-trucks or on flatbed trailers pulled by powerful passenger trucks.   Heavy Machinery For Short Moves or To Load Your Trailer Generally speaking, you have two major choices for heavy machinery that will move your storage container – a forklift or a crane. Forklifts to Move a Shipping Container     Some models of forklifts can lift a shipping container by itself, but not your standard, small forklift. Many smaller forklifts are neither strong enough to lift a shipping container outright, nor are they wide enough to prevent buckling or damage to the shipping container.  Since using a forklift means putting all the weight or pressure of the shipping container on its center, you can easily cause an accident if you use the wrong kind of forklift. If you do decide to use a forklift, make sure it is outfitted to lift at least 15,000 pounds. This ensures that the forklift’s arms are wide enough and strong enough to lift your shipping container without incurring or accruing damage. Cranes Work But They’ll Require Special Licensing to Operate     A crane can also save you time since it’s usually easier to place your shipping container on your truck’s trailer or flatbed using it. But cranes do require special licenses or operators – unless you use one of these for your job, you’ll likely need to hire someone to do the crane lifting for you, even if you drive the shipping container from place to place. Consider both options carefully before choosing.   Property-to-property Transport With Large Vehicles and Trailers You can always move the shipping container yourself using one of the two above methods if you have a CDL, Chauffeur’s License or any other appropriate drivers license for the vehicle and trailer types you’ll be utilizing. You need one of these licenses to safely operate heavy machinery and the large vehicles required to move the shipping container any significant distance. If you do have a CDL, but you don’t have any of the equipment you need, you can always rent a rollback truck and do the moving yourself. This may be cheaper over the long-term compared to hiring someone to move the shipping container for you (more on that below).   Understand Department of Transportation Regulations In Your State What if you don’t have a CDL? You might still be able to move your shipping container depending on the Department of Transportation and other state-based regulations.. The DOT has limits on the gross weight you can move when towing a trailer. Since shipping containers are quite heavy, make sure that moving a container without a CDL doesn’t break any local regulations.   Calculating Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) The number you need to calculate is the GVWR or Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is a single number that describes how much weight a truck can carry including its native weight. A GVWR-rated truck with a limit of 10,000 pounds, for instance, can only carry a trailer with a total weight of less than or equal to 10,000 pounds. But you have to subtract the weight of the truck itself, plus any additional passengers or cargo. Since most states only require a CDL if you want to transport over 26,000 pounds, you may be able to move a single shipping container at a time for a DIY construction or storage project. But remember to keep the weight of the trailer in mind! A typical 40-foot, double axle trailer will weigh almost 9000 pounds by itself. You can easily go over the limit if you aren’t careful.   Can You Hire Shipping Container Moving Services? Yes, though different companies will offer different services.  You can hire shipping container moving services for DIY construction projects, or even hire a shipping container company to deliver a container to a new location if it’s in an easy-to-access spot. If you use a company that is offering strictly transportation services from one place to another utilizing a truck, you’ll need to make sure that they’ll also be handling the loading and unloading of the shipping container. Some will only offer shipping container transportation, leaving you to figure out how to mount the shipping container onto the truck. In general, most people will find it easier to hire a shipping container moving service. This is because it can take up to several hours or an entire day to get a shipping container mounted on a moving truck and on the road.   What Does It Cost to Move a Shipping Container? Your total costs will vary based on whether you move the shipping container yourself or hire a company to do so for you. If you decide to

Shipping container homes and commercial structures such as restaurants and coffee shops are becoming popular all across the world. And while many newcomers to the shipping container construction movement believe that their almost modular frames are too confining for architects and designers, we’re here to show you some examples of just how unique and creative a shipping container interior can be. Bottom line, you can do anything with a shipping container. Let’s take a look at some of the top interior designs you won’t believe until you see! The Shipping Container Coffee House If you want an example of a relaxing and rustic atmosphere, check out this open-air container coffee shop. It’s a small space, with only enough room on the inside for the barista and POS, but the interior is expertly crafted to allow doors to be drawn on any side. It’s both cozy and airy at the same time. Source: DesignBoom Photographer: lllooimage Seriously, A Cargo Container Medical ICU COVID-19 has rocked the economy from top to bottom. But shipping containers are, once again, showing their versatility. These units’ interiors have been redesigned to become portable ICUs for treating coronavirus patients. Their portability means they can go anywhere that’s necessary for the doctors on the front lines. Source: DesignBoom Photographer: Max Tomasinelli Shipping Container Hotel: Lodging With A View Some entrepreneurs are using shipping containers to jumpstart new businesses. This particular shipping container design is used for a variety of hotel rooms on the former California Vineyard. The spacious interiors and high ceilings almost make you forget that the structures used to be used for shipping goods! Source: DesignBoom Photographer: Paul Vu Big Windows For A Spacious Feel Many of the best shipping container homes make use of the containers’ ability to be modified with a ton of windows. This home lets in tons of natural light and doesn’t take up tons of space in the neighborhood. Nonetheless, it’s both stylish and comfortable and allows one or two people to live a relaxed, carbon-low lifestyle. Source: Curbed and Alternative Living Spaces Shipping Container Home: Wood Siding and Beautiful Greenery This shipping container home features a notable exterior and interior. The interior makes use of wood-colored walls and wide windows that showcase the stunning terraces and staircases that connect between different structures. It’s a perfect getaway spot for a vacation or a summer home. Source: Curbed and DesignBoom  Photographer: river and rain The Guest House Sometimes shipping containers are best used as guesthouses instead of primary abodes. In this case, the wide windows attached to this shipping container illuminate a spacious living area and a long hallway that leads into a small kitchenette and sleeping area. With plenty of sunshine and lots of green surroundings, it offers a natural-focused aesthetic that few other homes can emulate. Source: homedit Architect: poteet architects Multi-Story Shipping Container Dream Home Most shipping container homes are assumed to be small and cramped. This collection of several shipping containers proves that assumption wrong. Built by welding multiple containers on top of one another, this multi-story structure is a wide-open home with several levels, balconies, different rooms, and even certain windows that can be opened to allow in a fresh breeze. An attached patio completes the structure. Source: homedit Architect: Adam Kalkin Colorful, Open, Yet Simple Container Home Design Sometimes simplicity is the way to go. This complex of multiple shipping containers is used to demonstrate art and gives students a place to let their imagination run wild. By combining multiple shipping containers into a single complex, semi-open hallways and various rooms run into each other, affording an ironically flowing aesthetic despite all the walls. Source: homedit Shipping Container Home With A Spiral Staircase Here we have another multi-story shipping container structure. This home is designed to offer all the functionality, open-space, and creature comforts of a modern home, but it’s made from several shipping containers welded together. Of particular note is the spiral staircase in the corner, which allows easy ascending to the second level. Source: HomeDSGN Architect: Patrick Partouche Sliding Doors in Your Container Home For Luxury Entryways This shipping container home takes advantage of the natural flexibility of shipping containers and uses a sliding glass door to allow occupants to enjoy the patio just outside or let a nice breeze into the main home’s space. Smartly chosen decorations (many of which are made from secondhand materials) emphasize the authentic and unique aesthetic of the place – there’s nowhere else quite like it. Source: Archello Architect: Infiniski + James & Mau Industrial Container House For The Minimalist Some folks like the minimalist style, like the occupants of this complex shipping container home. Check out this kitchen, which has all the bells and whistles you would expect, but a rather ruthless and industrial style that harkens back to the origins of the shipping containers themselves. A snugly installed stove and oven round out the space, and wide windows allow plenty of visibility to the surrounding mountains and Mojave Desert, plus the plants just outside. Source: Inhabitat Photographer: Jack Parsons Architect: EcoTech Great Design For A Single Shipping Container Wide Kitchen This kitchen is made out of a single shipping container but, through smart interior design, still fits all of the modern amenities you could want in a family’s cooking space. The drawers are rather plain, but open up much farther than you would expect to provide tons of storage space and enough room to keep ingredients and tools to make a meal worthy of anyone. Source: homedit Start Using Shipping Containers in Your Construction For The Ultimate Curb Appeal All of these shipping container interior designs showcase the creativity and originality of occupants and business owners. More than that, they prove that shipping containers can be used for any structure you can imagine – there’s no limit to the versatility and functionality of these flexible storage solutions! If you’d like to start sourcing shipping containers for your next building, home, restaurant, or office building,

Yeah, they are a type of quote on quote, “shipping container,” even though they don’t necessarily look it. And you most likely won’t be building your house with one of these. These specialized containers have open sides that allow for the easy loading and unloading of cargo. From their dimensions to their primary uses, let’s take a look at whether or not a flat rack container just might be an unsung hero for your next project. What Are Flat Rack Containers? A flat rack container is a type of shipping container that has a higher than average loading capacity. That’s because it’s based on an open-wall and open-top design (see image above) where it has: A steel frame, normally in the shape of a rectangle like a traditional shipping container A pair of end walls at either shorter end – these can be fixed or or are collapsible depending on the container model Open space on the long sides and top Primary Function of a Flat Rack Container  As you can imagine, flat rack containers are perfect for shipping and storing bulkier than average cargo that would be difficult to load into a traditional, four-wall shipping container. This might include buses, boats, other shipping containers, heavy machinery, pipes or logs among other things. Does a Flat Rack Container Have Sides at All? It does, just not for the longest sides of the rectangular shape. In order to prevent cargo from moving around while in transit, lashing rings can be installed in the side rails or corners of the flat rack container. These allow shipping experts to secure loads using chains and large straps. Most Common Flat Rack Container Dimensions Like their closed counterparts, flat rack shipping containers commonly come in 20’ and 40’ lengths.  The dimensions for a 20’ flat rack container average out to: A payload capacity of 31,000 kg or 68,580 pounds 32.7 m³ or 1154.3 ft.³ of capacity About 5.6 m or 19.4 ft in length A 40’ flat rack container has dimensions that average out to: 47,300 kg or 104,278 lbs in payload capacity Cubic capacity of 62.2 m³ or 2195.7 ft.³ An internal length of 11.7 m or 38.3 ft Considerations when Using a Flat Rack Container? The design of flat rack containers makes them quite useful, but it also presents some challenges when it comes to moving these containers and the cargo they hold. Strap Your Cargo Down to the Container Because they don’t have a top or sides, the cargo within is much more exposed to the elements and potential thievery or damage. You should focus on belting down or otherwise securing the cargo to the container such that it would be difficult to steal and won’t be tipped off the container from wind or poor road conditions during transport. Additionally, this will prevent any of the cargo from moving and damaging other cargo or injuring nearby people.  Cover Up Your Cargo Sensitive cargo on a flat rack should also be protected from the weather via tarps or other protective barriers that can easily be removed for unloading. Waterproof covers are particularly good, especially when flat racks are in transit. Varying Flat Rack Container Models Allow for Versatility As we mentioned above, different models allow your flat rack container to behave in specialized ways. The two endwalls of the container can come fixed or foldable (fixed-end vs. collapsible flat rack containers).  And certain models of flat rack containers may have forklift pockets. This allows you to move the flat rack conveniently to another location without having to unload the cargo and move the flat rack separately. Measure Twice, Transport Once When using a flat rack container to move large items, remember to pay attention to the height and width of your final cargo once loaded on a truck. You’ll want to be sure you’re within the legal recommendations in order to prevent fines and vehicle or overpass damages. Specialized Containers From Rent-A-Container Flat rack containers are primarily a shipping and transportation solution for large, awkwardly shaped cargo, aka material that is unable to fit in a standard shipping container or that would be too hard to load and unload with side walls. If you or your company are in need of a specialty shipping container solution, like a flat rack container, contact us, today. Shop Rent-A-Container!