Delivery day concentrates months of dependencies into a short window. The plan must connect public-road restrictions, private access, module dimensions, equipment placement, ground conditions, crew sequence, safety control, weather, and a clear postponement decision.
Use this guide when: Use before transport and set costs become committed. Lift planning and equipment decisions belong to qualified contractors.
Decision snapshot
| Decision | Practical approach | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Route | Can every load reach and exit the site? | Carrier-approved route review |
| Set area | Can equipment operate under actual load and reach conditions? | Qualified contractor plan and ground criteria |
| Sequence | Can modules, crews, inspections, and weather closure stay coordinated? | Timed set-day runbook |
Collect actual transport dimensions
Delivery planning starts with the loads that will travel, not the finished home's floor area. Obtain module dimensions, transport height, weights, center-of-gravity information where required, lifting details, and any temporary packaging or roof configuration from the manufacturer. Give these to the transporter and set contractor through a controlled document package.
Distinguish preliminary estimates from final information. A design change that adds equipment or changes a roof section can affect transport or lifting assumptions. Record the revision and require the responsible professionals to confirm whether the route or set plan changes. Do not allow an older dimension sheet to remain the silent basis for a booked delivery.
The crane contractor selects equipment and develops the lift arrangements using the actual loads, reach, configuration, ground support, and applicable requirements. A crane's headline capacity is not the capacity available for every lift position. OSHA's operating standard requires covered operations to follow applicable procedures and rated-capacity controls.
As the project owner, the useful role is information coordination: make sure the manufacturer, transporter, crane contractor, and site builder have consistent data. This guide is not a lift plan or a method for selecting rigging. Keep those technical decisions with the qualified professionals responsible for the operation.
Survey the complete route
Ask the transporter to assess the complete route, including the final approach and departure. A route that works for an ordinary truck may fail for a tall or wide module at a bridge, tight turn, overhead obstruction, or steep transition. Roadwork and seasonal restrictions can also change an earlier assessment.
Identify who obtains oversized-load permits, escorts, traffic control, utility coordination, and any temporary access permission. Record the lead times and conditions rather than assuming the delivery fee includes every requirement. If a utility must act, obtain its approved plan and schedule through the responsible contractor; overhead lines are not obstacles to improvise around.
Plan where loads wait if the site is not ready. A convoy arriving at a narrow residential road needs a lawful, safe staging arrangement that does not depend on blocking neighbors or emergency access. Confirm whether modules can remain on trailers and who bears storage or delay costs.
Recheck the route close enough to delivery to capture changed conditions. A new parked vehicle restriction, road closure, softened shoulder, or construction barrier can matter even when the original survey was sound. The final plan should give drivers a verified route and contact procedure, not merely a map pin for the property.
Give the set contractor site evidence
Provide a current site plan showing the foundation, proposed crane area, truck positions, utilities, slopes, retaining structures, excavations, and nearby buildings. Include available geotechnical information and known underground features such as tanks, voids, or buried services. Photos can help orientation, but they do not establish bearing capacity.
OSHA's ground-condition rule addresses ground support and communication of known underground hazards for covered equipment. The responsible contractors must assess the actual setup, required preparations, and ongoing conditions. A surface that looks dry can conceal weak fill or an underground structure.
Confirm the contractor's access needs for assembly, setup, counterweights, mats or other support, and dismantling. The space required for the whole operation can be greater than the crane's parked footprint. Keep planned material storage, landscaping, and utility trenches from consuming that space before set day.
Document who completes and verifies site preparations. “The site is ready” should refer to agreed evidence, such as accepted foundation measurements and completion of the specified access work. If rain or new excavation changes the ground after verification, report it and have the responsible team reassess. A prior approval should not be treated as permanent when the conditions it relied on have changed.
Sequence loads and crews
The delivery sequence should match the set sequence and the contractor's access plan. If the first module needed is trapped behind another load, the team can lose time or need unplanned handling. Use module identifiers that appear consistently on the manufacturer's plan, transport paperwork, and set schedule.
Map the handoffs: arrival inspection, release for lifting, placement, temporary protection, structural connections, and work that follows the set. The ICC's off-site construction material describes the coordinated factory-to-site nature of the process. The exact responsibilities should be stated in the project's contracts and approved plans.
Identify the person coordinating the day and the communication route among driver, set crew, crane team, and site builder. Technical signaling and lifting roles must follow the applicable professional requirements; a homeowner's desire to help does not authorize entry into the work area.
Prepare for a partial completion scenario. If only some modules can be set, the team needs an approved plan for protecting, securing, and accessing the remaining work. Ask who supplies temporary weather protection and who checks it afterward. Sequence is therefore more than truck arrival times: it is the order in which the building can be safely assembled and protected at each stage.
Set weather and go/no-go authority
Decide in advance who can postpone transport, stop lifting, or declare the site unavailable. Those decisions should follow the equipment procedures, contractor plans, permit conditions, and actual weather and ground conditions. Do not substitute a single generic wind number from the internet for the limits and judgment required for a particular operation.
OSHA's operating requirements address weather effects on stability and capacity and the handling of stop signals. Project communications should support those responsibilities. A delay cost or a factory production target should not pressure a contractor to continue outside the applicable safe conditions.
Set a readiness review before loads leave the factory and another check when conditions warrant. Confirm foundations, access, permits, crews, equipment, utility arrangements, and the weather-protection plan. Each item needs an owner who can give evidence rather than a group assumption.
Agree commercially on cancellation windows, waiting charges, storage, remobilization, and notifications before a disruption occurs. These terms do not change safety decisions; they make the consequences manageable. If a set is postponed, update all dependent activities, including inspections and follow-on trades. The aim is a coordinated restart with current information, rather than a hurried attempt to recover the original date by skipping checks.
Action checklist
- Carrier load schedule and permits
- Dimensioned route with current constraints
- Qualified set/equipment plan
- Verified staging and exclusion areas
- Timed crew and module sequence
- Weather fallback and restoration owners
Working worksheet
Record these fields in the same working document so the decision can be reviewed and handed off:
- Decision time
- Decision maker
- Required evidence
- People notified
- Cost or protection consequence
Common failure patterns
- Reviewing only the road and not the final turn or exit
- Choosing equipment before verified weights and reach
- Leaving temporary removals and restoration unassigned
Connect this work
Use the site-readiness checklist as the dependency register, schedule the event in the project timeline, and reserve uncertainty in the total budget.
Sources and further reading
- OSHA: 1926.1402 Ground Conditions
Covered crane operations require adequate ground support and communication of known underground hazards, with defined responsibilities.
- OSHA: 1926.1417 Operation
Covered crane operations must follow applicable equipment procedures and address conditions affecting stability and capacity.
- International Code Council: Off-Site Construction
Off-site construction uses state and local review systems, with factory and site responsibilities that vary by jurisdiction.