01.
Geographic Service Coverage & Depot Operations
Horizon Retailers Pty Ltd operates dedicated shipping container transport services directly from our primary distribution depot located at 1 Uralla Rd, Port Macquarie NSW 2444.
Our transport logistics network regularly serves residential, rural, agricultural, and commercial construction delivery points across:
- Mid North Coast Regional (Direct Depot Delivery): Port Macquarie, Hastings Valley, Wauchope, Kempsey, Taree, Forster, Macksville, Nambucca Heads, Coffs Harbour, and surrounding hinterlands.
- Inland, Northern & Hunter Regions: Tamworth, Armidale, Glen Innes, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Maitland, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and the Central Coast.
- Greater Sydney & Regional NSW: Penrith, Western Sydney, Wollongong, Goulburn, Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst, and statewide routes.
- Interstate Dispatches: Coordinated linehaul routes into South East Queensland and Victoria available upon custom arrangement.
02.
Delivery Fleet Vehicle Classifications
Shipping containers are heavy rigid structures requiring specialized transport. Horizon Retailers coordinates three distinct delivery vehicle types to suit your property's topography and access corridors:
| Vehicle Type |
Best Suited For |
Unloading Mechanism |
| Tilt-Tray Truck |
10ft & 20ft Standard Containers (Driveways, paddocks, rural blocks). |
The truck bed tilts back, and the container slides off gently backward as the truck moves forward. |
| Side-Loader Truck |
20ft & 40ft Containers (Roadsides, industrial yards, commercial pads). |
Dual hydraulic crane arms lower the container parallel to the driver's side of the trailer (approx. 0.5m off the truck). |
| Hiab Crane Truck |
10ft & 20ft Containers over obstacles (Fences, hedges, tight boundaries). |
A truck-mounted hydraulic crane arm lifts and positions the container up to 6m–10m away from the vehicle. |
03.
Mandatory Site Clearance & Access Specifications
The buyer carries legal and financial responsibility for ensuring that the nominated site satisfies minimum spatial clearances prior to the truck departing our depot:
Critical Spatial Clearances:
- Tilt-Tray Trucks: Requires a minimum of 20 metres of straight-line access directly in front of the placement spot, 3.5 metres horizontal width through gates and tree corridors, and 4.8 metres overhead vertical clearance (free of trees and power lines while the tray is elevated).
- Side-Loader Trucks: Requires 16 metres of vehicle length and 6 metres of horizontal clearance parallel to the driver's side. The truck cannot unload over obstructions taller than 1.5m.
- Hiab Crane Trucks: Requires firm, level ground capable of supporting heavy hydraulic stabilizing outriggers with zero overhead electrical hazard risks.
Site Access Verification: If you are unsure whether your driveway or property boundary meets clearance requirements, email clear photos and videos of your entrance gate, driveway curves, and drop spot to sales@horizonretailersptyltd.com.au for free logistics verification.
04.
Container Door Orientation (Cab vs. Rear Facing)
Because tilt-tray trucks slide containers off from the rear, you must specify your preferred door orientation when confirming your order:
Choosing Door Direction:
- Doors Facing Rear of Truck: When the truck tilts and slides the container off, the double cargo doors will touch the ground first and face back toward the truck's entry route.
- Doors Facing Truck Cab (Front): When the truck slides the container off, the solid blank steel wall touches the ground first, and the double doors will face forward into your property.
Once a container is loaded onto the truck at our Port Macquarie depot, the orientation cannot be reversed on site.
05.
Site Ground Bearing & Foundation Preparation
Shipping containers are structural steel monocoques designed to distribute 100% of their gross payload onto their four bottom corner castings:
- Ground Firmness: Heavy delivery vehicles weigh between 15 and 30 tonnes. Ground must be dry, compacted road base, concrete, bitumen, or well-drained firm earth. Delivery will NOT proceed across wet mud, sand, waterlogged grass, or over buried septic tanks and delicate pipework.
- Corner Footing Blocks: We strongly recommend placing treated hardwood timber blocks (e.g. railway sleepers) or 400x400mm concrete pavers directly beneath all 4 corners. This lifts the steel crossmembers 50-100mm off damp soil, promoting airflow and preventing door binding caused by uneven settlement.
- Level Footings: If footings are not level, the container frame will twist slightly out of square, causing the heavy lockbars and rubber door gaskets to jam.
06.
Delivery Lead Times & Scheduling
We maintain physical container inventory at our Port Macquarie depot to ensure rapid dispatch:
- Local Mid North Coast: Typically delivered within 1 to 3 business days from cleared payment. Emergency or same-day dispatches are frequently available upon request.
- Regional & Inland NSW: Scheduled within 3 to 5 business days based on freight route consolidation.
- Bespoke Modified Units: Production timelines range between 1 and 3 weeks depending on modification complexity (doors, windows, insulation, electrical), followed by scheduled dispatch.
- Driver Notification Call: Our transport driver will phone your designated on-site contact approximately one (1) hour prior to arrival to confirm site readiness.
07.
On-Site Delivery Protocol & Receiving Obligations
To ensure a smooth delivery execution:
- Receiver Presence: The Customer or an authorized adult representative must be present on site throughout the delivery process.
- Clear Access Path: Ensure all gates are unlocked and pinned open, overhanging tree branches are cleared, and private vehicles or farm machinery are relocated away from the vehicle's turning circle.
- Physical Inspection: Once the container is placed, inspect exterior panels and door operation with the driver before endorsing the transport consignment slip.
08.
Driver Safety Discretion & Abortive Delivery Surcharges
Heavy transport drivers bear statutory workplace health and safety obligations under NSW transport legislation. Drivers retain absolute authority to abort delivery if site access poses a danger of vehicle rollover, bogging, power line contact, or structural property damage.
Abortive Delivery & Demurrage Policy:
If a delivery cannot be completed due to inadequate site clearance, locked gates, soft mud, low overhead power cables, or inaccurate site declarations made by the customer:
- The Customer remains liable for 100% of the freight charge.
- The Customer will be billed for return transport back to our Port Macquarie depot and secondary re-delivery freight.
- Demurrage wait time exceeding thirty (30) minutes on site will be billed at $150.00 + GST per hour.
09.
Customer Depot Self-Collection (1 Uralla Rd)
Customers and independent transport carriers may collect purchased containers directly from our depot:
- Depot Address: 1 Uralla Rd, Port Macquarie NSW 2444.
- Compliant Transport Only: Containers will ONLY be loaded onto compliant skeletal trailers fitted with twist-locks or suitable heavy flatbeds with certified container chains and tensioners. We will not load standard box trailers or unrated vehicles.
- Free Heavy Loading: We provide complimentary forklift and container handler loading at our depot into your transport vehicle.
- Collection Booking: 24 hours prior notice is required to schedule yard crane operators and safety induction.
10.
Transit Insurance & Transfer of Risk
All containers transported by Horizon Retailers Pty Ltd's contracted carriers are covered by comprehensive marine/freight transit insurance while aboard the vehicle.
Transfer of Risk: In accordance with Australian commercial law, risk of loss or damage transfers entirely to the Customer immediately upon the container touching the ground at your delivery site, or upon completion of loading onto your independent carrier's vehicle at our Port Macquarie depot.
