Skip to main content
Enquire now

|

What Are Side Loaders Costing Your Business

THEY COULD BE COSTING YOU A LOT MORE THAN YOU THINK.

Bison Group

5 Oct

Lifting

WHY ORGANISATIONS CONSIDER SIDELOADERS

With almost 50 years of service behind them, side loaders are a tried and tested way to lift and haul shipping containers. They are especially common in Australia and New Zealand, where importers and exporters rely on them to handle containers at sites without a loading dock.

We did some research on the costs of using side loaders in New Zealand in 2017 (???) and here are some cost comparisons rounded in US dollars. Please note that cost can defer from location to location and from country to country, but the following findings are worth considering. We strongly encourage you to check your provider invoices and rates and make your own calculations. You might find out that investing in a relatively low cost Bison Container Lift system is a smart way forward.

PAYLOAD LIMITS: Side loader vs Regular Trailer

Side loaders are limited by the payload they can legally haul on the road. While side loaders can lift the heaviest containers, the weight of the two cranes on the chassis offsets the weight you can carry inside the container. Here's a basic comparison between a side loader and a regular trailer.

COST DIFFERENTIAL: Side loader vs Regular Trailer

For lighter container loads, this isn’t usually a problem. The side loader can lift and legally haul the container on the road. The problem is you pay a premium of around $1.30 per km ($2 per mile) for the side loader service, compared with cartage by a regular truck and skeletal trailer.

DOUBLING UP A SIDE LOADER AND A SKELETAL TRAILER

For heavy containers, the common work-around is to double up the side-loader with a truck and skeletal trailer. The side loader does this the lift, and the “skelie” carts the box. In these cases, the side-loader effectively serves as a mobile crane.

While this work-around solves the problem for your operations team, your bean counters won’t like it as you’re paying for two trucks, two trailers and two drivers to handle a single container.

Just how much it costs you, when you “double up” a side loader and a skelie, depends on three key factors:

  • The volume of containers you’re moving.

  • The distances the side loader and skelie have to travel - between your site, the Port and the trucking company’s depot.

  • The proximity of other container shippers to your location.

To clarify this last point, if you’re in an industrial area near other shippers, you might get savings by contracting side loaders that work in your area as they'll do less miles to service your site. If on the other hand you are operating in an isolated area, you may be forced to pay the full rate for a side loader and a skelie to travel to and from your site.

SUMMARY: WHEN CAN YOU SAVE ON SIDE LOADER FEES?

So, if you tick one or more of the boxes down the right side of this table, then chances are side loaders form a big part of your transport costs.

LOWER COST

HIGHER COST

Weight of your ContainersLight

Heavy

Number of ContainersLow

High

Distances Travelled

Short

Long

Your LocationIndustrial

Isolated

To avoid these costs, you might consider investing in your own, on-site container lift solution, such as a heavy forklift, reach stacker or straddle carrier. These machines give you independence and equip you to move containers around your site. But they're also costly to buy, expensive to maintain and they often need a hardstand concrete surface to run on.

The good news is that a new range of shipping container lift solutions by Bison has hit the market that avoid those issues and offer you serious cost saving opportunities, not to mention more independence and control over your container logistics.

Explore Products

Whether your lifting or weighing containers, Bison has a range of adaptable solutions that provide operators with freedom over their container logistics.

Container Lifting

1013 865x487 TG Shoot

Container Weighing

8066 NASA 777x490
BISON INSTRUCTIONAL X40 All Footage 00 26 47 07 Still004

9 Ways To Lift A Shipping Container

  • Container Lifting

  • Alternatives

5 min read
BISON INSTRUCTIONAL X40 All Footage 00 26 47 07 Still004

Building the C-Lift X Series

  • X Series

5 min read
Emirates Team Nz Bison Container Weighing Banner

How Emirates Team NZ Handles America's Cup Logistics

  • Scales

  • VGM

  • Asia-Pacific

  • Container Weighing

5 min read
5002 F32 865x487 TG 3

Expert Coolstore Takes Control Over Export Operations

  • F Series

  • Container Lifting

  • Asia-Pacific

  • Import & Export

5 min read
8103 HPA USA 777x490 1

Oil Refinery Contractor Upgrades To Bison

  • A Series

  • Container Lifting

  • Americas

  • Machines

  • Field Services

5 min read

Talk to me about taking charge of your container operations


Christa Klein

Vice President of Sales, Americas


Schedule a Meeting
WhatsApp Me
Call: +1 888 480 0122
Submit form