In order to get our precast concrete from the factory to your job site, a lot of planning and preparation is required. Transporting thousands of pounds of material safely and securely without compromising its quality is no simple task, and sometimes a bit of creativity is required.
Read on to learn about all of the incredible ways in which we transport your precast concrete to get it to you on time and intact.
How Your Precast Concrete is Transported
After your precast concrete is poured and cured in a temperature-controlled factory environment, it is ready to begin its journey. There are actually three stages of precast concrete transportation: Plant to the yard, yard to the truck, and truck to the job site.
The plant is the place where the concrete is created, the yard is where it’s stored, the truck is usually how it’s transported, and the job site is where you are, waiting to finish your precast concrete project.
Here is an in-depth look at each of the steps along the way:
From the Plant to the Yard
After the concrete has been cast in the factory and is ready to be moved to the yard for storage, embedded lifters or forklifts will be used to carry them to the place that they will reside until they’re needed on a job site.
This process is a precarious one, as the concrete will not be at full strength until 28 days after it is cast. Lift operators carefully select the appropriate lifting inserts to use for the move in order to avoid damage to either the precast concrete or the machine.
From the Yard to the Truck
When the precast concrete is ready to be transported to your job site, it must be safely placed on — and securely fastened to — a multi-axle flatbed trailer. At this point, the precast concrete has had time to cure to full strength, so the chances of breakage are reduced, but great care must still be taken in order to avoid any issues. This is done with an embedded lifting device.
Once the precast concrete has been fastened to the trailer, it is then inspected in order to ensure that it is properly secured and not likely to cause any trouble while the material is in transport.
From the Truck to the Job Site
If you’ve ever driven anything more significant than a minivan, you know that operating a large vehicle comes with a whole new set of safety requirements. Picture a truck with a multi-axle flatbed trailer loaded with several tons of precast concrete — it’s not an easy gig. It requires the driver to be both highly cautious and considerably knowledgeable about concrete transportation to avoid a catastrophe.
Since your driver will meet both of those requirements, you should have no problem having your precast concrete transported to your job site in one piece.
Special Delivery with Helicopter Transport
Yes, sometimes the job specifications require extreme measures for your precast concrete to be transported safely! At American Precast Concrete, we have access to helicopter transport on these types of occasions. With a helicopter, the transportation possibilities are almost limitless.
Contact American Precast Concrete today to learn more about precast concrete for your next construction job. We’ll even do a free consultation with you before you start your project!