One project, very different freight
A single solar project can involve four or five kinds of freight that each want different handling. Panels are fragile and travel flat. Racking is long, heavy steel or aluminum. Inverters and switchgear are high-value electrical equipment that must stay upright and dry. Batteries can be regulated. Treating it all as "solar freight" is how panels get cracked and crews get left waiting. We plan each component on its own terms.
Component by component
Panels
Modules ship boxed on pallets, usually in a dry van or on a tarped flatbed. They should be handled flat and loaded the way the manufacturer specifies, because flexing and impact can cause micro-cracks that may not be visible from outside the box. Pallets generally should not be double-stacked unless the manufacturer allows it. Tell us pallet count, pallet dimensions and weight, and how the site plans to unload.
Racking and rails
Racking, posts, piles and rails are long and dense — a typical flatbed job. We ask about the longest piece, bundle weights and whether bundles are banded on dunnage so forks can get under them.
Inverters
String inverters ship palletized and can go in a van; larger central inverters are crated or skidded and often go on a flatbed or hotshot. They usually need to stay upright and protected from weather.
Batteries and storage
Battery details — chemistry, classification, packaging and shipping papers — come from the shipper. We confirm per load whether the shipment can be planned, and quote only once that's settled.
Transformers and switchgear
Pad-mount transformers, switchgear and combiner equipment are typically moved by hotshot or flatbed, crated, upright and tarped as required. See our guide to shipping motors and switchgear for the details we ask about.
Project-phase deliveries
Solar sites receive in sequence: piles and racking first, then modules, then inverters and electrical. The schedule moves when weather, permits or crews slip. For phased work, we ask for the full schedule up front, quote each phase, and reconfirm every delivery with the site before dispatch so trucks don't arrive to a site that isn't ready for that component yet. Repeat phases on the same project can run as a recurring lane.
Site access, contacts and unloading
Utility-scale and commercial sites are often rural, unpaved and gated. Before a truck heads out we confirm:
- Address and gate — a precise drop location, gate code or laydown yard, not just the nearest road.
- Access — can a tractor-trailer get in, turn around and stay on firm ground in wet weather?
- Receiving contact — a named person with a phone number who will be on site at the delivery time.
- Unloading equipment — telehandler, forklift with long forks, or crane, and its rated capacity for the heaviest piece.
- Receiving hours — many sites unload only during crew hours.
We focus on lanes across the Southeast, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, the Midwest and California — send your lane and we'll confirm before quoting. Have a delivery schedule? Start a quote and include the phases and dates.