Sandwich panel delivery: when is the site ready for the truck?

“Site open from the morning” does not establish readiness to receive panels. Someone must know the transport plan, be able to contact the installer and identify the agreed placement area for each pack.

Separate production completion, transport availability and the date the works will be ready. These are three different pieces of information. If installation depends on the structure or another contractor’s work being completed, show that dependency in the programme. Do not confirm arrival against a schedule that nobody has checked against actual progress.

Ask the person managing the works to confirm specific conditions: available space, prepared access routes and the required team’s attendance. Record when the check was made. A general assurance given weeks earlier may no longer apply after rain, a revised site arrangement or rescheduled earthworks.

Provide the carrier with access information covering the gate, turns, route restrictions and stopping position. Agree whether the route suits the planned vehicle and load. Previous access by a passenger car is not an adequate assessment. Communicate any change of entrance before dispatch, together with an on-site contact.

Check the unloading location against simultaneous work and site traffic. The vehicle route, equipment operating area and pedestrian movements should not first be coordinated when the truck arrives. Designating and securing these areas is part of safe-work planning by the responsible people, taking local conditions into account.

Obtain pack details and the relevant handling instructions before arranging equipment. The purchased panel area alone does not define pack weight, dimensions or handling arrangements. Whoever selects the equipment needs actual data rather than an estimate from an earlier delivery. Do not assume without confirmation that the driver provides unloading.

Record who books equipment, who operates it and who coordinates the arrival. Confirm that these people are available for the same time window. Equipment reserved without an operator, or a team present without the agreed equipment, does not complete the arrangement. Both supplier and installer should understand who is responsible for organising it.

If panels will wait before installation, designate storage in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Agree ground preparation and protection from weather rather than improvising a tightly sealed cover. Check requirements for drainage and ventilation. An available empty area is not automatically a suitable material storage location.

Arrange planned storage zones around the work sequence. Ask the supplier whether packing and transport arrangements will allow the required access order. Do not promise installers that the first panel needed will be on top without confirmation. Moving packs again requires time, space and renewed handling arrangements.

Prepare for delayed works or deteriorating weather. Agree the deadline for reporting a date change and who decides whether delivery can be accepted. Equipment operating limits must come from the relevant documentation and site assessment, not a general article. A driver’s time pressure cannot replace the responsible person’s decision.

The final readiness list should confirm the route, clear space, equipment, personnel and storage conditions. Give each item a responsible person and current status. “To be agreed” calls for discussion before dispatch, rather than being a minor note to resolve later. This distinguishes actual readiness from simply waiting for materials.

If site arrangements change after confirmation, review every affected agreement. An occupied storage zone may require a different delivery sequence, while an unavailable entrance can change the transport plan. Share the agreed update with all participants. Avoid leaving the driver, dispatch team and installer with three different versions of the same arrival plan.