Delivery & Installation, Operations, V8I1

A Shout Out to the Shed Delivery Drivers!

“Always show appreciation and take care of shed haulers, they are the last face your customer sees in the sales process.” — Unknown

In a previous article, I shared the importance and the huge value that RTO companies bring to the shed industry. 

Now, I would like to praise the shed haulers who are vital to the success of our industry as well! Shed haulers work like “mules in a lumber yard” to get buildings delivered in what are sometimes very difficult situations.  

Let’s just think about the liability shed haulers deal with daily. 

First of all, they are loading and unloading expensive sheds. This requires skill and is also very dangerous when the hauler has to get underneath the shed to level it. Then they have to transport the sheds on roads laden with construction work, and they must deal with heavy traffic with not-so-courteous drivers. 

Without them, our industry would literally grind to a halt! 

Let’s go back to when I first began selling sheds in 1995. We only sold 10 by 12s. That’s right, we only offered one size of shed for a period of time before new sizes were introduced. 

At that time, it literally took two men with a makeshift hauling trailer and some PVC pipe to deliver sheds. And let me tell you, it was no picnic for the haulers. I would get phone calls from haulers trying to deliver my sheds asking me to call them wreckers or for me to come to the customer’s home because they needed more manpower to maneuver the shed. 

In fact, there were more than a few situations where they simply couldn’t make the shed fit. These days, even with modern delivery equipment, I always try to help my haulers on the front end by asking customers to have leveling blocks on-site for the haulers. 

I also ask customers about access and if they have any trees or fences that are in the path of delivery. I encourage all of us to try to make it as easy on the haulers as we possibly can!

  New technology such as hydraulic trailers and Mules help shed haulers maneuver sheds in places that were virtually impossible from when I first began in the business. 

With the new technology, the cost of hauling sheds has risen. Haulers must invest in expensive trucks and trailers. The cost of insurance, fuel, tires, and maintenance has also risen. 

Haulers are also under more pressure now than ever before due to the rise in new shed sales and the added pressure of picking up repos.

 I encourage all of us in shed nation to not take our haulers for granted!

I cannot overstate how important shed haulers are to the shed industry. I have been blessed to work with some of the best shed haulers around. 

I want to personally say thanks to Neslon Lengacher of Lengacher Transport, James Mast of J. Mast Transport, and Cecil Parks of Parks Transporting. All of these drivers have always gone above and beyond what is expected of them. I get so many compliments on these drivers from my customers.            

I encourage all of us to recognize the important role that shed haulers play in our success and would like to reemphasize that we all rely on each other—from the RTO companies and the lumber suppliers to the sales and marketing folks. We are all part of this great shed industry and we should be “our brother’s keeper.”

Thank you to all shed haulers for making it happen! God Bless.

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December 2024/January 2025