Pallet pickup across Greater Orlando

One-off or recurring

A one-off pickup clears something that has built up: a back lot, a closed warehouse corner, a yard before a lease ends. A recurring pickup suits a receiving dock that sheds pallets every week and needs the pile gone before it blocks the door.

Either way the same questions come first: how many, what size, what shape, and what is in the way of a truck.

What decides the job

Access

Dock height, gate width, turning room and overhead clearance decide what kind of truck can come in.

Loading

Pallets already stacked on a dock load faster than loose ones scattered across a lot.

Condition

Wet pallets weigh more. Mouldy ones may need to be handled separately.

Mix

A single size is simpler than a mix, and a sound stack may be a sale instead of a clear-out.

Across the four counties

The four counties are Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake. The areas hub lists each county and the districts inside it, with the roads that carry trucks in and out.

Counting trailers for a clear-out

A 53-foot trailer holds about 26 pallets laid straight and flat, but a clear-out stacks pallets on their sides or in towers, which can carry several times that when the pallets are stacked high and strapped. The trailer limit is more often weight: cargo of 42,000 to 45,000 pounds is usual, and soaked pallets weigh more than dry ones. Wet stacks in a Florida summer can reach the weight limit sooner than the cube limit.

Make the stack easy to take

• Stand pallets in straight towers on a flat patch, not leaning on a wall.
• Separate pallets that are not yours.
• Remove loose strapping, wrap and fastener litter.
• Keep a wide approach for the truck clear of cars.

Paperwork and access rules

Business parks, shopping centres and leased warehouses often set their own rules for vendors. A landlord may ask for a certificate of insurance before an outside party enters, limit work to certain hours, or require a gate code or a security desk check-in. Tenants who know those rules before asking for a pickup, and who mention them in the request, avoid the usual reason a first visit fails.

Heights and widths a truck has to clear

Florida allows vehicles up to 13 feet 6 inches tall, so any wire, canopy, sign or branch lower than about 14 feet is a hazard on a route to a stack. A trailer floor stands about four feet above the ground, which sets the dock height a loading bay is built to; a back lot with no dock needs a forklift or a liftgate on the truck to load. A gate that is too narrow or a gravel surface that is soft after rain can stop a loaded truck from leaving.