Absolute Metal Roofing Source

877-833-3237

Shipping, Offloading, and Damages

Lead Times:

Lead times on most material is 3-4 weeks.  Contact us for current times on specific material.


Shipping Fees

Updated October 25, 2021

Shipping and job site delivery for panels is available for a flat fee of $250 within the Contiguous U.S.

Shipping fees for shingles will depend upon the delivery location.  Please inquire about shipping costs when ordering.

Shipping Methods

There are two distinct methods we use to ship your roofing materials to you. What determines how your materials are shipped is based upon whether you’ve ordered Vertical Panel or Shingle Style metal roofing.

Click a title below to expand information boxes for details on deliver and offloading equipment.

Panels Delivery Information

Vertical panels are shipped to you directly from the manufacturer. This ensures the lowest end-cost to you by removing one unnecessary shipping destination (to our facility).  Panels have to be carefully transported to avoid damage in transit, and having manufacturer oversight (rather than a random LTL carrier) provides safe transport for your material.

Delivery Schedule & Access

  • Shortly after placing your order, you will be contacted by us or by the manufacturer with an estimated delivery date and time.
  • The delivery driver will contact you again about 24 hours before delivery with a more specific time.
  • It is important that you meet the driver on site when they arrive.
  • Vertical panels and the accompanying trim will arrive to you via the panel manufacturer’s truck. Note that this is full-sized semi rig. It is 72 feet long from bumper to bumper like the one shown below.

Delivered to you

As such there are a few restrictions that apply. They are:

  • Roads: No dirt roads (short driveways being acceptable).
  • Maneuvering room: There must be adequate room for such a rig to get in and out as well as deliver to where it is best suited to unload. Obviously such a rig cannot make it (much less unload) in alleys and other tight spots.
  • Limited access sites: If your site is not accessible by semi truck, that could mean that where it is best suited to unload may not be where you had in mind.  In cases of access limitations, the truck will need to be unloaded “down the hill” and you will be responsible for transport from that unloading spot to the final job site.  Often times this is accomplished by using a flatbed trailer to transport one pallet at a time to the site.
  • Boom truck delivery: In a few select areas of the country a “boom truck” delivery is available.  A “boom truck” has a boom crane system mounted to the truck that allows the driver to off-load the material.  Additional boom truck delivery charges apply.
  • You will need to supply a lifting device: If not in a part of the country supported by boom truck delivery, you will need a lifting device, such as a forklift, on site for unloading the truck.  Because of the travel distance, the truck will not pull a forklift with it.  Forklifts are easily rented from a local equipment supply company (see info below).

Damaged or Missing Panels or Trim

As noted above, vertical panels are handled by the panel manufacturer from start to finish and therefore their truckers are intimately familiar with what precautions are needed to ensure a smooth delivery.

Vertical panels come bundled together with a label that tells you what is contained in the bundle. On each bundle there’s a scrap panel over the top to protect the good panels underneath from scratches and dents.

After you’ve got the load off the trailer, you will be asked to sign a packing slip that contains a list of everything that’s supposed to be on the load. Assuming everything is there; sign the packing list that you have received all merchandise. If there are any damages or missing parts note that on the shipping receipt and affix your signature near that notation.

Please fax or email back the packing list that has your signature and the notation of the damages to us at earliest possible convenience. We will then make immediate arrangements to get the parts to you. E-mailing pictures, if possible, is great too!

Shingles Delivery Information

Your shingle style roofing comes to you via LTL (“less than full load”) freight carriers that we have used for years. When taking delivery via one for these freight companies, there is an $85 job site delivery charge added to your charges.

Delivery Access & Unloading

Please ensure you have the following:

  • Roads: No dirt roads (short driveways being acceptable).
  • Maneuvering room: There must be adequate room for such a rig to get in and out as well as deliver to where it is best suited to unload. Obviously such a rig cannot make it (much less unload) in alleys and other tight spots.
  • Limited access sites: If your site is not accessible by semi truck, that could mean that where it is best suited to unload may not be where you had in mind.  In cases of access limitations, the truck will need to be unloaded “down the hill” and you will be responsible for transport from that unloading spot to the final job site.  Often times this is accomplished by using a flatbed trailer to transport one pallet at a time to the site.

Not being realistic in requesting job site delivery will result in extra charges and/or you having to go to a freight terminal and picking the merchandise up from there.

Job site delivery is usually accomplished with truck and “pup trailer”. A pup is 28 feet long. The key word there in describing the length is usually – sometimes the trailer is longer so keep this in mind when considering the above criteria for job site delivery.

Each cardboard box of Shingle Style metal roofing weighs about 70 lbs. and there will be a number of them secured onto individual pallets. The truck may or may not be able to unload right where you want them so having a forklift is a good idea (see below for information on obtaining a forklift to unload). With a forklift, you can also get them up on the roof without breaking your back!

Damaged or Missing Merchandise

When receiving your shingle style roofing materials from our freight carrier be sure to note any damages that might be present on the packing list. We ask that you then fax a copy of that shipping receipt to us at your earliest convenience. If possible, e-mailing pictures is great.

You are the customer and you come first so we will ship any required merchandise to you at the earliest possible time. But please help us out by adhering to the above so we get a chance to make our claim to the freight carrier.

Getting a Forklift (or other offload device) for Your Delivery

Bundles of panels are heavy items sometimes weighing more than 800 lbs. each and your panels may not be on the top of the stack on the truck. The driver will not help you physically unload your materials and cannot wait for you to do so even if you have extra help to assist you in “hand unloading” when he arrives.

Besides the time involved in manual unloading, attempting this will certainly result in scratched panels. A suitable lifting device is a forklift or maybe a tractor with a front loader bucket.

Forklift

Most of the time a forklift will do. A forklift with the ability to extend/reach out (5000 lb. lift capacity) is well worth the money – you can load your materials up on the roof with it!

  • A forklift can be rented for the day from any number of equipment supply companies in your area.
  • In most cases, our customers operate the forklift themselves.
  • If you don’t want to operate the forklift, truck drivers are usually very accommodating with helping. Note however, that this is specific to drivers from the panel manufacturers and may not be the case with LTL drivers who are delivering shingles.

Tractor with Bucket

If using a tractor with a front loader bucket, hook wide nylon ratchet straps to one side of the bucket, run them under the bundle of panels placing a 1×4 or some other type of board between the strap and the bundle so that when the ratchet strap tightens it will not bend or distort the panels. Then hook them to the other side of the front bucket. Make sure your tractor has sufficient weight not to tip forward when it lifts the bundle!

Boom Truck

For some larger orders, a boom truck may be appropriate.  A boom truck may be available for hire/rent in some areas.  Usually when you hire a boom truck, that company will supply an operator that will unload your pallets and place them where you need. Make sure to check with them early so that they will be available on your delivery date, and that your area is accessible for both the boom truck and delivery truck.

Want a Real Person?

Please call us toll-free at 1-877-833-3237
with any questions or quote needs! We are here to help.

Customer service and pricing available from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST Monday – Friday.