Everything You Need to Know About Transporting Bricks
The idea of moving bricks from one place to another seems straightforward in principle, but UK brick suppliers like Modular Clay Products would be first to tell you that there is more than meets the eye.
Due to their size, weight and dimensions, every brick should be handled carefully and correctly. This is difficult to manage with large quantities of bricks being shipped for commercial construction projects. Therefore, proper planning is essential to minimise risk and prevent damage.
This is why we, as clay brick suppliers in the UK, recommend you remain aware of all the challenges associated with transporting bricks.
Brick Transportation Challenges
Transporting facing bricks, engineering bricks, brick slips, clay pavers, glazed bricks, handmade bricks or any other variant can be difficult to manage. Depending on your installation location, the surrounding area should be able to accommodate a large number of bricks being delivered, with safe access for drivers.
Below are just some of the problems you may encounter that need to be addressed.
Site Access
Delivery point access is vital, so you must consider any potential obstacles that may prevent the safe unloading of your brick pallets. These obstacles may include bridges, roads with weight limitations, narrow, single-lane roads, steep hills, etc. The brick transport vehicles will likely be huge and require additional space for access.
Busy Streets and Parking
If the chosen delivery point sits on a busy main road, the delivery vehicle will need to park in a designated unloading zone. You should ensure you’ve accounted for any restrictions within your street, which will vary depending on your location.
You may require stopping or unloading permits, which is worth checking as unloading is banned on red routes within London and Birmingham.
Permits
If you need to leave brick pallets on a public pathway for a while, you may require a permit, depending on the area you’re delivering. This will be your responsibility to obtain.
Brick Delivery Methods
At Modular Clay Products, we operate a European logistics department, enabling large quantities of facing brick products to be imported from countries like Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium (among others) to sites across the UK and Ireland.
Below are just some of the delivery methods we’d use when transporting clay bricks. Many products are imported from abroad, so we may have to arrange for multiple deliveries or a mixture of solutions to ensure timely delivery.
Pallet Truck
Smaller orders of bricks can fit onto pallets. How many bricks are in a pallet? Approximately 500.
This type of delivery is ideal for sites with restricted access, such as dead ends or narrow streets. A small lorry with a rear-tail lift would be sufficient for these deliveries, but this can be time-consuming if you require tens of thousands of bespoke brick products for a new commercial structure.
Crane Offload
Specialist crane vehicles can be huge time-savers when delivering multiple packs of bricks. Again, you’ll need to ensure that your access isn’t restricted and you have sufficient space to unload off the lorry’s side safely. Also, be mindful of telephone cables or wires which may interfere with crane movement.
Forklift Lorry
Articulated lorries would be ideal for large-scale projects, with a forklift readily available to offload bricks to where they need to be. This is the most flexible solution when building exterior walls from scratch.
The lorry will require a nearby parking space, which can be slightly challenging for nearby residents, and this method may come at a somewhat higher cost than the others. However, it’s definitely the most convenient for projects with tight deadlines for completion.