Check every delivery against the order before the truck leaves, look for damage and wet material, and stage it off the ground, covered, close to where it gets used and out of the next trade's way. Sequence deliveries to match the build.
Material that arrives wrong, wet or in the wrong spot costs a crew more time than almost anything else on a build. This guide is for builders, general contractors and owner-builders in East Tennessee, where a lot may sit at the top of a steep gravel drive and the yard may be a long haul away.
At Spectrum Building Products, Jared Jarnagin meets deliveries on site for builders in the primary East Tennessee area, so these are the checks he runs himself.
What should you check before the delivery truck leaves?
Spectrum Building Products checks three things while the truck is still on site: the count against the order, the items against the spec, and the condition of every bundle. Once the driver leaves, a problem becomes your word against the paperwork.
- Hold the order or take-off in your hand, not the driver's ticket alone.
- Count bundles and pieces for the big lines: lumber lengths and grades, sheet counts, window and door counts.
- Read the tags. Check species, grade, thickness and treatment against what was ordered.
- Look through wrapped units for crushed corners, broken banding, split boards and cracked glass.
- Look for moisture. Stained wrap, standing water in a bundle, swollen sheet edges and mold on lumber are all reasons to stop.
- Write every shortage and damaged piece on the delivery ticket before you sign, and photograph it.
That check is the core of on-site material management. The list you check against is the take-off. See what a material take-off includes.
Where should materials be staged on the lot?
Spectrum Building Products stages material by four rules: off the ground, covered, near where it gets used, and clear of the next trade. A stack that breaks any one of those gets moved twice or gets ruined.
- Off the ground. Set lumber and sheet goods on level dunnage so they stay flat and dry.
- Covered, with air. Cover the top and let the sides breathe. A tarp wrapped tight to the ground traps moisture, and humid air near the lakes makes that worse.
- Near the work. Drop framing close to the slab or deck.
- Out of the way. Keep stacks clear of the driveway, the crane or lift setup spot, trench lines and the concrete truck's path.
On a tight lot, walk it with the framer before the first truck comes and mark the drop spots. Windows and doors go inside or under roof, upright, never flat in the yard.
In what order should deliveries arrive during a build?
Spectrum Building Products sequences deliveries to follow the build: framing package, then trusses, windows and doors, roofing, siding, and trim last. Material should land shortly before the crew needs it, not weeks ahead and not the morning of.
- Framing package. Often split by floor so upper-floor lumber is not buried under the first load.
- Trusses. Timed to the day walls are braced and the crane or lift is booked.
- Windows and exterior doors. After openings are framed and there is dry storage.
- Roofing. When the deck is ready, ideally loaded straight to the roof.
- Siding. After wrap and windows are in.
- Interior trim and doors. Only once the house is closed in and dry.
Early deliveries sit in the weather. Late ones idle a crew. When several subs are involved, one person should own the schedule. That is the idea behind builder and subcontractor coordination.
What should you tell the driver about a steep or narrow mountain lot?
Spectrum Building Products recommends calling ahead with the access details any time a lot sits on a steep grade, a switchback or a narrow private road. A truck that cannot make the turn means a missed delivery.
Lots above Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and on building sites across Sevier County, are where this bites most. Tell the dispatcher:
- The grade and surface of the drive: paved, gravel or fresh cut
- Tight turns, low limbs, overhead lines and narrow bridges on the way in
- Whether there is room to turn around or the truck must back in
- Where the drop spot is and whether a truck-mounted forklift can reach it
- Recent rain, since a wet clay drive can stop a loaded truck
- A name and phone number for someone who will be on site
Ask whether a smaller truck or a split load makes sense. Send a map pin and photos of the entrance.
What do you do with a short or wrong shipment?
Spectrum Building Products handles a short or wrong shipment the same way every time: write it on the ticket, photograph it, call the supplier before the driver leaves, and set the wrong material aside untouched.
- Note the exact item, the quantity short and what arrived instead.
- Keep wrong material banded, dry and separate so it can go back in sellable shape.
- Get a date for the replacement and tell the affected sub right away.
- Rework the day. Move the crew to what they can build with what is there.
- Check the invoice later to confirm the credit and the pickup happened.
Wrong items that sit in the mud until the end of the job turn into waste you paid for. More on that in how to cut material waste on a build.
Key takeaways
- Check counts, tags and condition against your own order before the driver leaves.
- Stage off the ground, covered with airflow, near the work, clear of the next trade.
- Sequence deliveries to the build so nothing sits in weather or idles a crew.
- Tell dispatch about grade, turns and turnaround room on mountain lots ahead of time.
