The Erection-First Shipping Plan
The shipping sequence should be determined by the erection sequence — not by the fabrication sequence. Steel that is erected first must arrive first. If the erection sequence runs south to north, the southernmost bays should ship first; if floor-by-floor, the lowest-floor primary members ship first. Sharing the erection plan with the detailer and shipping coordinator before fabrication begins allows shipping bundles to be built around erection priorities, not just around production convenience.
Bundle Planning and Marking
Shipping bundles should be organized so that each truck delivers a coherent group of steel for a specific area or phase — not a mixed load requiring the erection crew to sort pieces before any picks can be made. Bundles should be numbered (Bundle 1, Bundle 2) and piece marks should be organized within each bundle in erection sequence. The shipping list from the detailing model should show which piece marks are in which bundle and the planned delivery date.
Just-in-Time Delivery Coordination
Storing large quantities of structural steel on a constrained urban site is expensive and disruptive. Just-in-time delivery — shipping bundles to arrive 1–3 days before erection of that bundle — reduces site congestion and handling. This requires close coordination between the fabrication shop, the shipping coordinator, and the erection superintendent. The detailer's shipping list, organized by erection phase and bundle, is the foundation document for this coordination.
Generating the Shipping List from the Tekla Model
Tekla Structures can generate a shipping list directly from the model organized by phase or erection zone — each member tagged with its phase designation, bundle number, and erection sequence number as model attributes. The shipping list report includes piece marks, section sizes, member lengths, weights per member, and total bundle weight. Bundle weight matters because it determines what crane configuration is needed for the first picks and whether any single bundle requires a tandem lift or a crane upgrade. Distributing this shipping list to the erection superintendent before the first truck rolls allows them to plan crane picks, rigging setups, and crew positioning in advance.
Handling Priority Members in the Shipping Sequence
Some members must arrive before the main shipping sequence would normally deliver them — anchor bolt templates, column base plates ahead of foundations, or early erection bay columns that need to be set before the concrete pour sequence allows follow-on bays. These priority members should be flagged in the Tekla model with a specific phase or priority attribute and included in the first or second shipping bundle regardless of their position in the general erection sequence. Communicating these priorities to the fabrication shop at the time of production release — not just when the erection schedule is finalized — prevents them from being buried in a later production batch.
Load Configuration and Trucking Efficiency
Structural steel shipping is regulated by state DOT load permits for oversized or overweight loads — wide flanges above a certain depth, long members, or heavy bundles may require pilot cars, restricted travel times, or route-specific permits. The detailer's shipping list, with member dimensions and weights, gives the trucking coordinator the information to pre-plan permit applications and avoid day-of surprises at weigh stations. Bundle configuration should also be optimized for truck capacity — an 80,000-lb GVW flatbed should carry close to its capacity, not a single light bundle that wastes capacity and increases per-piece shipping cost.
Coordinating Shipping with the Erection Contractor's Crane Plan
Erection contractors plan their crane picks based on a combination of member weights, pick radii, and assembly sequences. When shipping sequences deliver steel in pick-ready order — heaviest or most critical members first, followed by secondary framing for the same bay — the crane can work in continuous picks without relocating to reach the next member. Coordination between the detailing team's shipping list and the ironworker superintendent's pick plan typically happens at a pre-erection coordination meeting; this meeting should be held before the first bundle leaves the yard, not after the first delivery creates a sequencing problem on site.