Transportation
From our yard to your job site, we handle the logistics with the same care we give the lumber itself. Reliable delivery across the entire Midwest.
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Delivery Area
Based in Mason City, Iowa, we serve the entire Midwest region. Delivery outside these areas is available — contact us for a custom freight quote.
| State | Coverage | Typical Lead Time |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Statewide | 2-4 days |
| Minnesota | Statewide | 3-5 days |
| Wisconsin | Statewide | 4-6 days |
| Illinois | Statewide | 4-6 days |
| Nebraska | Eastern half | 3-5 days |
| South Dakota | Eastern half | 4-6 days |
| North Dakota | Southern half | 5-7 days |
| Missouri | Northern half | 5-7 days |
Fleet Capabilities
The right vehicle for every order size. Our fleet is maintained, insured, and purpose-equipped for lumber transport.
Flatbed Trucks
Our primary delivery vehicles. 48-foot flatbeds capable of hauling up to 45,000 lbs of lumber per load. Ideal for large beams, bundled dimensional stock, and mixed orders.
Box Trucks
26-foot enclosed box trucks for smaller orders that need weather protection during transit. Perfect for finished flooring, sanded boards, and pre-finished materials.
Pickup & Trailer
For local deliveries and smaller quantities, our crew arrives with a pickup and trailer combo. Great for residential deliveries where large trucks can't access the site.
Scheduling Options
We work around your timeline, not the other way around.
Standard Delivery
Orders ship within 5-7 business days of confirmation. We'll provide a delivery window and call the day before to confirm timing.
Priority Delivery
Need it faster? Priority delivery ships within 2-3 business days for an additional fee. Subject to truck availability.
Scheduled Delivery
Planning ahead? Lock in a specific delivery date up to 60 days out. Perfect for coordinating with your construction schedule.
Recurring Deliveries
Running a large project with phased material needs? We set up a recurring delivery schedule so lumber arrives exactly when each phase requires it.
Packaging & Handling
Reclaimed lumber is irreplaceable — every board is unique. We handle it accordingly.
- Lumber is banded, stickered, and wrapped before loading to prevent shifting and moisture damage.
- Finished and sanded materials are separated with protective padding to prevent surface scratches.
- All loads are secured with ratchet straps meeting DOT requirements for flatbed freight.
- Long timbers and beams are flagged and escorted when required by road regulations.
- Delivery drivers are trained in careful off-loading — we never drop or drag your lumber.
- Fork truck or boom truck available on request for job sites without unloading equipment.
Large Order Logistics
Planning a commercial project, multi-unit development, or large renovation? We specialize in coordinating complex deliveries that require phased shipments, multiple drop points, or just-in-time scheduling.
- Multi-truck loads coordinated for same-day arrival
- Phased delivery schedules aligned with your construction timeline
- Dedicated logistics coordinator assigned to orders over 10,000 BF
- Site surveys available to plan access routes and unloading logistics
Delivery Process Step by Step
From the moment your order is confirmed to the lumber arriving at your job site, here is exactly what happens at each stage of our delivery process.
Order Confirmation & Scheduling
Once your order is finalized and payment is received, our logistics coordinator contacts you within 24 hours to confirm a delivery window. For standard delivery, we provide a 3-day window. For scheduled delivery, we lock in a specific date. You will receive a written confirmation via email with all details including the estimated arrival window, truck type, and driver contact information.
Pulling & Staging
Our warehouse team pulls your order from inventory and stages it in our loading bay. Every piece is checked against the order manifest for species, dimensions, grade, and board footage. This is our final quality control checkpoint before the lumber leaves the facility. Any discrepancies are caught and resolved before loading begins.
Packaging & Loading
Lumber is sorted by species and dimension, stickered for airflow during transit, banded with steel or poly strapping, and wrapped with weather-resistant material when appropriate. Finished and sanded boards are separated with protective cardboard or foam padding. The load is then placed on the truck and secured with ratchet straps meeting DOT standards for flatbed freight.
Day-Before Confirmation Call
The day before your scheduled delivery, our driver or dispatcher calls you to confirm the delivery address, provide a refined arrival window (typically a 2-hour range), and discuss any site access considerations. This is your opportunity to flag any issues — narrow driveways, low overhead clearance, gate codes, or preferred unloading locations.
Delivery & Unloading
Our driver arrives within the confirmed window and positions the truck for safe unloading. For flatbed deliveries, lumber is offloaded using our truck-mounted piggyback forklift or coordinated with on-site equipment. For box truck deliveries, our two-person crew hand-unloads to your specified location. We place lumber exactly where you want it — garage, driveway, staging area, or directly inside the building when access allows.
Walk-Through & Sign-Off
After unloading, our driver walks through the delivered material with you. We verify the count matches the manifest, point out any boards to inspect more closely, and answer any immediate questions. You sign a delivery receipt confirming the order was received in good condition. If anything looks wrong, we document it on the spot and initiate a resolution before the truck leaves.
Packaging Standards
Reclaimed lumber is irreplaceable — each board is unique and cannot be reordered. Our packaging protocols are designed to ensure your material arrives in the same condition it left our facility.
Banding & Stickering
All bundles are stickered with dry hardwood spacers at 4-foot intervals to allow airflow and prevent moisture trapping during transit. Bundles are then secured with high-tension steel or polypropylene banding. For rough-sawn material, we use standard banding. For surfaced and finished stock, we insert protective padding under each band to prevent indentation marks on the wood surface.
Weather Protection
For box truck deliveries, lumber is fully enclosed and protected from rain, snow, and road spray. For flatbed shipments, we wrap bundles in 6-mil polyethylene sheeting, secured with tape and additional strapping. The top and sides are covered while the bottom is left open to prevent condensation buildup. For long-distance flatbed hauls during wet seasons, we double-wrap and add a layer of breathable house wrap underneath the poly.
Surface Protection for Finished Materials
Sanded, pre-finished, and tongue-and-groove materials receive extra care. We place corrugated cardboard or closed-cell foam sheets between each layer of finished boards. End grain is capped with protective sleeves to prevent damage during handling. These materials are always placed on top of the load, never underneath heavier rough stock, and are loaded last so they are unloaded first.
Beam & Timber Packaging
Heavy timbers and large-dimension beams are individually wrapped in stretch film to protect surfaces and prevent checking from rapid moisture changes during transit. Beams over 12 feet in length are cradled in foam-padded supports to prevent bowing under their own weight. End grain on all timbers is sealed with end-coat wax before shipping to slow moisture loss from exposed end grain.
Load Securement
Every load is secured in compliance with FMCSA and DOT regulations for flatbed freight. We use 4-inch ratchet straps rated at 5,400 lbs working load limit, positioned at intervals not exceeding 10 feet. Edge protectors are placed at every strap contact point to prevent strap damage to the wood and ensure even load distribution. Our drivers perform a mandatory 50-mile re-check stop to verify all straps remain tight.
Insurance & Liability
Your lumber investment is protected from the moment it leaves our yard until it is safely in your hands. Here is how our coverage works.
Full Cargo Insurance
Every shipment that leaves our facility is covered by comprehensive cargo insurance. Our policy covers the full declared value of the lumber for loss or damage during transit, including accidents, theft, fire, and weather events. Coverage begins at the point of loading and continues until delivery and sign-off at the destination. For shipments through third-party freight carriers, we verify that the carrier maintains equivalent coverage before releasing any load.
General Liability
North Iowa Lumber maintains a $2 million general liability policy that covers our operations including on-site delivery. This means that if our delivery crew damages your property during unloading — a driveway, a fence, a doorway — our insurance covers the repair. We carry certificates of insurance that are available on request and can name your company or project as an additional insured if required by your contract terms.
Damage Claims Process
If your lumber arrives with damage that occurred during transit, the process is straightforward. Document the damage with photographs at the time of delivery. Note any damage on the delivery receipt before signing. Contact us within 48 hours with photos and a description of the affected material. We will initiate a claim immediately and either replace the damaged material from our inventory or issue a refund — your choice. Most claims are resolved within 5 business days. You will never be left waiting on an insurance adjuster before getting the material you need.
Risk of Loss Transfer
For delivered orders, risk of loss transfers to the buyer at the point of delivery sign-off. For yard pickup orders, risk of loss transfers when the material is loaded onto the buyer's vehicle and leaves our facility. We recommend that all customers verify that their own property insurance or builder's risk policy covers lumber stored on their job site once delivery is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our transportation and delivery services.
Can you deliver to a residential address with a standard-sized driveway?
Yes. For residential deliveries, we assess the best vehicle option based on your address. If a full-size flatbed cannot safely navigate your driveway or street, we will send a smaller box truck or pickup-and-trailer combination instead. When scheduling your delivery, let us know about any access restrictions — narrow roads, low-hanging branches, overhead wires, or steep grades — so we can plan accordingly. Our drivers are experienced at navigating residential neighborhoods and tight job sites.
Do I need to be present at the time of delivery?
We strongly recommend that you or an authorized representative be present for delivery. This allows us to walk through the material with you, confirm the count, note any issues on the delivery receipt, and place the lumber exactly where you want it. If you absolutely cannot be present, we can arrange a drop delivery to a pre-agreed location, but you must sign a delivery authorization in advance and accept responsibility for the material once placed.
What if I need to change or postpone my delivery date?
We understand that construction schedules shift. You can reschedule a standard delivery with at least 48 hours notice at no additional charge. Priority deliveries require 24 hours notice for rescheduling. If you need to postpone more than 30 days, we will hold your material in our yard at no charge for up to 60 days. Beyond 60 days, a nominal storage fee of $25 per week applies.
Do you offer liftgate or forklift service for off-loading?
Our flatbed trucks are equipped with piggyback forklifts that can handle off-loading at sites without their own equipment. For enclosed box truck deliveries, we provide a two-person crew for hand unloading. If your order includes heavy timbers or palletized material that requires a forklift or boom truck, we can arrange that in advance — just let us know when scheduling your delivery. For job sites with their own forklift or crane, our driver will coordinate with your equipment operator for efficient off-loading.
Can you deliver directly inside a building or to an upper floor?
We can deliver material into ground-floor spaces — garages, warehouses, shop bays — where our crew can hand-carry or use a pallet jack. For upper-floor deliveries, we need advance notice to coordinate. Our crew can hand-carry boards up to approximately 12 feet long to a second floor via standard stairways. For heavier timbers or larger volumes going to upper floors, we recommend arranging a crane or material hoist on the receiving end, and our driver will work with your team to coordinate the lift.
Special Handling for Large Beams
Oversized reclaimed timbers require specialized handling that goes beyond standard lumber delivery. Here is how we manage large-format material from our yard to your site.
Transport of Beams Over 20 Feet
Timbers exceeding 20 feet in length require special consideration for road transport. We flag all overhanging loads per DOT regulations and use extended flatbed trailers when needed. For beams over 30 feet, we may use a stretch trailer or coordinate an escort vehicle depending on the route. Our logistics team plans the route in advance, accounting for low bridges, tight turns, and weight restrictions on rural roads.
Weight Management
Large reclaimed timbers can weigh several hundred pounds each. A single 12x12 white oak beam at 20 feet weighs approximately 800 pounds. We calculate total load weight carefully and distribute beams evenly across the truck bed to maintain safe axle weights. For orders consisting entirely of heavy timbers, we may split the shipment across multiple trucks to stay within legal weight limits while ensuring safe transport.
Surface Protection for Character Beams
Many customers order large beams specifically for their visual character — hand-hewn faces, adze marks, original saw patterns, and century-old patina. We wrap these beams individually in breathable fabric and cushion contact points with closed-cell foam to prevent rubbing and scuffing during transit. Corner protectors are placed at all strap locations to prevent compression marks on the beam faces.
On-Site Placement with Equipment
Delivering a large beam to a job site is only half the challenge — placing it where it needs to go is the other half. Our piggyback forklifts can handle beams up to 6,000 pounds and place them within reach of your installation crew. For beams going into elevated positions (exposed ceiling beams, ridge beams, header beams), we coordinate with your crane operator or rigging crew to ensure a smooth transfer from truck to final position.
Custom Crating for Rare Specimens
For exceptionally rare or high-value timbers — museum-quality hand-hewn beams, American chestnut logs, or pieces with significant historical provenance — we build custom wooden crates for transport. The beam is wrapped, padded, and enclosed in a rigid crate that prevents any movement or contact during transit. Custom crating is priced based on beam dimensions and is available on request for any order.
Need a Delivery Quote?
Tell us your location, order size, and timeline. We'll put together a delivery plan that works for your project.