Project Overview
Ontrack Moving® relocated Cal-West Lighting & Signal, a San Jose lighting and traffic signal contractor, from one San Jose site to another. The move covered the office, an upstairs parts room, the warehouse and its racks, and an outdoor yard of light poles, traffic signal poles, large traffic signal cabinets and pipe. Cal-West works for city governments across the Bay Area and has to respond when an accident knocks down a light pole, a traffic signal pole, a traffic signal control cabinet or a transformer, so the company kept operating throughout the move. Ontrack also filled a 40-foot container with metal and made disposal runs for items Cal-West did not want to move. The job took many truckloads to the new site and many truckloads to disposal over six working days, and ended with the old yard left broom-clean.
Project at a Glance
- The client: Cal-West Lighting & Signal, a San Jose lighting and traffic signal contractor.
- The old site: an industrial property of about 0.59 acres (25,527 sq ft of land) with a 4,387 sq ft building, per county property records.
- The yard: light poles, traffic signal poles, large traffic signal cabinets, pipe and warehouse racks stored outside.
- The equipment: a flatbed truck and a 5,000 lb capacity forklift on four days, bobtail box trucks, pallet jacks and speed packs.
- The schedule: planned at four working days, completed in six after items were added to the scope.
- Unwanted items: one 40-foot container filled with metal, plus many truckloads of disposal runs.
- The finish: the old yard left broom-clean.
How Do You Move Light Poles, Traffic Signal Poles and Cabinets?
Ontrack Moving® moved Cal-West Lighting & Signal's yard with a flatbed truck for the heavier and larger items, bobtail box trucks for lighter pipe, and forklifts at both sites, including a 5,000 lb capacity forklift at the new site.
The yard was the largest part of the job. It held light poles, traffic signal poles, large traffic signal cabinets, pipe and many other large items, along with warehouse racks that were stored outside. At the survey, Ontrack noted that the yard items were very large and heavy, that an additional day might be needed, and that parts of the yard work might suit a smaller, dedicated crew.
The plan split the yard by weight and size. Lighter pipe went on the bobtail box trucks. Heavier and larger items went on a flatbed truck. The plan had Cal-West's own forklift loading at the old site and a 5,000 lb capacity forklift, supplied by Ontrack Moving®, at the new site. Ontrack also relocated Cal-West's forklift.
| Client | Cal-West Lighting & Signal |
| Route | San Jose to San Jose |
| Old site land area | About 0.59 acres (25,527 sq ft) |
| Old site building | 4,387 sq ft |
| Working days | Six (four planned) |
| Typical daily crew | Two trucks and a crew of seven |
| Flatbed truck | Four days |
| Forklift | 5,000 lb capacity, four days |
| Metal | One 40-foot container filled |
How Were the Warehouse and Office Moved?
Ontrack Moving® palletized the warehouse, disassembled the metal racks and moved them to the new site, and moved the downstairs office and the upstairs parts room.
The move was planned in phases, the sequencing approach behind our Phase-Shift Protocol™: the office and the upstairs parts room first, then the warehouse, then the yard. For a contractor that works for Bay Area cities, staying able to respond to a downed pole or signal is part of the job, and Cal-West kept operating throughout the move. At the survey, about 60 percent of the parts room was planned to move, with Cal-West to purge or mark what would stay behind. The plan had a smaller crew start palletizing the warehouse while the office was being moved.
The warehouse followed: palletizing, disassembling the metal racks and moving them to the new site. The plan called for reassembling the racks and organizing the new warehouse before the yard items came in, so the new space would be ready to receive them.
Why Did the Move Take Six Days Instead of Four?
The move was planned at four working days. During the move, the scope grew to include the outdoor yard racks and other large yard items that were not on the survey inventory, and Ontrack Moving® completed the relocation in six working days.
A moving estimate is built on the inventory at the time of the survey. When items are added after that, the crew, the trucks and the days have to grow with them. On this job the added items included the outdoor racks and other yard items, and the additions added two working days.
The lesson for anyone planning a contractor, yard or warehouse move: walk the whole property during the survey, including racks and equipment stored outside, and decide at that point what is moving. Final charges are based on actual labor time, materials used, access conditions, scope changes, waiting time, and any additional services requested or required to complete the move.
What Happened to the Items That Were Not Moving?
Ontrack Moving® filled a 40-foot container with metal, made many truckloads of disposal runs for the other items Cal-West did not want to move, and left the old yard broom-clean.
Not everything on a contractor's property is worth moving. Metal that was not moving went into a 40-foot container, and the other unwanted items went out on disposal runs rather than to the new site. After the last items were removed, Ontrack Moving® left Cal-West's old yard broom-clean: swept and cleared, rather than leaving loose debris behind.
Planning and Coordination
What Ontrack Moving® Coordinated
- Moving the downstairs office and the upstairs parts room, with Cal-West marking what would stay.
- Palletizing the warehouse and disassembling and moving the metal racks.
- A flatbed truck for the heavier and larger yard items and bobtail box trucks for lighter pipe.
- A 5,000 lb capacity forklift and operator at the new site, delivered and picked up by Ontrack.
- Relocating Cal-West's own forklift.
- Phasing the move so Cal-West could keep operating for the cities it serves.
- Adding crew days when items were added to the move.
- Filling a 40-foot container with metal and making disposal runs for other unwanted items.
- Leaving the old yard broom-clean.
Project Outcome
Ontrack Moving® relocated Cal-West Lighting & Signal's office, warehouse and outdoor yard across San Jose in six working days, including the light poles, traffic signal poles, traffic signal cabinets, pipe and outdoor racks. Many truckloads went to the new site and many to disposal, including a 40-foot container filled with metal, and the old yard was left broom-clean.
Planning a Warehouse or Yard Relocation?
Contact Ontrack Moving® for a site survey. Walk us through the office, the warehouse and everything in the yard, including what is stored outside, and tell us what is moving. See our warehouse relocation services, our San Jose commercial movers page, or call (888) 914-8787.
This is a real Ontrack Moving® project, with the client named. Property figures come from public county property records. The header uses an Ontrack fleet image.