Switch Cabinet Transport and Electrical Supplies from Wholesaler to Site
Maxmove takes switch cabinets, distribution boards, cable drums, cable trays and small parts from the electrical wholesaler, the panel builder or your own store to site – as a top-up or planned for installation day, for electrical contractors in North Rhine-Westphalia.
- Instant price before booking
- Live tracking on every drive
- Insured transports
Electrical material to site: from a box of terminals to a switch cabinet
In electrical contracting, the smallest and largest items on a job are worlds apart: a box of terminal blocks, a cable drum that cannot be lifted by hand, a fitted distribution board that should only travel upright. Orders go to the electrical wholesaler, often for next-day delivery. Whatever is missing in between, in many firms a fitter fetches from the trade counter – and the site waits.
Maxmove runs these orders as a direct drive from the wholesaler, the panel builder or your own store to site. You enter collection number, dimensions, weight and height and see the instant price and earliest pickup window before booking. With no depot and no reloading, a fitted cabinet stays on the same load floor from loading to handover. For palletised cabinets and heavy drums, pallet transport is the right entry point.
What goes wrong with electrical material: drums rolling around the load space, boards arriving on their side, cable trays that do not fit in the van, and battery storage units someone wants loaded as undeclared dangerous goods. The rules – and who is responsible for what – are set out below.
What electrical contractors move from wholesaler to site
From terminal block to distribution cabinet: goods with very different dimensions, weights and transport rules.
- Switch cabinets and sub-distribution boards
- Meter cabinets and service connection boxes
- Cable drums and cable coils
- Cable trays in 3 m lengths
- Luminaires and LED high-bay lights
- Wallboxes and charging stations
- PV modules on the original pallet
- Inverters and accessories
- Terminals, boxes and conduit
- Household appliances for electrical retailers
Three runs between Düsseldorf, Neuss and Ratingen
Typical orders for electrical contractors and panel builders – and what the equipment and the site require.
Sub-distribution board from Neuss to Düsseldorf-Heerdt
A panel builder in the Neuss port area has finished a fitted sub-distribution board for a commercial new build in Düsseldorf-Heerdt. The cabinet is bolted to a pallet and travels upright; including the pallet it is 1.6 m tall and therefore fits the Sprinter L2 with 1.8 m of internal height. The order states weight, dimensions and that a telehandler is ready on site for unloading. The electrical foreman receives the cabinet and signs digitally.
Cable and trays for an office floor in Ratingen
For the electrical installation of an office floor in Ratingen-West, a contractor needs a cable drum, two bundles of cable tray and fixings from the wholesaler in Düsseldorf-Reisholz. The trays are 3 m long – longer than the van's load floor – so a Sprinter L2 with a 3.2 m load length goes. The drum is chocked against rolling. Unloading is at the underground car park entrance, whose clearance height is on the order.
PV material for a house in Neuss
For a PV system in Neuss-Holzheim, a meter cabinet, inverter and a pallet of PV modules go from the wholesaler to site together in the 3.5-tonne box van. Modules are glass components: they stay on the original pallet, nothing is placed on top, and on site two fitters unload them one by one by hand. The battery storage unit does not travel unannounced – lithium-ion batteries are class 9 dangerous goods and must be declared and reviewed in advance.
Local courier service:DüsseldorfNeussRatingen
What applies when transporting electrical material
Tipping risk, rolling loads, load length and dangerous goods – and who is responsible for each.
Switch cabinets upright and secured against tipping
Cabinet manufacturers' handling guidance warns that a tipping risk must always be expected for cabinets more than 50 cm tall, and that cabinets with integrated cooling units are particularly prone to tipping. Fitted boards therefore travel upright, bolted or strapped to the pallet and secured with straps. State the height including pallet: the Sprinter L2 offers 1.8 m of internal height, and taller cabinet sections should be cleared in advance. Under Section 412 HGB, loading safely for transport is the sender's job.
Secure cable drums against rolling
Section 22 StVO requires loads not to slide, tip over or roll about even under full braking or a sudden evasive manoeuvre. For cable drums that means chocked against rolling and additionally lashed; the VDI 2700 guideline series counts as the recognised rules of practice. Heavy drums need a forklift for loading and unloading – note whether one is available at the destination. State weight and flange diameter so that vehicle and unloading match.
Cable trays and long items
Cable trays usually have a usable length of 3 m. They fit the Sprinter L2 with a 3.2 m load length and the 3.5-tonne box van with 4.2 to 4.3 m, but not the van with 2.6 m. Bundles lie flat, are tied with edge protection and secured against shifting. For cut lengths, state the length of the longest piece – that decides the vehicle class, not the quantity.
Battery storage and lithium batteries
In transport, lithium-ion batteries are class 9 dangerous goods (UN 3480, or UN 3481 when contained in equipment). Battery storage units for PV systems therefore only travel after prior declaration and review; under Section 410 HGB the sender must inform the carrier in good time and in text form of the nature of the hazard. Declare battery packs that travel as goods, too. Standard bookings must not contain undeclared dangerous goods.
Which vehicle for which electrical material
Terminals, switches and lamps go by car or compact van. Luminaires, wallboxes and cable coils fit the van. The Sprinter L2 takes cable trays in 3 m lengths, drums and upright boards up to 1.8 m tall. PV pallets, several cabinets and loads up to 1,200 kg belong in the 3.5-tonne box van, loads up to 3,000 kg in the 7.5-tonne truck; drums over 3,000 kg, tall cabinet suites or crane unloading are a [special transport](/sonderfahrten) on request.
| Vehicle | Maks. masa | Palety europejskie | Maks. wymiary ładunku | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarZmieści się np. Moving boxes, small furniture, classifieds pickups | 100 kg | – | 100 × 70 × 50 cm | from €79.86Base fare €18.90 | Book |
| Small VanZmieści się np. Washing machine, armchair, moving boxes | 400 kg | 1–2 | 160 × 120 × 120 cm | from €94.05Base fare €29.90 | Book |
| VanZmieści się np. Sofa, 1–2 room move, moving boxes | 900 kg | 2–3 | 270 × 160 × 130 cm | from €112.95Base fare €44.90 | Book |
| Large VanZmieści się np. Wardrobe, 2–3 room move, bulky furniture | 1000 kg | 3–4 | 330 × 180 × 170 cm | from €130.05Base fare €54.90 | Book |
| 3.5t Box LorryZmieści się np. Retail goods, tail lift, large furniture | 1200 kg | 6–8 | 430 × 210 × 210 cm | from €211.24Base fare €129 | Book |
| 7.5t LorryZmieści się np. Full house move, bulky retail goods, site material | 3000 kg | 12–15 | 610 × 245 × 240 cm | from €366.72Base fare €249 | Book |
Published examples for Köln → Düsseldorf, weekdays at 10:00 (Berlin time). The binding price for your addresses is shown before booking.
Bigger, open-bed or heavier than 3 t? On request as a special run
How an electrical delivery with Maxmove works
- 01
Enter pickup and dimensions
Enter wholesaler, panel builder or store, site, collection number, weight, height and longest item. You see the instant price and earliest pickup window before booking.
- 02
Loading at the wholesaler
The wholesaler loads by forklift – cabinets upright, drums chocked against rolling. The driver checks the complete load securing before setting off.
- 03
Direct drive to site
No depot and no reloading – an advantage for fitted cabinets, because every transhipment is a tipping risk. Your team sees the arrival in live tracking.
- 04
Handover with photos
The recipient signs digitally and the driver photographs cabinet, drum or pallet. The time-stamped proof serves as evidence towards wholesaler, panel builder and client.
Why Maxmove for Electrical wholesale
Fitters stay on the job site
Maxmove takes over collection runs to the trade counter. Your crew keeps pulling cable while the missing material is on its way, and you know the price of the drive before booking.
From a box of terminals to a switch cabinet
You enter dimensions, weight and height and get the right vehicle class – from a compact van for small parts to the 3.5-tonne box van for PV pallets and several boards.
Recurring runs for rollouts
On store rollouts, charging infrastructure or serial sites, material flows to the same addresses for weeks. You set these up as recurring orders, billed through your [business account](/business).