Memphis Portable Toilet Rental

Heat decides the schedule

Memphis summers are long and sticky, and portable toilets feel it first. A unit that sits in direct sun on a gravel lot in July gets ripe quickly, which is why a crew of twenty on a hot site should not settle for a single weekly service. Ask the provider about a second service visit during the hottest months, and about placing units in whatever shade the site gives you.

Ten workers to a unit is the rough starting point for a normal week. Put a handwash station beside each cluster. In this humidity people actually use them, and the foreman hears fewer complaints.

The ground is its own issue. Much of it is silty bluff soil that holds up when dry and turns slick after a downpour. A pump truck stuck on a wet lot is a missed service. If you are working on a new pad or a graded site, ask the provider to look at the access path, and put a few loads of gravel where the units will sit. It is cheaper than a second visit.

Medical District projects deserve a mention. The hospitals and research buildings east of downtown run long construction schedules with big crews, and security is often tighter than on the average site. Plan for badge access for the service driver, and ask the provider whether they have worked on hospital grounds.

Warehouses, rail yards and the river

This city moves freight. The airport is a global hub for overnight packages and the Mississippi carries barges past the bluff, with several railroads meeting in between. That means a steady stream of warehouse construction and expansion around the airport, south toward Olive Branch and Southaven in Mississippi, and out east along the I-40 and I-269 corridors. Those sites are big and dusty, and a long way from any building with plumbing.

For a tilt-wall build with a hundred people at peak, the quote should say how many units and how often they are serviced, and who is on the hook when the concrete crew doubles the headcount for a pour week. Counts on these jobs change fast, and a provider who can add units within a day is worth more than one who is a little cheaper on paper.

Southeast Memphis and Hickory Hill sit along the route to the big distribution parks, so a provider with a yard on that side is minutes away while one in Midtown is crossing town. Get the add-on flexibility in writing, and match the service route to the shift hours.

Crosstown and the old industrial buildings near downtown are a different kind of job: smaller crews, tight streets, and more renovation than new build. A pair of units and a handwash station in a gated lot is enough, and the service truck has to find a way in around the street grid.

Beale Street, the riverfront and park events

Memphis fills its calendar. A month of barbecue and music along the river each spring, football at the stadium by the fairgrounds, runs and walks through Shelby Farms, and street festivals in Midtown and downtown all call for temporary restrooms. Riverfront and park events usually need approval from whoever manages the space, so check early with the city or the event organizer before the order goes in.

On a long festival, restroom trailers are worth the extra cost if the crowd is large or the weekend is hot. For smaller ticketed events, standard units with a few accessible ones and a row of handwash stations will do. Ask for lights if the event runs after dark.

A note on timing. When a big weekend lines up, such as a fight at the arena, a college football game and a festival all at once, the rental stock tightens. Call early, and be flexible about the delivery day if you can take units on Thursday instead of Friday morning.

Church festivals and charity walks need only a handful of units and one handwash station. Providers take those jobs gladly once the date is set.

Crossing the state line

Memphis sits close to where three states meet, and a provider's service area often spans them. Southaven, Olive Branch and Horn Lake in Mississippi, and West Memphis across the river in Arkansas, are all active construction and distribution markets. Some providers will cross the river and the state line without a trip charge, and some will not. Ask about that before you assume.

If you are in Bartlett, Germantown or Collierville, the trip from a central Memphis yard is short. Delivery should not be priced as if you were far away. If someone quotes a delivery charge that looks out of proportion, ask what the mileage is based on.

Calling about a Memphis site

Have the site address ready, along with the headcount on a normal day and on the busiest one, and how long the units stay. Then access: a locked gate, a soft shoulder, a rail crossing, a lot where the truck has to back in.

If you need accessible units, say so now, since they can run scarcer than standard ones on a busy weekend. For an event, give the hours and the expected crowd.

The honest advice for a Memphis contractor is to rent for the weather you will have, not the weather you hope for. In August, one unit too few is a bad bet.

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