Industry and products
mobile storage
Mobile storage is storage that moves to the customer. The term is often used the same way as portable storage. NPSA's mobile self-storage page describes an empty mobile storage container delivered to your location, loaded at your own pace, then moved to a new place. Companies define the term differently.
Why it matters
Some providers use mobile storage for small box-style units and portable storage for steel shipping containers, while others use both for the same thing. A shopper should look at the unit, not the label: its size, material, door type, delivery method and security. A common mistake is to assume two quotes for mobile storage are for the same product. One may be an 8-foot unit and another a 20-foot steel container. Operators should state the size and type in each listing. NPSA's members offer many forms of storage, from small units to large containers and trailers.
Definition source: npsa.org
Related terms
portable storage
Portable storage is storage in a container, trailer or similar unit that can be moved to the customer's site or elsewhere. NPSA describes portable storage containers as ISO shipping containers retired from international shipping and offered for rent and purchase on the domestic market. NPSA also includes trailers and mobile offices in the industry.
mobile self-storage
Mobile self-storage is a service where an empty storage unit is delivered to your location. You load it at your own pace, and the company picks it up and moves it to a new place for unloading or to storage. NPSA describes it as removing the hassles of traditional static self-storage facilities.
mobile storage unit
A mobile storage unit is a storage box built to be moved, delivered and picked up by truck. NPSA describes mobile self-storage containers as units delivered to a customer's location, loaded there and moved on. NPSA says members offer mobile self-storage containers in lengths from 7 feet to 20 feet.
portable storage container
A portable storage container is a container made for rent or sale as movable storage. NPSA describes portable storage containers as ISO shipping containers retired from international shipping and offered on the domestic market. In practice the term also covers other portable units.
storage trailer
A storage trailer is a trailer used as a movable storage space instead of for hauling cargo from place to place. It has a floor, walls, a roof and doors at one end or both. NPSA members rent, lease and sell storage trailers, often in standard lengths from 28 to 53 feet.
self-storage facility
A self-storage facility is a business that rents secure space where customers store and retrieve their own goods. U.S. industry codes describe it as renting space such as rooms, compartments, lockers, containers or outdoor space. The customer holds the key or code and visits the site to use the space.
For the industry
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