The Top 5 Reasons Your Trusses Aren’t Showing Up on Time
At Truss Components of Washington, we work hard to get quality trusses out the door on time, but there are a few common issues that can slow down the process. Whether you're a builder, contractor, or homeowner managing your own project, it helps to know where those slowdowns can happen and how to avoid them. Let’s walk through the five biggest culprits.
Incomplete Plans at the Start
We can't estimate or design a truss without a complete set of plans. That includes a full address so we can determine the appropriate snow and wind loads for your specific location. Second, we need dimensions. You’d be surprised how many plans come in without them. When that happens, we have to scale the drawings, which slows us down and leaves room for error.
Roof slope is another must. If it’s not marked, we’re guessing, and that affects the cost, the materials, and the design. A section view is also crucial. It shows how the truss sits on the wall, whether there’s a vault or a flat ceiling, and how everything interacts inside the building. Lastly, loading information is key. We need to know what your snow load and wind load are, and whether any drag loads will be running through the trusses. When that information is missing, your truss order is going to take longer, plain and simple.
Last-Minute Changes to the Design
Sometimes the plan changes. Maybe a dimension needs to shift after framing starts, a flat ceiling gets swapped out for a vaulted one, or a gable roof becomes a hip roof. These types of changes are common, but they also push your truss schedule back. Trusses are custom-made. Once a design is locked in, anything that alters it requires a redesign, recalculation, and re-approval. Sorting out all the key decisions at the beginning keeps your project on track.
Slow Responses to Questions
There’s a lot of back and forth during the truss design and ordering process. When we ask a question, whether it’s about layout, roof pitch, or confirmation on a design detail, getting a quick response helps us move forward. It also helps to let us know your preferred method of communication, whether that’s phone, email, or text.
Before we release any truss order to production, we need written confirmation that the design is correct. If we’re waiting on that confirmation, the project sits on hold. The faster you review and approve your truss drawings, the faster we can build them.
Poor Site Access for Delivery
A truss delivery truck is one of the largest vehicles that’s going to come onto your job site. If the site isn’t prepared to receive it—steep inclines, tight turns, low-hanging power lines, or trees in the way—that can cause big delays. It’s better to talk through those logistics early so we can plan ahead. If your site has specific challenges, we’ll work with you to find solutions. But if we show up and can’t deliver, that slows things down for everyone.
Payment Delays
Talking about money isn’t always fun, but it matters. If you’re a one-time customer, most truss companies—including us—will ask for payment upfront. That’s because your trusses are built specifically for your project. They can’t be reused elsewhere. We need to finalize every detail, receive payment, and then we can move the trusses into production.
If you’ve got a credit account and there's been a history of late payments, that could also cause a delay. Either way, paying early helps keep your timeline moving forward.
Delivering your trusses on time begins with clear plans, effective communication, and early coordination. If we know what you need, have your sign-off, and your site is ready to go, we can keep things moving smoothly. We want your project to be low-stress and hassle-free from start to finish.
