In the world of temporary workspace, two units reign supreme: the office trailer and the portable office. At Mobile Mini, we often get questions like, “What’s the difference between the two?” 

The truth is office trailer vs. portable office is a close match. Both units offer highly convenient, versatile, and portable workspace designed to meet a wide range of temporary work needs. However, it’s the differences between these two units that will make one a more logical fit for you and your company.

Office Trailer vs. Portable Office: What’s in a Name?

Before we get into what the differences are between these two units, let’s establish some parameters.

• Portable office units are ground-level office units. They are easy to access, as you don’t need stairs or a ramp to gain entry. Portable offices are easy to move from site to site and offer the look and feel of a more traditional workspace, providing a quiet and safe place to work during an office move or renovation.
• Office trailers are very similar to portable offices, but they include a hitch and are not at ground level. Since office trailers are designed to be towed, the units sit on a trailer, which means that they are slightly elevated. Office trailer relocation is also slightly different due to the wheels and the fact that they can be towed. But aside from this, office trailers offer the same convenience, safety, security, and comfort as a portable office and can be used virtually anywhere. 

Office Trailer vs. Portable Office: Options, Sizes, Etc. 

At Mobile Mini, we’re all about choice, and we stock a wide range of portable offices and office trailers. Our varied stock means you’re likely to find exactly the right unit for your business. 

Our standard portable offices come in the following sizes:

• 10-foot: 8’ H x 8’W x 10’ L
• 20-foot: 8’ H x 8’ W x 20’ L
• 40-foot: 8’ H x 8’ W x 40’ L

Our extra-wide portable offices come in the following sizes:

• 8ft H x 10ft W x 30ft L

And we also offer a storage/work combination unit that comes in:

• 8’ H x 8’ W x 20’ L
• 8’ H x 8’ W x 20’ L

Our office trailers come in the following options:

• 8-foot trailers: Our 8-foot trailers come in 20’ – 36’ options and have:
  • 128 sq. ft. – 256 sq. ft.
  • 7’ Ceiling height
  • 8’ Wide
  • 16’ -26’ Box size
  • 20’ – 36’ Long (including hitch)
• 10-foot trailers: 10-foot trailers come in 36’- 50’ options and have:
  • 128 sq. ft. – 256 sq. ft.
  • 7’ Ceiling height
  • 8’ Wide
  • 16’ -26’ Box size
  • 20’ – 36’ Long (including hitch)
• 12-foot trailers: 12-foot trailers come in 44’-64’ options and have:
  • 480 sq. ft. – 720 sq. ft.
  • 8’ Ceiling height
  • 12’ Wide
  • 40’ – 60’ Box size
  • 44’ – 64’ Long (including hitch)

Our office trailers can be configured into modular office complexes where trailers are stacked on top of each other to create multi-level temporary worksites. You can also arrange them side by side to create complexes that can house hundreds of employees.

Office Trailer vs. Portable Office: How Are They Used?

Portable offices and office trailers can create efficient and highly useful temporary workspaces anywhere. At Mobile Mini, we proudly serve over 20 different industries, and each of our customers use their portable office units in different ways to maximize their productivity and efficiency. 

Some of the most common uses for these units include:

• Agriculture and Construction: Our agriculture and construction clients turn these units into on-site administrative hubs to handle administrative tasks, paperwork, meet with clients and vendors, etc. 
• Arts and Entertainment Festivals: Outdoor festivals use these offices to house sound and lighting operations, handle ticket sales and customer services, and to create an administrative hub in the midst of outdoor events. 
• Education: Schools and universities nationwide use our portable offices and office trailers to create temporary classroom and faculty spaces. 
• Government and Healthcare: Government agencies and healthcare institutions use these portable office trailers to provide emergency services at events, demonstrations, and at other temporary activities. These units may also serve as field offices in times of natural disasters and other emergencies. 
• Restaurants and Hotels: In hospitality, space comes at a premium, and many of our hotel and restaurant clients use our portable offices and office trailers to create extra customer waiting rooms or administrative offices without taking up valuable indoor square footage. 

Office Trailer vs. Portable Office: Benefits of Each 

Benefits-wise, these units are quite similar. The slight edge that portable offices have due to their ground-level accessibility can be countered with the ease at which you can stack office trailers to create multi-level spaces. 

However, when looking at utility, these units offer temporary workspace solutions that are:

• Secure: Both portable offices and office trailers are highly secure. All of our units are made from corrugated steel, which means that they are some of the toughest offices on earth and are naturally designed to withstand harsh weather. Our units also come with special security features to keep your items safe, even at times when your offices are unattended.
  
• Flexible: Since portable offices and office trailers are made from repurposed shipping containers, they are easy to reconfigure to meet your commercial needs. Portable offices allow you to move furniture around as necessary, or even move to a larger unit if need be. With office trailers, you can stack units vertically or horizontally to create more room and grow your portable office capacity.
• Portability: Both units are highly portable and are ideal for companies with temporary work needs spread across multiple jobsites. At Mobile Mini, we even offer relocation support. Simply empty your office unit and we will bring it wherever you need it next. 
• Cost-Effectiveness: If we asked our customers what their favorite aspect of our portable offices and office trailers is, they would probably talk about the money they save with these units. Both office trailers and portable offices are much less expensive than renting or building out more traditional units.
  
  They also save time and money when looking at work productivity, especially at construction sites and other projects that involve many moving, and often outdoor, pieces. Customers find that by having a portable office or office trailer on-site, their team can better track project progress and handle paperwork and other administrative tasks without having to leave the site. At the cost of a few dollars a day for an average rental period, you can’t really beat the price/benefit ratio. 

Mobile Mini: Essential, Better, Different. 

At Mobile Mini, everything we do is centered on making storage and temporary workspace easier, better, and less stressful. Our award-winning customer service team is always available to answer questions, arrange service, and troubleshoot issues. We also ensure that pick-up, delivery, and relocation are standard with every order.

We have also started to offer an “Essentials” package, a turnkey solution to all things workspace. With Essentials, one phone call connects you with temporary office space, furniture, and supplies. It’s everything you need to walk into your portable office and get to work right on day one.

Temporary work needs can be challenging; meeting those needs shouldn’t be. Check us out today and see how easy portable working can be.