Freight Packaging

The Power of Palletizing Your Freight

It’s nearly a universal truth that packaging your freight on a shipping pallet helps keep it safer and more secure during transit and handling. Tips for palletizing your freight:

• Keep it contained. If freight hangs over the edge of the pallet, damage may occur because there is no support for the freight while in transit.
• Flat tops rock. Be sure the top of the pallet has a flat surface. Otherwise, place single containers of freight on an outside corner, or ship them separately.
• No love for interlocking. The pallet loses its strength by arranging your freight in an interlocked pattern. Arrange boxes in a uniform and lined-up fashion for maximum strength.
• Birds of a feather flock together. Different-sized boxes might not be uniform enough to achieve unit strength—Palletize boxes of similar shape and ship other boxes separately or on their pallet.
• Flaps up before takeoff. All box flaps and grooves should be facing up, as they are the most compromised side of the box.
• Cuddle your cargo. Wrap your shipment with blankets or other cushioned material to provide an extra layer of protection and buffering.
• No wiggle room. You can secure freight to the pallet with banding, shrink-wrap, or spray adhesive.

What Is a Handling Unit?

A handling unit is a bundle of freight that is individually identified and transported. What may have started as ten individually packaged boxes might now be ten boxes shrink-wrapped together onto one pallet. If you have ten individual boxes going to the exact location, it makes sense to bundle them onto a pallet and ship them as one handling unit. This method saves you money by only shipping once, and it’ll also save you the stress of keeping track of ten individual shipments.

Labeling Your Freight

The most important thing to remember about labeling your freight is to ensure that the labels provided to you by FreightCenter are attached to your freight and remain visible. By taping your labels in clear tape, you provide extra assurance that the label will remain intact. If the truck driver who picks up your freight cannot locate the attached label, you may be subject to additional charges. Avoid this by securely placing two copies of the label on your freight – one on the long side and one on the short side.

Your freight shipment’s journey starts with how it’s packaged. The choices you make and routes you take when getting your freight ready for shipment to determine how things will play out for the remainder of your freight’s time in transit. Be sure to package your freight securely and thoroughly to ensure it will be safe during its travels.