Avoid These Five Common Freight Packing Mistakes.
Haulage Companies in the UK are no stranger to assisting businesses with their air and sea freight shipments. From aggregation to cross-docking, there are several ways to simplify and aid foreign transportation; conversely, without adequate preparation, you could make the whole process much more taxing and may even result in your goods never reaching their final destination.
To ensure that your shipments are made without a hitch, you must check that all items are clearly labelled, that the appropriate forms are provided and that your freight is properly packaged.
When planning domestic or foreign air freight, here are five common mistakes to avoid:
1. Overpacking your Shipment
Overpacking is another common mistake made when shipping air freight. In Airfreight, your carrier will calculate the size and weight of your shipment and charge you a fee based on the greater of these two measurements. Therefore, when packaging up your items, be careful not to increase the weight or size of your overall shipment.
2. Overhanging Pallets
You must ensure that your consignment fits within the pallet's dimensions. Any items that extend beyond the pallet's footprint are referred to as 'overhang'. This can cause a bunch of difficulties, as an overhang may make contact with other items, damaging them. Additionally, if a pallet is piled up on top of another pallet with some overhang, the cargo can be subject to additional stress. To prevent any overhang, make sure you leave space around the edges of your pallets.
3. Using The Wrong Type of Pallet
When buying pallets, you have a range of options to choose from. Pallets with base decking are the most durable. This improves structural stability and is particularly useful for larger shipments. If you want to ship heavier products, you should consider using pallets with bottom deck boards. Furthermore, as air freight is tightly packed, it's easier to load and unload your products with a four-way pallet; this means; one that can be picked up from any side. When selecting a pallet, the most important consideration is its rated capacity.
4. Incorrectly Wrapping Your Pallet
Stretch wrapping is a typical method of ensuring structural stability. Stretch wrapping will help hold things together and provide extra security for your cargo. Sadly, too often, cargo isn't adequately secured to the pallet, which results in damage to stock and delayed shipments. Before wrapping your shipment, always start by binding the bottom of the shipment to the pallet.
5. Allowing Goods To Fall Inside the Pallet
Allowing goods to slip past the top deck board is another common issue. Any items under the top deck board can be easily destroyed when a forklift picks up the pallet. To prevent this, use a pallet with small spacing between the top panels and make sure that the edges of your cargo do not rest on the gaps or spaces of the top board as you load it.
