Learning how to pack a freight shipment is critical.

Ensure your items arrive in pristine condition by understanding what your freight can experience during transport.

When you pack freight shipments that are going anywhere, you need to be sure you are packing in such a way that items are not shifting within the crates.

If your freight is going by air or by sea, it is likely being placed inside of a shipping container. Depending on what you are shipping, your items may not be the only things inside the container.

Various options exist for you in terms of packing. You can use a wooden cargo box, a pallet, or other items. Regardless of what you choose, it has to be stable enough that it can withstand being pushed and pulled around. If there is a chance that someone else’s freight can pierce through your shipment, you will want to repack it.

Pallets and wooden cargo box are the most used and recommended.

How To Pack a Freight Shipment

PALLET

If you use a pallet, you are likely placing cardboard boxes on a wooden pallet. From there, you will use plastic wrap in order to keep all of the boxes self-contained. This is sufficient as long as there is enough plastic wrap. You may want to add a few extra layers than you would if it were going on the back of the truck just to add additional protection.

WOODEN BOX

If you use a wooden crate, be sure you have enough packing materials loaded inside the crate that items aren’t going to be able to move around. As soon as a crate is picked up with a forklift, everything may slide to one side. The goal of packing efficiently is to prevent shift.

A logistics manager can help you with packing freight shipments to avoid damage during transport. If something were to break on the other end, you would be responsible — unless someone else does the packing for you.

Handing the responsibility to someone else can be advantageous, especially if you are not familiar with the export process.