Nowadays, transporting goods has become a common occurrence for many reasons. Living in a global village, the world is connected in more ways than ever before. You might often find yourself needing to have luggage, cargo or shipments transported over very long distances.
Sometimes, you’ll be transporting very valuable or personal items without sentimental value—irreplaceable! This is why safety is a core priority when transporting goods. Whether ratchet straps, tie-downs, boxes or crates are used to secure your freighted items, it’s worth the extra care taken to ensure it’s delivered as safely as possible!
Regardless of whether you’re transporting freight by ship, plane, train or truck, security is probably the most important factor to consider. Second to that is speediness, but immediacy won’t matter if the items get lost, stolen or break during the journey.
If you’re the shipping or transportation company responsible for other people’s goods, safe transport is even more important. Your ability to get it right determines your company’s reputation.
Read on as we discuss the safest ways freighted goods can be transported to any destination.
Secure Strapping and Tie-Down Equipment
Strapping your cargo tight enough to prevent it from moving around is one of the more secure ways of transporting goods. However, you need to make sure you don’t strap it too tightly, otherwise you may damage some of the items.
It’s important to use durable and quality ratchet straps, belts, assemblies and webbing straps to tie down your cargo. Often, different items of various weights, sizes and shapes all need to be tied down together, therefore you’ll need appropriate equipment that empowers you to get everything secure. Proper tie-down equipment can withstand extreme force, and what makes them especially useful is that they can even be customised to your requirements.
Be clever when deciding how to stack the cargo and when securing your cargo with straps, you should tie it firmly to the truck’s flat-rack surface. This prevents it from swaying and bumping into other items.
Use Crating
Another way to reliably and safely deliver goods is to package them securely in crates or pallets. Once these items are loaded into a container or onto a trailer, they are sealed and cleared to be delivered.
Not only do the crates provide protection for your cargo, but so do the containers they are placed inside. This is especially helpful when your items are shipped or flown to another country.
Moreover, if you’re transporting loose items, it is best to store them in crates or pallets in order to prevent damages or them getting lost.
All legal requirements must also be met, such as the issuing of the Bill of Lading (if your cargo is shipped) or the Airway Bill (if it’s flown). This means your cargo is not only transported securely, but reliably and legally too, which also indicates all precautions are taken.
With this sense of security, you can track your freighted items using GPS technologies and stay in contact with the freight company at all times.
Boxing Items
If you’re transporting and delivering lighter items of cargo – perhaps 100kg or lighter – then it’s best to store them in boxes. These boxes obviously need to be firm and not jagged or worn.
This is a convenient storage option because you can stack the boxes neatly on top of and alongside one another before tying them down together. The way you stack the cargo is important to prevent moving and wobbling, which can obviously avoid unnecessary damages.
Boxing items can also help you to arrange different types of cargo with labels and according to various categories. This is helpful during unloading, so you can place similar items together. For example, during a house move you can place kitchen equipment in one box and clothes and make-up items in another. When you’re unloading, you’ll know which boxes go to the kitchen and which ones to the bedroom.
Full Truckload Transportation
If you’re transporting cargo large enough to fit inside a whole trailer or container or on a whole surface of a flatbed, you can do so without it even being handled. The freighted items would then be stacked together in such a way that they won’t be able to move around during transit.
This load wouldn’t be handled at all until it reaches its destination, which ensures minimal damages and drastically lowers the chances of theft. This is because the items are placed inside a container which stays locked.
Full truckload transportation is also subject to insurance procedures so there are strict policies in place to ensure maximum safety of the cargo.
Final Words
Whether you’re doing the transporting or getting your items transported, it’s important to take note of these safety procedures. Damaged or lost cargo can have serious financial implications, so it’s best you deliver them the right way.
With trusted and reputable freight forwarders, your cargo will always be in safe hands. It is a common service in modern society, so there should be little to worry about if you choose the right package methods from the start.
