If you run a transportation company, it is likely that preventing damage when transporting pallets is a priority for you. After all, regularly replacing pallets can be fairly expensive, and broken pallets can damage the products that you are transporting.
Thankfully, it is entirely possible to prevent damage to your pallets – you just need to make sure that you are looking after the pallets properly. Here are four tips to help make sure you are moving pallets safely.
How to Prevent Damage to Your Pallets
Minimise Handling
Preventing damage when transporting pallets safely is possible if you consider how the pallets are treated before final delivery.
Some pallets that are used regularly can be handled up to ten times as they are loaded and collected for final delivery, which can weaken them and increase the chances of their becoming damaged.
You can avoid this by making sure that they are handled as infrequently as possible; consider shortening the packaging process, or reduce how many times the pallets are transported before they leave the warehouse.
Use High-Quality Pallets
If you use Grade A pallets with around one inch space between the lats, they are less likely to be damaged during transit.
This is because a wider space makes it easier for the pallets to bend so that the goods sink through, which can warp the pallet. It also means that the pallet could get caught in the forks, damaging it even further.
Check the Pallets Regularly
Employees should regularly check the bottom lats for signs of damage as they work, as this reduces the chances of one breaking with products on it.
They should also check that it is the right pallet for the goods being transported and that is has the correct label and stacking information for the goods it is transporting.
Finally, the employee should check that there is enough packaging around the products, as if the packaging breaks the pallet could become damaged.
Consider Your Options
Preventing damage when transporting pallets is very easy if you follow these tips. This can help to cut costs, as you won’t need to buy new pallets as frequently, and it also means that you are less likely to accidentally damage the products that you are transporting.