Shipping Materials Guide (w/ Infographic)

Guest post and infographic from GoShip.com

No matter what is being shipped, whether it’s across town or cross-country, having the right shipping materials is tremendously important. With more than $36 billion worth of goods in transit on any given day in the United States, the proper shipping materials help ensure that those investments make it to their intended destinations safe and sound.

Using the wrong shipping materials — whether using boxes that are too large or pallets that aren’t tough enough to carry the weight of the goods — can mean that the goods your trucking or logistics company has been entrusted to deliver may be damaged. Having the right shipping materials is one of the most important ways to protect your company from liability and protect your bottom line.

There’s more to packing goods for shipping than throwing them into boxes and securing them shut. Before preparing goods for shipping, it’s significant for trucking and logistics companies to choose the shipping materials that will not only ensure that the goods are protected during shipping, but also will allow them to make the most of the available space inside the trailer.

The most important factors to consider when choosing shipping materials are their strength, size, and durability.

Stronger materials support greater weights, but they are heavier. Using heavy steel pallets for a moderately light shipment, such as textiles, only contributes to the general weight of the shipment. Sturdy shipping materials can withstand the rigors of excessive handling during shipping. Again, however, they can add to the total weight of the shipment.

Finally, the size of the materials can make a big difference for trucking and logistics companies. Because, choosing pallets or boxes that are too large for the goods being shipped will take too much space inside the trailer, it is important to match appropriately sized shipping materials to your goods. Ultimately, this reduces the size of the shipment and saves your company money.

The right shipping materials can make a big difference for your company, and the wrong shipping materials can add up to disaster. Check out the following guide from GoShip.com for some tips on how to choose the correct shipping materials for your next shipment and elude costly mistakes.