Stacking, sequence and securement

Freight that leaves in one piece can arrive in many. The plan says not just what goes on the trailer but how: what goes where, what can stack, and what keeps it still. Heavy pallets go on the floor and light ones on top, never the other way. Only stack pallets the shipper says can take it: a case of glass jars on top of a case of chips crushes the chips. Boxes that hang over a pallet's edge lose much of their strength, so overhang leads to crushed loads.

Weight should be spread evenly side to side and along the trailer, and the load should be tight. Gaps let pallets slide when the driver brakes or turns. Fill gaps with load bars or straps across the trailer behind the last row, airbags (inflatable dunnage bags) between pallets, or empty pallets. A load that can lean or slide is a damage claim waiting to happen, and a load that shifts can tip a trailer.

Multi-stop loads are loaded in reverse order: the last stop goes in first, at the nose, and the first stop goes in last, at the doors. Then each delivery can come off without moving anyone else's freight. If a stop has to be at the nose because it's heavy, the plan and the stop order have to be worked out together.

Stops: 1 Columbus, 2 Indianapolis, 3 Chicago

NOSE  [Chicago  x10] [Indianapolis x8] [Columbus x8]  DOORS
      loaded first                     loaded last
      off last                         off first

When the shipper loads and seals the trailer without the driver counting, the BOL should say shipper load and count (SLC). The seal is a numbered plastic or metal tag on the door latch; its number goes on the BOL, and the consignee checks it's unbroken before opening. A broken or wrong seal is a sign something was opened on the way.

Some freight can't ride together. Chilled food (around 34 to 38°F) and frozen (around 0°F or below) need different settings, so a reefer runs one temperature unless it has separate zones. Food shouldn't ride beside chemicals that could leak or taint it. Hazardous materials have their own US rules: the DOT segregation table (49 CFR 177.848) says which classes can't be loaded together, and placards are needed for any amount of the most dangerous classes and once the total of the others reaches 1,001 lbs.

Flatbed loads are tied down, and US rules (49 CFR 393) set the minimum. The working load limits of all the tiedowns added together must be at least half the cargo's weight. An article needs at least one tiedown if it's 5 feet or shorter and 1,100 lbs or lighter; two if it's 5 feet or shorter and heavier, or between 5 and 10 feet long; and over 10 feet, two plus one for every extra 10 feet or part of it. (Fewer are allowed when the cargo is blocked at the front by a headboard or other freight.)