There are few things more frustrating than shipping out an order and receiving a customer complaint that the item arrived broken. It’s a headache for everyone involved, but the occasional damaged shipment is inevitable. Does it mean that the carriers were rough with your shipment? Absolutely not! Damaged packages happen within even the best trucking companies in the country. Here’s why.
-
Vibration is more intense than you might think.
All planes, trains, and yes, trucks naturally vibrate while in motion. The vibrations in the back of a large truck are quite strong. So strong, in fact, the items that aren’t packaged securely enough often break from shock or shift around, acquiring dings and dents. This happens no matter how carefully one drives! While the best trucking companies are careful to strategically pack boxes and other cargo to keep the risk of movement to a minimum, they have little control over what happens within the packages themselves.
-
Pallets only protect your shipments when packed correctly.
Piling products onto a wooden pallet any which way is a tried-and-true recipe for damaged goods. There are countless ways in which goods can be harmed during shipping, from the heavy vibration we mentioned above to shifting containers and transloading. Poorly packed goods easily move around within pallets, scratching each other, or even falling off the pallet entirely. Yikes!
-
LTL shipping naturally comes with risks.
LTL shipping, or less-than-truckload shipping, has numerous benefits in comparison to full freight shipping. That said, it typically involves more frequent handling of cargo. Since packages are being physically moved around more frequently, there are more opportunities for items to get accidentally damaged. The best trucking companies handle cargo with as much care as possible, but our staff members are only human and can’t prevent every single dented box…but we always try!
Minimizing Risk of Damaged Shipments is Easy
Shippers and carriers are both responsible for keeping cargo in one piece. To reduce the likelihood of damaged shipments, read up! Learn how to palletize cargo and package freight correctly to make sure your goods arrive safe and sound. Still dealing with lots of damaged shipments? Consider switching to Best Yet Express, one of the best trucking companies around. We’re happy to chat with you about how we can help protect your cargo from pickup to delivery.
