Loading a dry shipping container correctly is integral to ensuring no goods are damaged in transportation and that you optimise your use of available space. Efficiency and safety are essential and the process can take some planning and preparation, depending on the goods being shipped. At Tough Yakka, our team of qualified and trained workers load shipping containers quickly and securely by adhering to best-practises in every aspect of the process.

Here’s what we consider, and you should too, when it comes to loading a dry container for safe shipping.

What is a dry shipping container?
A dry shipping container is a container used to ship dry goods that aren’t sensitive to temperatures. You often see these containers being moved by trains across the country, and they also come and go by sea on large cargo ships. Typically, dry shipping containers are made of strong steel in order to resist the wear and tear of rain, wind, and the ocean’s saltwater. Loading a dry shipping container properly is important so as to ensure it doesn’t tip and that the goods don’t move about the container and become damaged or broken during transportation.

Check the quality of your container
A team of Tough Yakka’s qualified container loading staff, Brisbane, knows what to look for when assessing the health of your dry shipping container. You want to look for:

• Container damage and holes
• Doors that won’t close properly
• Containers that generally aren’t seaworthy

A container that won’t adequately protect your goods is a problem and can become a large liability. Always ensure your container is tightly sealed and the doors close and form a strong seal before loading it. It’s a lot of work if you need to unload things later due a late-discovered issue!

Assess its size and payload weight limit
In addition, it’s very important not to overload your container when it comes to weight. An overloaded container can result in fines, trucks that tip over, additional fees for handling and load redistribution, and even a lawsuit if a terrible accident occurs in transportation. Each container has a payload weight limit. You might be close to it, especially if you’re shipping extra-heavy items like ceramic tiles.

You will need to know your container size, and the size and weight of the items being loaded. Online calculators can help you calculate your weight limit and how much to load. As with checking the quality of your container, you will need to check its payload limit and what can go in before you begin loading.

These calculations can become time consuming but they need to be done accurately.

Load your dry container carefully
Finally, once you know how much you can load into your container, you can start to move your goods. You will need to:

• Load back to front
• Load largest cartons first
• Place heavier items on the bottom
• Place lighter items on top
• Consider load distribution

You will need to pay attention to any gaps in your container while you load. Protective padding can be necessary, as well as gaps placed strategically in the centre of your container. You might even need to secure your cargo to the outside walls if it seems unstable.

As is now obvious, there are many factors to consider when loading and unloading shipping containers so that it’s done safely. At Tough Yakka, our Brisbane container unloading staff are experts in both areas. Tough Yakka has the best Brisbane container loading crew and we know how to treat your goods so that they arrive at their destination securely.

Don’t take chances with guesswork and inexperience and risk loading your container in a way that could place its cargo in a precarious situation. Contact us now for a free quote and get loading!