A Guide to Pallet Delivery: Everything You Need to Know

Pallet delivery isn’t always straightforward forward so here are some tips to ensure the process is easy.

Doing Your Research

Shipping using pallets is an effective and economical way of delivering items. They are robust and strong structures that let you ship goods in bulk quantities and also in a stable manner. Before you go out and get a pallet, you need to do some research to make sure that it is able to ship your items.

There is a list of items that carriers have that are prohibited from getting shipped. You should talk to your account manager to see what you can and can’t ship.

Some of the common items that you cannot ship include:

Biological substances
Alcohol
Firearms
Dangerous goods
Furs
Electronic vapes

Some carriers insist that the pallet delivery must include certain documentation or paperwork. If this is the case, then make sure you have checked with your account manager before the day of the delivery.

Choosing the Right Pallet

Pallets are used a lot and they usually don’t come with any issues when delivering them, but there are times when there are delays or hold-ups because of a situation where a pallet has fallen.

This can be because the pallets have been used repeatedly for deliveries or they weren’t strong enough. If the pallet you will be using is used or new, then you need to check the pallet for the following:

Lift to the pallet and then check out the edges of the planks to make sure that there isn’t a split at the end grain
Clear all nail fragments and nails from the pallet
Check for spillage (chemicals, oil, etc.) and clean it if needed
Avoid pallets that have a stamp with the letters ‘EUR’ or ‘MB’ because these are fumigated. This is particularly important when you are looking for used pallets for sale.

Packaging the Pallet Correctly

Correctly packaging goods is going to help in protecting them and also saving you money because couriers usually charge customers based on volume and weight. Below are the steps you should follow to package the pallets correctly.

Stacking the items on top of each other in the same way you would lay bricks on top of each other. This ensures the pallet is stable and rigid.

Items shouldn’t overhang the edges of the pallet. You can be charged extra if there are any goods hanging out of the pallet.

The top of the pallet should be level and flat. When the couriers are stacking the pallets from one top to another during delivery, the ones that don’t have a flat top can attract extra courier charges.

Stretch the wrapping over the goods and then hold it in place using two parallel straps.

Add shipping labels to the pallets on the side and not at the top.

If the pallet can’t be stacked, then add a label or a cone that identifies the pallet as being that way.

Checking the Weight

Pallet scales will be used in weighing the pallets. Some of the most common types of pallet scales include platform scales, pallet beam scales, industrial pallet scales, and pallet truck scales. No matter the scale that is used, there are some commonalities that are going to be followed to make sure you have the correct weight output.

The scales should be on a strong and flat surface
The scale should be at zero before you measure
If you put a heavy pallet on the scale and it keeps moving, then give it a couple of seconds so it stabilizes. This is when you can mark the weight.

Pallet Fast Facts

After the pallets reach the end of use, 97% of them are recycled into pellets, fuel, and animal bedding. This means they don’t go to waste after use. Pallets come from timber by-products that are sourced from construction and house building.

Many companies out there share pallets with others in massive collections instead of buying them. This is a good way for them to cut down on their costs.