the loader's guide to truck loading

The Loader’s Guide toTruck Loading

4650 Everal LaneFranklin, TN 37064

615.791.8000 / 615.791.4749 (fax)Email: [email protected]

www.WarehouseOptimization.com Page 1

To be a good truck loader, you need to keepa lot of people happy

Keep it legal

What I ordered, easy to count and unload

and is undamaged

Balance the load and don’t let it move around

Load it fast and damage free


Making loads that please everyoneis hard

Must be satisfied

Nice to satisfy these guys


The Highway Patrol wants thetrucks to be legal

Axle Weight Axle Weight Axle Weight

34,000 34,000

80,000

12,000

48 ft.

Keep axles below 34,000 pounds

Keep axles spaced far apart

..and the loadmust be stable


Loads to certain states e.g. CA. need tobe have unique trailer set-ups

Axle Weight Axle Weight Axle Weight

34,000 34,000 12,000

Axle spacing is limited

In some states the laws are different

E.g. California limits howfar the axles can be apart.

so you need to load differently


Getting the axle weights right is hard

Here are some rules I use. They work most of the time

Light / Heavy / Light

No more than 2000 poundsper floor spot

Single/Double/Single


100 100

We all understand a seesaw

And a trailer is like that

100 100

Loading a trailer is like working a seesaw


..but it gets tough--and I need help

2500 30004000 5500 4500 1500 2350 2950 3210 4250

King Pin Center Of Gravity

2472

120 168216

264312

360408

456

To calculate the weight on the axles and king pin

requires a lot of calculations. I can’t do them in my head!

So when loads get heavy (40,000 pounds and above) , I

ask for help

Distance from center of tandems


Customers want what they want,when they want it

Where do I put this?

Get all the order on the truckAnd

Make it easy to count


Customers want what they want,when they want it

1ststop

2ndstop

Laststop

Order #1

Order #2

Order #3

In the right stop sequenceAnd try to keep

the orders together

If keeping orders together makes a load infeasible or creates other problems, then allow the orders to be mixed

in the stop.


Easy to unload

How can a customer unload this

pallet with a pallet jack?

Anothercustomer’s

order


Easy to unload and load

SOAP SOAP

HEALTHCARE

BEAUTY CARE

PAPER

SOAP

PAPER

Try to keep product families together

And some of my sites havesmall dock doors-- so make

sure we can unload it

If the customer has small doors, make sure that last pallets go

On in the narrow direction.


The Boss wants high productivityand no damage

What do I do first?

Bring multiple pallets at the same Time and don’t waste time thinking


Easy to load: based on how theproduct is stored in the warehouse

48

40

Chimney Block

48

40

Wide/WideNarrow/Narrow

48

40

If pallets of product are stored in the wide direction, this is the easiest

If pallets of product are stored in the narrow direction, this is the easiest


Minimize warehouse travel

D/A

B/A

Better

DC

BA

DC

BA


Make products easy to retrieve andtouch in the trailer

(Same items on top of one another and same families in each grab)

B

B

A

A

A

A

B A

B B

A

A

B A

B A

B

B

B/B A/A A/A

B/B A/A A/A

B/B B/B A/A

B/B A/B A/A

B/B A/A A/A

B/B B/B A/A

Top View Side View

Goal: Support picking up product in double-wide fork trucks.


Make products easy to retrieve

E/C C/D A/A

F/C D/D B/B

E/C C/C A/A

F/D D/D B/B

C/E C/C A/A

F/D D/D B/B

Prefer “C’s” together

If possible, on the bottom is preferred

Vs.

When you do this, you need toMake sure you obey the other rules, like don’t double stack


and don’t damage anything, because wehave to pay for it

But what

causes damage?


Things that might stack nicely in thewarehouse get damaged bumping along

the road

It may look fine when it leavesthe dock

But, if it is not built right, the customer sees a very different load

when it arrives


Put strong items on thebottom of stacks

B

A

B

C

Check to see if product is:fiKept apart from others

fiAlways on the bottom or topfiStrong enough to carry other unit loads


Damage is also caused bypallet movement or falling

Try to brace forward, backwards and to the side

so pallets cant move


Small pallets should not be alone on thefloor - make all stacks exceed some

minimum height

26”

Don’t put short pallets on the floor


Special loading for TOFC /intermodal / containers

Over-the-Road TOFC

Good

Good Better, but stillneeds airbags

Requires 2-3airbags

Be more careful with TOFC


When bracing, keep singles or unit loadswith product severely under-hanging the

pallet in non-critical position

Critical points

Turn pallets at critical points wide /Wide so the airbag fits tighter --But you can’t do that when the

Customer has small docksTry not to have singles in a

load and definitely not consecutive singles


To minimize damage, minimize the height differentialbetween adjacent pallets and number of consecutive

singles

Undesirable Better Best

Too short

Undesirable Better

Single

No singles in the nose or tail


Low density product, turn pallets to“max-out” the trailer to back door

A big gap here will generate damageIf the product is light (like paper)turn some pallets to minimize the

gap in the back


Minimize side movement

Minimizestack heightdifferential

Minimize how often this occurs. Try to never have this in the

last spot in the trailer.Double stretch wrap and turn pallets

near such a stack


Use dunnage where there are significantareas of unbraced pallets

Airbag AirbagTurn pallets wide

at the middle and back of the trailer where

you airbag

Airbag where there are significant changes in

height

Airbag -- for long trips or TOFC

Airbag back - always

..and make the stacks in the back tall


Use fillers when the product significantlyunder-hangs the pallet

Filler

Use cardboard fillersWhere there is more than 2”

of pallet showing…and don’t use airbags when the gap is more than 10 inches

2”+

Filler goes against the wall


Certain product needs special rules

You have to learn which products must:fiRide on top

fialways be on the bottomfiNot be turned wide wide

(they overhang the pallet too much)fiMust be kept separate


You may need to save space for out-of-stockitems at back of trailer

OK

BestStack product

“Phantom pallet”


What is more important?

I know you can’t keep all the rules all the time. Here is what I think is most important:1. Make the axles legal2. Keep stops separate3. Brace forward4. Brace sideways, particularly on second level5. Keep orders separate (if you can)6. Turn last 2 pallets (if you can)7. Meet desired customer loading pattern 8. Keep same items together 9. Brace backwards10. Keep families together


What they tell you…but it’s not trueLoad short & then tall to get the maximum

weight in a trailer

AirbagAirbag

Airbag

Airbag

Vs.

Wile this works, it requires more airbags


What they tell you…but it’s not true

Only load to 48 ft. in a 53 ft. trailer.

48 ft.

As long as you can keep the axles Legal, don’t worry about the

Stupid line


Remember, it is hard to load a truck well

When loading a truck, there is a lot to remember -- and a lot of decisions to make.

Some companies even have sophisticated software fromWarehouse Optimization to help make loading faster

and allow getting more product on the trailer


We wish you success

This document was developed based on interview with loaders by:

Warehouse Optimization

4650 Everal Lane

Franklin, TN 37064

615/791-8000

You are welcome to use it -- but we accept no liability.

Address any questions or comments to:[email protected]

the loader's guide to truck loading

Documents