Containers are big and bulky and take some planning to load and transport. Below are a few tips on how you can improve your loading planning.

1. IMPLEMENT LOAD PLANNING SOFTWARE
The days of load planners using nothing but graph paper, a pencil and their brain to plan container loading are long gone, or at least they should be. A computer can take care of the necessary calculations much faster.

Fitting cargo into a container is challenging, but the right software can work wonders. When the operator has to build a load, the planner enters information about the cargo into the system, such as the dimensions, weight, number of pieces and any special conditions. The software then quickly forms a pallet loading plan that fits all the cargo into the container, showing the operator where to place each piece and other important instructions. Often, the software will produce several plans so the operator can choose the one most suitable for your needs.

2. MEASURE THE ITEMS IN THE LOAD CAREFULLY
To form a good load plan, however, you have to feed the right data into your planning system. Getting the data wrong could see you fail to make the most of the space in the container, or items in the load could become damaged during transit. Measure and weigh each item in the load accurately.

3. BE STRATEGIC IN YOUR CONTAINER SELECTION
The size of the container can have a significant impact on your costs. It can cost a lot more to transport a 40 feet container on the railways than a 20 foot one. Sometimes, choosing a heavyweight 20-foot container is more cost effective than using a lightweight 40 foot one as well.

High cube containers can help. An extra foot of height might not make much difference if you’re shipping a dense load, due to the weight limit and the possibility the load reaches the limit before you can capitalise on the additional space; if however, you’re shipping a less dense load, the high cube container will allow you to ship taller pallets and take advantage of the space.

4. GET CREATIVE WITH PACKAGING
The software may deal with the more scientific part of container load planning, but an experienced planner will know how to get creative and exploit the space in the container.

Modifying the packaging can create extra space in the container. If you make the pallets a few inches narrower, would that free up some room for extra pallets? Can you design cases slightly taller so each one holds more product?

5. MAKE CARGO MORE COMPACT
Machinery and other large items might call for a flat rack or open top container, which can cost more than a standard container. If you transport this over the road, you could have to treat it as oversized cargo, which will then carry additional costs. Disassembling the load or reconfiguring it could help you to avoid the extra costs.