To prevent damage in transit, you must package your goods correctly. It must be able to withstand being dropped or tipped over, being impacted by other heavy items whilst in transit, and being forklifted on and off vehicles. 

There are instances when the driver may refuse to collect your freight if it is not fit to travel. If it has already been collected, the depot will assess if it is fit to travel and will send back any freight that is not.

Here are some of the common packaging types and recommendations. You may also check specific FreightExchange Carrier & Service Guide. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Common Packaging Recommendations
• Interior Protective Packaging
• How to Book Fragile Items
• How to Book Fluids, Liquids and Wines

Common Packaging Recommendations

1. CARTONS - Helps keep loose items together and protects your freight.

2. PALLETS - Provide stability and make handling easier.  

• Any freight that weighs more than 30kgs is required by the carrier to be on a pallet, skid, or crate.
• Long and heavy items are required to be on a skid/pallet of the same length.
• The weight of all the items on the pallet must be evenly distributed, and the freight should not hang over the edges of the pallet to avoid extra charges. 
• We also recommend shrink-wrapping your palletised freight as it lowers the risk of items being separated and provides a smooth surface for labels. 
• Most commercial carriers recommend at least two horizontal AND two vertical straps to help reduce the risk of the item shifting during transit.

3. SKIDS - Provide security for unusually shaped loads and the ability to forklift the load on and off the vehicle easily.

4. Small Items

Small items can be packed in cartons and should include extra packaging inside to eliminate movement within the carton.

5. Machinery

Cartons may be used if the total weight is less than 25 kilograms; otherwise, a pallet or skid is necessary. Each item needs to be drained of all fluids/oils before packaging. A crate or similar external protection is important. You’ll be shipping with other heavy items, and you want to prevent bumps and scrapes in transit

6. Flatpack Furniture

Flatpack furniture can be easily damaged in transit

When shipping fragile and very long freight, the items should be bundled together and placed on a skid or pallet. Putting long-items onto a pallet allows the freight to be properly loaded and unloaded with a forklift. Placing the items in a crate means they won’t be damaged if they are not top-loaded in the truck. 

7. Fragile Items

You need to take extra special care of fragile and valuable items.

Each individual item should be wrapped in newspaper/tissue paper that protects the freight from damage. The prepared item should then be placed into an inner container, which should then be placed into a crate or thick cardboard box.

Bubble wrap around the inner container is useful in eliminating movement and protecting the freight. It is also recommended to use FRAGILE tape as a highlighter.

We can also arrange a Sensitive Freight carrier to take your goods on air ride trucks, provide professional packing services and much more.

Interior Protective Packaging

You must use some interior protective packaging materials within the container. This is to:

• Cushion the contents from shock/vibration —> foam sheets, padding.
• Brace contents in position to reduce movement within the container —> foam sheets, air bubble sheets.
• Fill any gaps remaining —> newspaper, moulded pulp, inflatable airbags.
• Protect surfaces from damage —> air bubble sheeting, paper tissue, polyurethane foam.
• Protect contents from corrosion —> desiccants and vapour corrosion inhibitors.
• Protect from electro-static discharge using modified versions of packaging materials —> foam sheets, air bubble sheeting, polystyrene, expanded beads, etc.
• Protect contents from temperature extremes —> polyurethane foam, air bubble sheeting, foam sheets, etc. 

How to Book Fragile Items

The success of moving fragile items begins at the booking stage. 

To ensure that you get the correct quote and the proper handling of the freight, kindly choose “Fragile” on the packaging dropdown menu available when getting your quick domestic quote via our platform. 

For fragile items that are palletised or crated, please choose “Pallet” or “Crate” from the packaging option accordingly and include on your freight description that this is a fragile freight.

You may also visit this link on how to pack your fragile freight.

Manual Handling Fee

Since fragile freights require manual handling, carriers will charge a manual handling fee. This is already included in the freight cost when packaging is declared fragile. You can see the breakdown of the freight cost by clicking "Show Details" in the rate column.

It is important to note that adding fragile stickers, labels, or any marking indicating fragile handling will attract a manual handling fee. So, if your freight is not fragile, it is best not to add any of these markings or stickers.

How to Book Fluids, Liquids and Wines

Are you sending wines, or any liquid freight packaged in drums or boxes? 

To ensure that you get the correct quote and proper handling of your freight, kindly choose “Fluids/Wines” on the packaging dropdown menu available when getting your quick domestic quote via our Quote form.

• If the container holding the liquid will be sitting on top of a pallet, please choose "Pallet" as the packaging type instead.
• If the container holding the liquid is a drum, then choose "drum" as the packaging type.  
• Kindly note that some carriers, e.g. TNT, require drums to be palletised, thus, you will need to declare the dimensions and weight of the palletised drum when getting a quote.