Loading and sealing
Loading and the seal, in detail
Saying “a clean, sealed trailer” means nothing until you say who checks what, and when. Here is what we do, and why.
In a dry van, nobody sees the freight between the doors closing and the doors opening. That is the opposite of an open deck, where a badly built load shows itself at the first red light. Here, everything is decided before the doors close.
The two recurring causes of claims are always the same: a trailer that was not fit to receive the freight, and a partial load left free to move. Both are settled at the dock, in a few minutes, and both cost a full pallet when they are skipped.
Loading and sealing
Before the freight goes in
These checks are done on every load, by the driver, before the first pallet goes up. A van refused at the dock costs an hour; contaminated freight costs the load.
Dry, clean floor
No puddles, no residue from the previous load. A damp floor goes through the wrap and up into the bottom carton.
Walls and roof inspected
Looking for tears, open seams and signs of water ingress. Water coming in above a pallet only shows at delivery.
No residual odour
A trailer coming off an odorous product is not sent onto food. The smell goes into the carton and never comes out.
Working doors and seals
Crushed gaskets or a door that closes poorly let in water and snow, and make a valid seal impossible to set.
Weight distribution
The load is spread along the length of the floor rather than concentrated fore or aft: that is what keeps the axles within legal limits.
Bracing on partial loads
A half-full trailer is braced with load bars or air bags. Without that, the freight travels to the door on the first emergency stop.
Loading and sealing
The seal, and what it proves
A seal locks nothing: it is a witness. Its entire value comes from its number being written down at origin and read back on arrival.
Numbered seal at closing
Set as soon as the doors close at the loading point, before the truck leaves the yard.
Number written on the bill of lading
The number is carried onto the bill of lading and sent with the documents. A seal that is not written down proves nothing.
Verification on arrival
The consignee compares the number before opening. A discrepancy is established with the doors shut, not after unloading.
Signed proof of delivery
POD signed, dated and filed for every load. It is the document Janie finds when you need it, months later.
What winter changes
From November to April, snow comes into the trailer with the forklift and melts once the doors are shut: the floor is cleared before loading rather than after. Door gaskets stiffen in the cold and close less well, which is checked when the seal is set. And for anything that can freeze — paints, adhesives, liquids, beverages — a heated trailer is what settles the question, not a tarp or a blanket laid over the pallet.
Photos of our own loads to come: they will replace this notice as soon as they are provided.
Got pallets to move?
Talk straight to the dispatcher. In Quebec, across Canada or on a US pickup: you get your price in 30 minutes, with no obligation.