Recycled Packing Material Keeps Freight Safe and Secure

Companies shipping finished products or components these days don’t always have the luxury of sending out a completely full truck. So to keep boxes, drums, and crates from sliding around — a risk to the freight as well as to the driver and truck — engineers at Greif Inc., Delaware, Ohio (www.GoDunnage.com), have designed and manufactured a variety of in-transit protection devices. Most are made of 100% recyclable materials such as corrugated cardboard, and the devices can be quickly taken apart, stored, and then reassembled for use later. The void fillers, panels, air bags, friction mats, strapping, and other devices not only stop side-to-side and fore-and-aft movement. Some, such as the Pal-kor bulkhead, let truckers position freight farther aft. This moves the shipment’s weight off the nose of the trailer and redistributes the weight so that no axle carries too much of the load and axle weights are kept within legal limits. Pal-kor weighs less than 50 lb but can keep 49,000 lb of cargo in place during emergency stops.

Edited by Stephen J. Mraz