Blocking and bracing are essential to ensure your cargo is safe and secure throughout transportation. Planning and executing proper protective methods to reduce risk and prevent damage is necessary. Blocking and bracing cargo is a cost-effective solution to ensure that cargo makes it safely to delivery, and both federal and state laws require it.
What Is Blocking and Bracing?
Blocking
The term “blocking” refers to the process of securing cargo to prevent lengthwise or lateral movement, as well as from the front and back.
Bracing
“Bracing” refers to the various bracing methods that prevent freight from shifting vertically or moving up and down during transit. If you don’t brace cargo properly, it can result in pallets jumping over freight blocks, leading to potential cargo damage and many other safety issues.
Why is Blocking and Bracing Important?
- Prevents Damage to Cargo
- Prevents Damage to Equipment
- Prevents Damage to Personnel
- Saves You Money
Prevents Damage to Cargo
One of the most likely consequences of improper blocking and bracing is damaged cargo. During transit, sudden impacts, surges forward and backward, vibrations, and abrupt motions can easily cause cargo to move if it does not have proper securement.
If blocking does not hold, braces will not stay in place either. Implementing cargo load blocks and bars is crucial for damage prevention and cargo securement, ensuring blocking and bracing do not shift during transit.
Prevents Damage to Equipment
If cargo moves during the transportation process, it can damage not only the cargo itself but also the equipment in the trailer.
The shipping container itself can also suffer damage if freight moves during transit. Truckloads typically contain expensive, heavy-duty equipment, and if equipment damages do occur, the driver is the one who will be responsible for paying them.
Improper bracing and blocking can cause damage to the truckload’s equipment, the cargo, and the trailer, resulting in substantial costs.
Prevents Damage to Personnel
The worst possible outcome of incorrectly-secured cargo is a risk to the people that may come into contact with it. When freight is incorrectly braced and blocked or not secured, it risks damaging shipping personnel.
At some point, the cargo will be accessed, and if it has shifted during transit, it can fall and potentially harm personnel when it is being unloaded.
Improperly braced and blocked cargo also presents a danger to the driver. Shifting loads can throw off the balance of the trailer and therefore diminish their ability to navigate the road.
Saves You Money
Proper bracing and blocking allow shippers to secure their cargo for a lower price than if they were to place shipments into full crates.
Bracing and blocking is also more secure option than using crates. In addition, the potential costs of sustaining damages to trucks, trailers, cargo, and equipment are immensely high.
Ensuring that cargo is properly braced and blocked will prevent shippers from paying for damages and help successfully maintain business relationships with exporters.
How Do You Block and Brace Your Cargo?
No single solution exists when choosing how you would like to brace and block your cargo. Braces and blocks can be made from various materials, including wood, plastic, or metal.
It is important to note that the heavier a cargo container is, the more bracing and blocking will be needed because the momentum of the container is equal to its weight.
Although there is no one way to brace and block freight, here are some suggestions for blocking and bracing specific cargo.
What To Do for Wheeled Units
There are two steps to ensure proper blocking and bracing are implemented when shipping wheeled units such as cars, lawnmowers, bikes, and more.
The first step is to secure the vehicle's wheels with blocks, bars, or straps.
The next step is to secure the wheeled unit to the container, to ensure that it does not shift during transit. It is essential to do so by connecting bars to the cargo container both vertically and horizontally.
Combining Wheeled and Non-Wheeled Cargo
If you are shipping non-wheeled cargoes and wheeled cargo in one container, it is crucial that you properly brace and block both types of freight.
Non-wheeled items cannot be placed overtop of wheeled cargo or next to it. Non-wheeled cargo should instead be secured in an individually blocked and braced cage. Securing non-wheeled and wheeled cargo separately will ensure that damage does not occur.
Other Common Methods
Many other bracing materials can prevent cargo from moving during transit. One option is to place metal or wood beams to keep freight from shifting.
If a trucking container has metal hooks, ratchet straps can be attached to hold blocks and braces. Shippers may also implement cargo netting to hold freight in place on freight containers' front, back, and sides.
Another option is to drill bracing and blocking systems into the container floor for extra security.
Intermodal vs. Truckload Blocking and Bracing: Which is Better?
Intermodal
With intermodal shipping, freight is transported in multiple modes or vehicles. Although the mode of transportation changes, the cargo is not opened or handled during the transportation process. Intermodal container shipments are usually secured to the container with pin-locks, twist-locks, or another integral locking device.
Pros
- Lower cost than truckload shipping
- Sustainable transportation
- Reduces congestion on the truckway
- Increased security and safety due to minimal stops
- Large capacity
- Easy to track and monitor
- Increased scalability
Cons
- Slower transportation speeds
- High infrastructure costs
- Cargo limitations
- Potential damage when loading and unloading
- Intermodal is only an option if the haul is longer than 700 miles
- Intermodal is a less flexible form of shipping than truckload
Truckload
Truckload shipping refers to transporting large portions of cargo over long distances on a single truckload. Truckload shipments are typically secured with lashings and tie-downs that create tension and hold down freight containers.
Pros
- Less loading and unloading
- A truckload is an option for any transit length
- Capability to hold 2,500 more pounds of freight weight than intermodal shipping
- More flexibility
Cons
- It comes at a higher cost than intermodal shipping
- More carbon emissions than intermodal
What To Do Next
Before you decide which method of blocking and bracing to implement, you must evaluate what type of cargo you will be shipping. Fragile goods, heavyweight loads, and pallets require different protection modes.
Working with a freight transportation provider will ensure your cargo is protected every step to delivery. RPM is a freight transportation provider with a network of carriers. We have made it our mission to transport your cargo safely, securely, and transparently for the entirety of the route.
Are you interested in bracing and blocking? Check out RPM's website to learn more about how RPM can help fulfill your shipping needs.
Sources:
What is Truckload Freight Shipping? | Freightquote
Comparing Truckload vs. Intermodal: 11 Differences Shippers Should Know | InTek Freight & Logistics
What are Blocking and Bracing | InTek Freight & Logistics
