How to ship a pallet: step by step (LTL freight guide)

0:00What does it take to ship a pallet?

What does it take to ship a pallet? Less than you might think, once you know the steps. One pallet, or a few, usually ships LTL, which stands for less than truckload. Your pallets share a trailer with other shippers' freight, and they change trucks at the carrier's terminals along the way, so they get handled several times before they arrive. That's why the work you do before pickup matters.

There are eight steps: plan your pallets, stack them, wrap them, measure and weigh them, get a quote with the right details, book, hand them to the driver, and track them to delivery. Here's each one.

0:38How many pallets do you need?

How many pallets do you need? Start with your boxes: their size, their weight and how many you have, plus a height limit for the stack. 72 inches, pallet included, is the usual target. Our free pallet calculator does the math. Enter your boxes, and it stacks them onto pallets, shows each one in 3D, and tells you how many pallets you need, with each one's height and weight. 50 of these boxes fit on 2 pallets, 25 on each.

Then check the pallets themselves. The standard is 40 by 48 inches. Use sturdy ones with no cracked or missing boards and no nails sticking out, that a forklift can enter from all four sides.

1:21How should you stack boxes on a pallet?

How should you stack boxes on a pallet? Heaviest boxes on the bottom, lightest on top. Set each box squarely on the one below it, with the corners lined up, because a box carries most of its weight at the corners. Keep every box inside the edges of the pallet. A box hanging over the edge can lose up to half its strength, and it's the first thing to get crushed.

Build a flat top, not a pyramid, so other freight can ride on it, and keep the stack at or under 72 inches where you can. Most carriers top out at 84. If nothing can go on top of your pallet, it isn't stackable, and you'll say so when you quote.

2:01How do you wrap and secure a pallet?

How do you wrap and secure a pallet? With stretch wrap, put on so the boxes and the pallet ride as one piece. Start at the bottom, and wrap the pallet itself a few times so the load is tied to it. Work your way up, overlapping each pass by about half. At the top, cross the wrap diagonally over the corners, then spiral back down and finish a few inches onto the pallet.

For heavy or fragile loads, add corner boards, and run bands or straps over the wrap. Then give it a push. If any box moves, add more wrap. Last, mark anything fragile, and anything that has to stay upright, on the boxes themselves.

2:44How do you measure and weigh a pallet?

How do you measure and weigh a pallet? After it's wrapped, with the pallet included. Measure the length, width and height at the widest points, and round up to the next inch. Then weigh the whole thing: freight, pallet and wrap. Be exact. Carriers re-weigh and re-measure freight at their terminals, and if your numbers are off, you get a corrected bill, often with a fee on top.

Those same numbers set your freight's density, its weight per cubic foot, and density sets the freight class that LTL is priced on. Our freight class video explains how. When you quote with us, the class is worked out from your numbers for you.

3:23What does an LTL quote need to know?

What does an LTL quote need to know? Everything about both ends, not just the zip codes. Is each end a business or a home? Is there a loading dock, or will the truck need a liftgate to lower your pallets to the ground? Is it a limited access site, like a school, a farm, a construction site or a storage unit? Does the freight go inside, or does someone want a call before delivery? Can other freight be stacked on yours, and is anything hazardous?

Say all of it up front. Anything the driver finds that wasn't on the order gets added to the bill. In our pallet calculator, the Quote these pallets button carries your pallets straight into our freight quote. It asks each of these as you go, then lays out LTL rates from several carriers side by side.

4:10What happens when you book?

What happens when you book? You pick the rate you want, add the addresses and contacts, and choose a pickup date and the hours you're open. We book it with the carrier and email you the bill of lading, and it's in your account too. The bill of lading is the contract for the shipment and the driver's instructions: where it's going, how many pieces, the weight and the class.

Print it, because the driver needs a paper copy. Then label each pallet with the delivery address and its count, 1 of 2 and 2 of 2, so a pallet that gets separated can find its way back to the rest.

4:44What happens at pickup?

What happens at pickup? Have your pallets wrapped, labeled and ready at the dock or the door during your pickup window, with the bill of lading printed. The driver counts the pieces, checks them against the bill of lading and signs it. Keep your copy. It's your receipt that the carrier took your freight. And be ready on time. Drivers run tight schedules, and a missed pickup usually moves to the next business day.

5:09How do you track an LTL shipment?

How do you track an LTL shipment? With the carrier's tracking number, often called the PRO number. When you ship with us, your order page shows the carrier and its tracking number, linked to the carrier's own tracking, and we email you when your freight is picked up, when it's out for delivery and when it's delivered. Most LTL shipments take 1 to 5 business days, depending on distance. For your lane, try our free shipping time calculator.

5:36What should you check at delivery?

What should you check at delivery? Everything, before you sign. Count the pallets and look at each one for torn wrap, crushed corners and wet or leaning boxes. If something's wrong, write exactly what you see on the delivery receipt before you sign it, like "1 pallet, 2 boxes crushed." Writing "subject to inspection" doesn't record anything. Take photos while the freight is still on the truck or at the curb.

A clean signature tells the carrier everything arrived in good condition, so damage you find later is much harder to claim. If you do find some, stop unpacking, take photos and report it right away. The deadlines are short.

6:19Ship your pallet

Ready to ship? Start at freightsidekick.com/tools/pallet-calculator. Plan your pallets, then press Quote these pallets for LTL rates from several carriers. Rather talk it through? Call (877) 345-3838. Allison, our AI freight agent, answers around the clock.