Your Best Freight Handling Equipment

[ATeam]

In another thread, that is now totally off topic, freight handling equipment questions were asked and answered. I thought I'd start a new thread for that topic.

For expediters who use freight handling equipment, what are some of the items you would not want to be without? Also, for those who may want to buy the items you are talking about, where can they be purchased?

 

[greg334]

Phil,
I think that this subject and how to load a truck is something that should be part of a seminar at the expo.

But to answer your question, here is what I have on board

Several straps - I need to replace a few of them soon as I get the truck back home as regular practice

Four yellow - 12 foot

Two gray - 16 foot

Two blue - 20 foot

I have two spare E track wood sockets and one 2X4 (I have another holding the decking using two other E track wood sockets)

Two E track 'd' rings

Three shoring bars (also known as Load Bars) that have 350lb or greater capacity - I have used these to support two pallets that would not fit in my truck after picking up power plant equipment that fit the entire length of my box, the guys at the drop were amazed at what I did to fit the entire load on my truck.

Two cargo bars

Eight blankets

Tripod appliance dolly

A few furniture dollies

Pallet jack

A whole bunch of wood that I have used to secure odd things

A few pieces of plywood for decking - like what you did with yours(I have two pieces of particle board that I need to dump back at home that came with the truck and are worthless)

six 4" plastic corner protectors - need to get more

four 12" plastic corner protectors (I wanted to buy V boards but haven't got to it)

A roll of plastic wrapping

Lots of different types of tape, packing tape to duct tape

One empty box just in case

A box of heavy duty garbage bags, which I had to use for one shipment because the shipper didn't have a container

A bunch of dunnage bags of different sizes I picked up, still got to get the right nozzle to inflate them but they do come in handy

I buy most of my stuff from Truck n Tow in Detroit down the street from me.

 

[nightcreacher]

and a partridge and a pair tree,
but seriously,in my 53 foot trailer,that now only has 48 foot of floor space,here goes:
pallet jack
tripod dolly
4 4wheel padded dollies
24 ratchet straps
24 pull straps
8 E track cargo bars
plywood for no other use but to get in the way,have never decked load in 20 some years
4 milk crates to hold the straps
72 quilted pads
shrink wrap to hold the pads when they are uased,Also:
7 chains and binders
14 6"wide straps
12 4"wide ratchets straps
cardboard corners,to many to count
8 plastic 4 "corners
2 40x20 tarps
lots and lots of bungie cords
oh and I almost forgot,full set of tire chains that are named Holiday Inn,if these are needed i'm in the wrong place

 

[greg334]

Steve,
I had a lot of problems with the partridges in the box, so they made a good meal one day. I had seagulls in there but they made a mess of everything with the fish they hide in the box and someone suggested pigeons which is not an option.

At one time I had the pear tree in the box but I got crushed by some UAW idiot at GM and never replaced it, maybe a nice Japanese Maple would be nice or a king palm?

 

[nightcreacher]

ROFLMAO

 

[Moot]

Greg, with all that wood I hope you have a hammer and a box of 16d duplex nails.

When I did city P&D for an LTL company my most used and valuable piece of equipment was a basic 2 wheel dolly. I used it not only for its intended purpose of transporting boxes, but as a johnson bar, shovel, pry bar for removing blocking, step stool or small ladder, ice chopper, hooking and dragging pallets, blender and various other things it was never intended to be used for.

 

[ATeam]

Handy items we carry include:

Door stops, available at any hardware store. They are useful for some inside deliveries.

4x4 wood blocks. They are slightly taller than our pallet jack forks. For say a heavy fireproof file cabinet, rock the cabinet to one side and put a block under it. Rock it to the other side and put another wood block under it. Then roll the pallet jack between the blocks, raise the cabinet with the pallet jack, remove the blocks, strap the cabinet to the pallet jack, and wheel it easily out of the building and onto your lift gate. (Rubber wheels on a pallet jack for inside deliveries and pickups).

Snow shovel. We have used it to clear the sidewalk so we could roll our freight from the street into the building.

Large pieces of cardboard, useful if the shipper has a very dirty and greasy skid or piece of equipment to put on your truck. Also useful as a spacer between freight and a load bar if the e-track slots don't line up quite right. And also useful for doing generator oil changes and under-truck work or inspections. More comfortable to lay on than the pebbles in truck stop parking lots. Cardboard can be found near the cardboard balers behind most truck stop buildings.

 

[x06col]

To save some money and weight with a lift gate, I use some truck inertubes tied together, and to load the freight I expand(pull) the inertubes and freight away from the cargo area (box), and let go. This method takes a while to get used to. You have to get your "kentucky windage" down pat, so's you don't have any loading damage, or, other things happen. I'd suggest you start with some low dollar indestructable plastic things, if, you choose to practice this.

 

[nightcreacher]

I saw a movie once,they were doing the same thing with a huge bra,and man was it big