LTL Shipping Best Practices: Shipping Auto Parts
Shipping auto parts can be challenging. Whether you are a manufacturer, mechanic, or vintage car enthusiast, if you are familiar with shipping auto parts, you know that car parts come in various shapes, sizes, weights, and materials. Auto parts can range from heavy engines and chassis to fragile hoods and fenders, making it difficult to decide on the right way to prepare, package, and ship the items securely and efficiently.
Freight or Parcel?
The first thing to determine when shipping auto parts is whether you should use a parcel service or LTL. This will determine your overall shipping strategy, including the budget, transit times, and packaging. The main difference between parcel shipping and LTL boils down to the size of the shipment.
If you are shipping smaller parts and your shipment weighs less than 150 lbs and is under 165 inches of combined length and girth, parcel shipping may get the job done. However, the majority of larger or heavier auto parts are best suited for LTL shipping.
Secure Packaging
One of the biggest challenges surrounding shipping auto parts is how to package them properly. Auto parts tend to be heavy, awkwardly shaped, and fragile, which can present a number of problems when it comes to safely packaging them for shipping. For this reason, it is recommended that shippers take extra precautions when packaging auto parts for shipment to protect them from damage while en route to their destination. It is better to spend some extra money on packaging up front than have to file an insurance claim for damaged goods after the delivery has been made. Here are some packaging options available that can help keep auto parts safe in transit:
Crates. Wooden crates provide the highest level of protection for your auto parts. Enclosing your items in a wooden crate is highly effective against damage and loss and is great for parts that are expensive, fragile, or easily damaged. The only drawback to crating is that it can be expensive, and the added weight and size can often result in a higher cost to ship, even for smaller auto parts.
Pallets. Large auto parts or stacked boxes are safest when palletized and secured with straps or heavy-duty plastic wrap. Pallets are some of the best and most protective forms of packaging for auto parts, as they secure the load together tightly, minimize handling of the shipment, and make it easy to load and unload without damage.
Shrink Wrap, Bands, and Load Straps. When palletizing or stacking boxes, crates, or oversized parts, plastic shrink-wrap or bands made of plastic, aluminum, or steel should be used to secure the load together for protection. Winches and clips can be used to further secure and tighten banding to the shipment. Load straps are used to secure the wrapped load to the trailer itself to prevent shifting and damage during transit.
Applying the Correct Freight Class
Another tricky aspect of shipping auto parts with LTL freight is making sure you apply the correct freight class to your items. Looking up the freight class for auto parts can be challenging due to their different sizes, densities, weights, and various degrees of assembly or style of packaging. When looking up NMFC codes for auto parts, it is crucial to know the exact weights and dimensions (including packaging) of your items in addition to their descriptions to ensure you class them correctly.
If you need help shipping auto parts, contact a reputable 3PL like Koho, whose freight experts can answer all your LTL shipping questions and help you get the most from your LTL shipments.
LTL Shipping Best Practices: Shipping Auto Parts
Shipping auto parts can be challenging. Whether you are a manufacturer, mechanic, or vintage car enthusiast, if you are familiar with shipping auto parts, you know that car parts come in various shapes, sizes, weights, and materials. Auto parts can range from heavy engines and chassis to fragile hoods and fenders, making it difficult to decide on the right way to prepare, package, and ship the items securely and efficiently.
Freight or Parcel?
The first thing to determine when shipping auto parts is whether you should use a parcel service or LTL. This will determine your overall shipping strategy, including the budget, transit times, and packaging. The main difference between parcel shipping and LTL boils down to the size of the shipment.
If you are shipping smaller parts and your shipment weighs less than 150 lbs and is under 165 inches of combined length and girth, parcel shipping may get the job done. However, the majority of larger or heavier auto parts are best suited for LTL shipping.
Secure Packaging
One of the biggest challenges surrounding shipping auto parts is how to package them properly. Auto parts tend to be heavy, awkwardly shaped, and fragile, which can present a number of problems when it comes to safely packaging them for shipping. For this reason, it is recommended that shippers take extra precautions when packaging auto parts for shipment to protect them from damage while en route to their destination. It is better to spend some extra money on packaging up front than have to file an insurance claim for damaged goods after the delivery has been made. Here are some packaging options available that can help keep auto parts safe in transit:
Crates. Wooden crates provide the highest level of protection for your auto parts. Enclosing your items in a wooden crate is highly effective against damage and loss and is great for parts that are expensive, fragile, or easily damaged. The only drawback to crating is that it can be expensive, and the added weight and size can often result in a higher cost to ship, even for smaller auto parts.
Pallets. Large auto parts or stacked boxes are safest when palletized and secured with straps or heavy-duty plastic wrap. Pallets are some of the best and most protective forms of packaging for auto parts, as they secure the load together tightly, minimize handling of the shipment, and make it easy to load and unload without damage.
Shrink Wrap, Bands, and Load Straps. When palletizing or stacking boxes, crates, or oversized parts, plastic shrink-wrap or bands made of plastic, aluminum, or steel should be used to secure the load together for protection. Winches and clips can be used to further secure and tighten banding to the shipment. Load straps are used to secure the wrapped load to the trailer itself to prevent shifting and damage during transit.
Applying the Correct Freight Class
Another tricky aspect of shipping auto parts with LTL freight is making sure you apply the correct freight class to your items. Looking up the freight class for auto parts can be challenging due to their different sizes, densities, weights, and various degrees of assembly or style of packaging. When looking up NMFC codes for auto parts, it is crucial to know the exact weights and dimensions (including packaging) of your items in addition to their descriptions to ensure you class them correctly.
If you need help shipping auto parts, contact a reputable 3PL like Koho, whose freight experts can answer all your LTL shipping questions and help you get the most from your LTL shipments.
