Two goals stand above all else for nearly every business: making sure your consumers are happy and your employees are safe. Having improper packaging and freight loading is a danger to both. One of the best ways to remove worries in both areas is to invest in a load securement training plan.

When consumers receive your product, they want to see attractive packaging. Seeing packaging that is torn or dented immediately makes your customer worry that their product is damaged. Not to mention, if your packaging or product is damaged, you risk a low customer satisfaction rate.

Giving your employees the knowledge they need to properly load items in any modality will protect people and products. Employees that complete load securement training are able to prevent items from shifting, spilling, or moving in all applications. This training keeps employees safe and prevents product damage so you can decrease downtime caused by injuries and prevent lost profits by preventing damage. 

Contact Sunrise Manufacturing’s team of load specialists for a personalized load plan.

What Should You Expect from Load Securement Training?

Evaluation and Discussion of Association of American Railroads (AAR) Loading Requirements

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is responsible for setting safety, security, and operating standards for railroads in North America. Providing your employees with proper training can ensure you are compliant with these standards. This training also improves efficiency and safety during loading and unloading. During the evaluation of AAR requirements, the following are typically discussed:

  • Weight distribution and center of gravity calculations
  • Safe operation of boxcar doors
  • Loading practices
  • Proper loading and measurement of freight
  • How to properly secure cables on empty center beam railcars

Product Application Techniques to Maximize Safety and Efficiency

Keeping your employees safe on the loading dock and during transit is essential. Load securement training teaches techniques that maximize safety while keeping processes efficient. These best practices for preparing, loading, and unloading shipments are important for both shippers and carriers to be aware of.

Assessing the pallet, shipment, and trailer type can ensure efficient and safe loading. Dock management and planning can help carriers build a safe and effective loading plan to keep products and employees safe. This includes putting the right equipment and freight protection material into place. When the right protection applications are used, product damage is less likely, and transportation space increases. In addition to using the correct protection products, other rules should be in place for safety. For example, there should be no clutter, tight spaces, or blocked traffic in the docking area to avoid accidents. 

CAD Drawings or Load Diagrams

CAD drawings and load diagrams are used to provide a visual overview for load planning and show the dimensions of the freight. When the freight dimensions are known, it is easier to assess the freight for safety and space. In doing so, planning for the placement of each product can be done before ever starting the loading process.

Provided Training Materials

Training materials give the necessary information for effective and safe freight securement. Photos of correct product placement will be provided to you. Where and how materials should be loaded and how they should form a proper restraint system will be outlined in these documents. Included in these documents key suggestions as well, such as:

  • To reduce the instability and sway of trailers, place cargo weight ahead of the trailer axles
  • To load a boxcar, start at the car ends, stack high, and use void fill to prevent shifting

Providing available documentation to your employees reduces injuries and prevents product damage. Documents outlining the correct product application ensure the products are loaded correctly. Likewise, documents that outline safety precautions prevent injuries on the dock. Loading and unloading products can be dangerous, but with suitable materials, the risk of injury or damage can be reduced. And with educated staff, products will make it to their locations unscathed.

Turn to Sunrise Manufacturing for Your Load Securement Training Plan

We have been providing freight securement products and training for more than 40 years. We are committed to keeping both your employees and products safe. Our on-site loading dock personnel training, CAD drawings, load diagrams, and provided training materials are proven to keep your employees and products safe during loading, transportation, and unloading.

Contact our team today to see what training plan we can develop for you!