We will explore common mistakes made using intermodal shipping restraints and provide practical solutions to help logistics professionals improve their shipping practices.

Not Knowing Load Weight

Understanding the total weight of the load is crucial for effective intermodal shipping restraint. Misjudging a shipment’s weight can lead to selecting the wrong equipment and overloading it. This mistake can result in broken restraints, accidents, or damage to cargo. Knowing the exact weight helps you choose the right equipment and ensures compliance with regulatory weight limits.

Skipping Equipment Inspections

Regularly inspecting shipping restraints is often overlooked but vital for safety and legal compliance. Failing to inspect equipment can lead to undetected wear and damage, compromising the restraints’ effectiveness. Checking for signs of wear, corrosion, and other damage ensures that all intermodal equipment parts are functioning correctly. Proper inspections help prevent equipment failures during transit.

Failing To Secure Tie-Downs

Properly securing tie-downs to anchor points prevents shifting. When this task is done haphazardly, it can loosen or come undone during transport, leading to damaged goods and potential accidents. Ensure that all tie-downs are correctly fastened and adjusted to accommodate shifts in the load. Regular checks during transit are also necessary to maintain restraint security.

Using Damaged Straps or Chains

Another mistake is using straps or chains that show signs of damage. Worn, frayed, or corroded materials can break under the stress of transport, causing loss or damage to the load. Always replace faulty straps or chains before use. Using well-maintained, high-quality restraints ensures better safety and reliability in transporting goods.

Improper Weight Distribution

Distributing weight improperly can lead to load imbalances and potential tipping. It also creates stress on specific restraints, increasing the risk of equipment failure. To maintain stability, ensure an equal weight spread across the vehicle and restraints. Load planning is essential to avoid shifts and guarantee safe transportation across different modes of transport.

Intermodal shipping relies heavily on the correct application of shipping restraints. By avoiding these common mistakes, logistics professionals can maintain safety and reliability. For improved shipping solutions, explore Logistick’s intermodal systems on our website.

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Introducing the newest products from Logistick. The new AAR White Composite 1.25″ x 770′ Banding. This banding is the latest development in strapping technology. Known as ‘synthetic steel’, this high tenacity polyester yarns embedded in a polymer coating. It provides safe, reliable and strong solutions to secure products of all shapes and sizes for transportation, however heavy, fragile, or expensive they may be.

Combine Logistick’s Strapping with the NEW AAR BKCB10 Buckles and the entire system strength is 5,155 lbs.  The high quality galvanized steel buckle provides the strongest and most consistent joint in the industry with up to 90% joint consistency.

A combination of application expertise and market leading cargo security knowledge allows Logistick experts to demonstrate how best to apply our large range of strapping solutions to your specific cargo securing requirements in the most timely and reliable manner.

Strong

Composite polyester strap, together with a high quality galvanized steel buckle, provides optimal strength in all cargo securing applications and offer excellent performance even under extreme temperatures and circumstances.

Reliable

The combination of Logisitck Straps and buckles provide the most consistent and reliable close method for securing products, providing true peace of mind for sender and receiver.

Safe

Made of non-abrasive material, composite strapping is safe and easy to use. It will not damage products in transit and is safe to apply and remove

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That’s why we are excited to announce!! Our Floor Brace® has now been approved as a recognized loading configuration. The Floor Brace is now listed in the Association of the American Railroads Intermodal Loading Guide!

Association of American Railroads

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is an industry trade group that not only provides the freight rail industry with a strong, united voice that policymakers listen to, they also facilitate the operations, safety, security and standards that make the America’s freight rail network the envy of the world.

Our Floor Brace makes Freight Rail shipping simpler and easier. The Floor Brace® is designed to block and brace freight in trailers and containers with wood floors. It prevents pallets or non-palletized freight from moving on trailer floors. The Floor Brace offers added height coverage than that of a 2×4. Therefore, eliminates the need for treated lumber in international shipments. Using a Palm Nailer, it installs in 30 seconds or less. We offer our customers double headed Floor Brace Nail for quick and easy removal. Above all, the Floor Brace® is a great addition to any of our other systems.

Logistick Floor Brace

Depending upon the load configuration, two to eight Floor Braces are recommended per pallet or non-palletized freight. The Floor Brace is also great for blocking and bracing partial rows.

Place a Floor Brace on each stringer of the pallet and nail in 6 nails for each Floor Brace. For quicker removal try our Floor Brace Nail. Therefore, this double headed nail makes removal easier and simpler. Our Floor Brace is a cost-effective and efficient way to block and brace your freight.

Today, freight railroads connect thousands of American communities to the global economy. They operate the most efficient and cost-effective freight rail system in the world. As a result, customers — and consumers — save billions of dollars each year. Freight railroads help ease highway congestion, save energy, and reduce carbon emissions. Almost two hundred years after the first American freight train rumbled down a track, America’s railroads remain the backbone of the nation’s economy and the engine that moves America.

For more information on the AAR visit www.aar.org

View the publication here.

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We are excited to announce the launch of our newest product, the Intermodal Wedge® XL! This product is a first of its kind in damage prevention products. It is a two part system that includes an interchangeable Wedge and Brace to fit in both the valley or peak of the container wall. This great new design will fit in most intermodal shipping containers to maximum strength and holding power to secure the heaviest of loads.

Shipping light loads? Try the Intermodal Wedge® same great strength, includes only the Wedge.

Logistick has been providing quality products to the transportation industry since 1991. Helping companies and customers like you prevent freight damage claims and securing your future.

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 Intermodal weight is the most common issue for new intermodal users. The Federal Gross Vehicle Weight Limit of 80,000 lbs. for tractor/chassis/container is the same for both intermodal and truckload. The difference lies in the 53’ container-on-flat-car (COFC) domestic intermodal container which is roughly 2,500 lbs. heavier than a standard dry van. This translates into the recommended maximum bill of lading weight at 42,500 lbs. for an intermodal load versus the 45,000 lbs. shippers are accustomed to for a truckload shipment.

Though intermodal is ‘just like truckload’, there are preparations with intermodal shipping that must be made to ensure a safe, damage-free move.

Unlike truckload shipments, intermodal loads experience harmonic vibrations that can move the load vertically, longitudinally, and laterally. The vibration is not intense, but it is consistent.Once the intermodal container is loaded on the train and the train begins to move, the harmonic vibration will begin to move unsecured freight to any open space in the container.

The preventative measure you should take against harmonic vibrations on an intermodal load is proper blocking and bracing. Often times, shippers believe that the resources needed will offset the transportation savings or that blocking and bracing is just “too hard.” However, remember that your main goal is to restrain the movement of freight to open free spaces within the intermodal container.

Logistick, Inc. makes the intermodal transition simple and cost-effective, with our Intermodal Strap®. The Intermodal Strap® is made from a durable recycled plastic keeping our production costs low to offer you, our customer, the best value. It is specifically designed to block and brace a wide variety of regular or irregular shaped freight in corrugated or flat-walled, domestic intermodal shipping containers making blocking and bracing easy.

Simply attach the intermodal straps opposite from each other to the container wall, load the cargo, and attach the banding.Have more than one shipment in a load? The Intermodal Straps are also great for segregating stop-off shipments.

Check out the Intermodal Strap on our products page and see how we can ensure you a safe, damage-free move.

Check out all of our products, we offer a variety of one-way disposable cargo restraint systems to block and brace in the back of trailers or containers to assure a damage free shipment.

Source : InTek Freight and Logistics

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Neither U.S. West Coast port congestion nor the East Coast winter weather could stop intermodal volume growth in 2014 and they won’t be able to this year either, the Intermodal Association of North America says.

Despite the harsh winter that kicked off the year, it reported intermodal freight volume improved 4.8% in 2014 and will likely see similar-sized gains this year, thanks in large part to a boost in consumer spending driven by plunging oil prices and a strengthening U.S. dollar.

Domestic containers lead all gains in 2014, growing 5.7% year-over-year. Big boxes have remained the intermodal workhorse for four years straight, and for seven of the last eight years, according to IANA.

 “Intermodal performed well, despite industry-wide challenges,” said Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA, the industry trade association that represents the combined interests of the intermodal freight industry. “For the first time in four years, international, domestic container, and trailer market segments all posted year-over-year growth. And volume gains were widespread geographically, with eight out of nine regions recording increases during 2014.”

With the West Coast ports labor disputes in early 2015 they saw their container volumes drop 6% in December. For the calendar year 2014, the ports were barely able to register a 1 percent gain. Early January, Union Pacific Railroad, which controls the largest rail network in the U.S., said it is bracing for West Coast congestion to drag on volume growth for the year.

With the growth in volume being shipped be aware of the increase in rail traffic. More rail trains will be passing through your area due to the increase. Make sure you are aware of your rail traffic safety. Rail traffic safety is an important guideline to follow especially if you are on the road. Here are few rules to follow: 

• Never drive around lowered gates – it’s illegal and deadly.
• Never race a train to the crossing – even if you tie, you lose.
• Do not get trapped on the tracks. Only proceed through a highway-rail grade crossing if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
• If your vehicle ever stalls on a track while a train is coming, get out immediately and move quickly away from the tracks in the direction from which the train is coming.
• At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching in either direction.
• Always expect a train! Freight trains do not follow set schedules.
• Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. A freight train moving 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to stop. That’s 18 football fields!
• Do not be fooled – the train you see is closer and faster moving than you think.
• When you need to cross train tracks, go to a designated crossing, look both ways, and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping.
• Cross tracks only at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings.
• Never walk down a train track; it’s illegal and it’s dangerous.
• Remember: Rails and recreation do not mix!

Logistick improves rail traffic safety by providing products that safely secure cargo in containers to prevent freight claim damages or falling freight due to shifting in transit.  Our Intermodal Strap is specifically designed to fit the corrugation of the container walls to secure light to medium weight loads. Used in conjunction with Logistick’s banding and buckles, the Intermodal Strap is ideal for regular or irregular shaped freight. This One-Way system is great for separating stop-off shipments and the operator has no obligation to maintain ownership

The Intermodal Strap is easy to Install, Quick for Removal and Provides Maximum Strength. Check out the Intermodal Strap on our Products page under Strapping Systems. 

Sources: 

http://www.justdrivepa.org/

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 Material Handling & Logistics

Shippers said they expect truckload and LTL rates to experience the highest rate increases of all modes, with 47.4 percent of shippers saying LTL rates will increase and 45.6 percent expecting truckload rate increases. Nearly 33 percent expect increases in intermodal rates. 

That may be why, although over-the-road trucking continues to be their primary mode of transportation in moving freight through their supply chains, a significant number (37.7 percent) shifted freight to rail/intermodal in the past year. Approximately 42 percent said the primary reason for this modal shift was to save costs. There’s still more change to come, with 57.7 percent anticipating a modal shift in their transportation strategy during 2013.

Nearly 89 percent said their company has a long-term supply chain strategy defined as a minimum of three years. Nearly all shipper participants (96.9 percent) said they have a transportation planning strategy tied directly to their overall supply chain strategy. 

There are significant collaboration efforts occurring in the supply chain, particularly among shippers. Nearly 33 percent of shippers in the survey said they collaborate with their providers for productivity gains, and an additional 54.9 percent said they collaborate with other shippers as well as their providers. Shippers find efficiencies and productivity gains through collaboration in these areas: network optimization (38.6 percent), mode shifts (31.6 percent), technology investments and enhancements (21.1 percent), and reducing transit times (18.4 percent).

Outsourcing continues to be a common practice among shippers, but a significant number of shippers (37.2 percent) outsource 25 percent or less of their transportation spend to third-party logistics companies. Another 23.3 percent outsource 26 to 50 percent of their freight spend.

Technology plays an increasingly powerful role in the supply chain and shippers recognize its importance. In fact, an overwhelming majority (81.7 percent) of shippers continue to make investments in transportation technology. Most common technology investments by shippers (42.1 percent) are in transportation management systems (route optimization, and shipment aggregation).

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