Package Handler at UPS How to build a package wall loading trailers

1) "There’s logic in the construction. You’re building a pyramid and not a column, stacking to take advantage of the vertical strength of the sides of the carton. Eliminating space between packages creates an environment where the walls have no room to shift or fall. Think about brick laying where you offset the joints. A good load will contain natural “T’s” or bridges that aid in weight distribution, which helps ensure packages don’t get crushed by heavier packages. Packages are loaded from the nose to the rear of the trailer in a series of walls of relatively uniform depth. What starts the process is a ‘cornerstone” package. It is typically a strong, stable package 18 to 24 inches in depth and 12 to 24 inches in height. In a flat floor trailer, tiers and shelves are built about every 18 inches working left to right on the shelf and then building up right to left in an offset pattern. Each shelf forms the foundation for the next higher shelf until the top of the trailer is reached. Irregular packages by size, shape or packaging are typically loaded at the ends of the trailer or floor. Bags of small, lightweight packages are placed on top or to fill in. There are slight variations for drop-frame trailers or those with fixed shelves and air containers loaded on planes." Source and further information: http://blog.ups.com/2010/04/09/high-n-tight-%E2%80%93-constructing-the-wall-at-ups/ 2) "My supervisor took me to one of the trailers to show me how to load. He explained how you load left to right, pack them in tight, and go all the way up to the ceiling of the trailer. He took a rather light package that, sure enough, said "FRAGILE" on it and tossed it up to the top of the wall to finish off the stack. He missed. The box fell to the floor of the trailer. He picked it up and tossed it back up there. "That said 'fragile' on it," said I, scandalized. He looked at me like I was crazy and said "They all say 'fragile.'"" Source and further information: http://www.cracked.com/article_20690_5-reasons-packages-get-destroyed-learned-working-at-ups.html

Ask your boss.