Methods to Load Trucks

Efficiently loading freight onto trucks is crucial for optimizing transportation operations, reducing costs, and ensuring the safety of cargo. That is doubly true for apparel, shoes and textiles: cartons are light but bulky, garments crush and crease easily, and a load that shifts in transit can turn a season's stock into damaged goods. The methods on this page cover the full job — from safety and planning before the first carton moves, through stacking, securing and final inspection — and then the specialized method for hanging garments.

Before loading, it is worth checking how the freight will actually fit. The Load Calculator shows how many cartons and pallets a vehicle or container of a given size will hold, and the comparison of Floor Loading Verse Palletizing explains when cartons should go straight onto the floor and when they should ride on pallets instead.

Start With Safety, a Plan, and a Sound Truck

Prioritize safety: safety should always be the top priority. Ensure that loading areas are well-lit and free from hazards. Use proper lifting techniques and provide appropriate personal protective equipment to workers. Most loading injuries and most cargo damage trace back to a rushed dock, and neither is recoverable once the truck leaves.

Plan and organize: develop a loading plan that includes the order of items to be loaded, stacking methods, and the arrangement of cargo to maximize space and weight distribution. The plan is what turns a pile of cartons at the dock door into a load that fits, balances and unloads in the right order at the other end.

Inspect the truck: before loading, inspect the truck for any damage or issues that may affect the safety of the load, such as leaks, loose bolts, or damaged walls. A leaking roof or a damaged wall panel found after loading means unloading and starting again — or worse, water-damaged garments delivered as if nothing happened.

Check weight limits: ensure that the load does not exceed the weight limits specified for the truck and adhere to any regulatory weight restrictions. Apparel freight usually fills a truck by volume before it reaches the weight limit, but dense loads — denim, footwear, wet-processed textiles — can reach the limit first, and the check has to be made either way.

Build the Load: Pallets, Weight Distribution and Stacking

Use pallets and skids: whenever possible, use pallets or skids to stack and transport goods. This makes it easier to move and load items with forklifts or pallet jacks — a palletized stack moves as one unit instead of carton by carton. The guide to Properly Palletizing Cartons covers how those stacks should be built.

Weight distribution: distribute the weight evenly across the truck to ensure stability during transport. Heavier items should be loaded closer to the front of the truck, and lighter items toward the rear. An uneven load handles badly, brakes badly and shifts more easily — stability in transit starts with balance at loading.

Stacking techniques: stack items in a way that minimizes wasted space. Use interlocking or nesting methods when loading irregularly shaped items. Place heavier and sturdier items on the bottom and lighter, more fragile items on top — the rule that protects crushable apparel cartons from being placed under the heaviest freight in the load.

Hold It Still: Securing, Blocking and Bracing

Secure the load: use cargo securing methods such as straps, tie-downs, and load bars to prevent shifting during transit. Secure each load individually to avoid cross-contamination or movement between loads. A load that is merely stacked, with nothing holding it, will move the first time the truck brakes or turns — and in apparel freight, movement means crushed cartons, burst seams and soiled garments.

Blocking and bracing: use blocking and bracing materials, such as wood or foam, to stabilize and prevent cargo from shifting. These materials should be placed strategically between items to create a secure load, filling the voids that let stacks lean, slide or topple into the space beside them.

Paperwork, Equipment and People

Labeling and documentation: clearly label each package with its destination and handling instructions. Maintain accurate documentation to help with load verification and tracking — when a carton is questioned at delivery, the label and the paperwork are what settle whether it was loaded, and where it was supposed to go.

Loading equipment: utilize appropriate loading equipment like forklifts, pallet jacks, and conveyor belts to efficiently move and load cargo. Ensure that equipment is well-maintained and operated by trained personnel. Training and education matter in their own right: provide training to personnel involved in loading and unloading procedures to ensure they are aware of safety protocols and best practices.

Communication: maintain open communication between the loading team and the driver to ensure that the load is properly secured and that any special handling requirements are understood. Quality control runs alongside the work: conduct quality checks as items are loaded to identify damaged or incorrectly labeled goods, and address any issues promptly, while the carton is still at the dock and can be replaced or relabeled.

Sequence, Temperature Control and the Final Inspection

Loading sequence: follow a logical loading sequence, starting from the back of the truck and working toward the front. This prevents the need to crawl over cargo during loading and unloading, and it means the load comes off in a workable order at each stop rather than having to be dug out.

Temperature control: if transporting temperature-sensitive goods, use refrigerated trucks or climate-controlled containers to maintain the required temperature throughout the journey. Most apparel is not refrigerated freight, but heat- and humidity-sensitive goods — coated fabrics, adhesives, some footwear and leather — need the same discipline.

Post-loading inspection: after loading is complete, conduct a final inspection to verify that the load is secure and that nothing has shifted during the loading process. Efficient and safe loading practices are essential for the successful transportation of goods: a load built and checked this way is loaded securely, in a manner that maximizes space utilization and minimizes the risk of damage during transit. The main Shipping and Warehousing guides cover the operations on either side of the truck journey.

Shipping Hanging Garments on Trucks (Garment on Hanger)

Shipping hanging garments on trucks, commonly referred to as “garment on hanger” (GOH) transportation, is a specialized method used in the fashion and apparel industry to transport clothing items such as suits, dresses, and coats without folding or wrinkling them. Select appropriate racks or containers: use specially designed racks, containers, or garment-friendly hangers that can securely hold and protect the clothing during transit. These should prevent items from touching the floor or each other.

Load garments onto racks: carefully load the garments onto the racks or hangers in a way that prevents creasing, wrinkling, or damage. Ensure that items are evenly spaced and not overcrowded — a GOH rack packed as tightly as a sale rail arrives needing to be re-pressed garment by garment, which defeats the purpose of shipping on hangers. Securing garments: use securing methods, such as plastic ties or straps, to keep garments in place on the hangers or racks, preventing them from shifting during transportation and sliding into a heap at one end of the bar.

Covering and protecting: consider covering the garments with garment bags or protective plastic covers to shield them from dust, dirt, and potential weather-related issues — the dock and the truck interior are not clean-room environments, and an uncovered dress travels exposed to both. Rack organization: organize the racks within the truck to maximize space utilization and minimize movement during transit, and secure the racks in place to prevent shifting. Loading sequence: load the racks or containers onto the truck in a specific sequence to ensure that items are loaded and unloaded efficiently at each stop. Securing the load: use load bars, straps, or other securing methods to prevent the racks or containers from moving during transit — crucial for safety and for preventing garment damage, since a rolling rack gathers momentum quickly.

Hanging Garments in Transit and at Delivery

Temperature control: if the garments are sensitive to temperature fluctuations, use temperature-controlled trucks to maintain the desired climate conditions. Documentation and tracking: maintain accurate documentation that includes an inventory of the hanging garments and their destinations, and implement a tracking system to monitor the shipment's progress — with hanging freight, the count is by garment and by rail, not by carton, so the inventory has to be kept that way too.

Driver training: ensure that the truck driver is aware of the special handling requirements for hanging garments; proper training on securing and unloading GOH shipments is essential, because the handling that is perfectly safe for cartons — tilting, stacking, throwing straps over the top — damages hanging clothes. Unload with care: when unloading, handle the garments with care to prevent damage, and use designated unloading areas or garment sorting facilities if available. Quality control: conduct quality checks upon unloading to identify any damaged or soiled garments and address issues promptly.

Returnable racks: consider using returnable racks or containers that can be sent back to the origin after unloading, reducing waste and transportation costs — the racks are part of the shipping system, not packaging to be discarded. Communication with customers: maintain communication with customers to confirm delivery schedules and any special instructions for unloading GOH shipments. Shipping hanging garments on trucks requires attention to detail, proper equipment, and coordination between the shipper, carrier, and recipient; handled this way, garments arrive at their destination in excellent condition, ready for retail or distribution. If you are shipping clothing or textiles you may also want to learn about selecting a freight forwarder and proper methods for customs clearance.