Transportation of Packaged and Piece Goods
Transportation of Packaged and Piece Goods
These goods include consumer products that are consolidated to optimize cargo transportation.
Packaged and piece goods can vary in size, and for their transportation, road or rail transport is used. Depending on the size of the cargo, consolidation is achieved through:
- Stacking into packages;
- Combining several units into one pallet;
- Packing into a single container.
- Other schemes may also be used.
Advantages of Transporting Goods This Way:
- Saving time on transportation;
- Reducing time and costs for loading and unloading packaged and piece goods;
- Simplifying the documentation process.
In simple terms, packaged and piece goods include any items, from small to oversized and heavyweight. The only exceptions are perishable food products, bulk cargo, plants, all types of livestock, and animals.
Classification of Packaged and Piece Goods
There are five main categories:
Standard Goods
Weight: no more than 500 kg;
Size: no larger than the opening of a freight car.
Heavyweight Goods
Weight: over 500 kg, but less than the capacity of a freight car.
Super-Heavyweight Goods
Weight: exceeds the capacity of a standard freight car.
Long-Dimensional Goods
Based on the capacity of two coupled freight cars. If the cargo's weight exceeds this, it is considered long-dimensional.
Oversized Goods
Size exceeds any standard loading dimensions.
Transportation of Packaged and Piece Goods
Standard goods can be transported by road. Other types of goods, which do not fit into trucks, require rail transport.
For transporting packaged and piece goods, all types of packaging are used—containers, pallets, boxes, barrels, etc., made of plastic, wood, or metal.
Proper packaging not only ensures the safe delivery of goods but also speeds up the unloading process, saving time and money for the carrier.
Storage of Packaged and Piece Goods
Storage can be in open or closed warehouses. For long-term storage, closed warehouses are preferable, as they reliably protect goods from wind and precipitation. If the process involves only loading or unloading into freight cars, open warehouses are more convenient.
