When shipping normal cargo loads across large distances, two of the biggest concerns are keeping the pallets together and ensuring that the cargo itself has adequate physical protection. However, for temperature-sensitive items, such as food, beverages, or even medical and pharmaceutical products, temperature maintenance plays a key role. Even with all the physical protection in the world, if vaccines, for example, are exposed to sustained high temperatures, this can ruin their efficacy.
This is one of the reasons why it’s important to understand that when shipping freight on cargo pallets, there are some key considerations to keep in mind, particularly when it comes to packaging.
Normal Pallet Packaging
Under typical shipping circumstances, the lower cost of standard pallet packaging may be sufficient for shipping needs. These types of pallet packaging consist of products like polymer plastic films. Shrink wrap is one of the most common examples of this, and it is simply a thin, transparent sheet of plastic that can be quickly and tightly wrapped around a product, regardless of the size.
Shrink wrap provides two primary benefits. The first is that it can be quickly applied, so using shrink wrap on cargo tends to take little time. The other benefit it provides is water resistance. Provided that the sheet of shrink wrap isn’t broken, this soft, flexible material can still repel water and keep products dry.
Passive Pallet Covers
Passive Pallet Covers, on the other hand, are more of an investment, but they provide many more benefits. Passive pallet covers can be slipped over cargo, but they don’t just tightly hold cargo together and repel moisture or water. The primary protection passive pallet covers provide is retaining the original shipping temperature, with a variance of only a few degrees, even over hours of sustained exposure to the elements.
The additional insulation also provides more padding and protection. So, while shrink wrap keeps cargo tightly bound together and dry, it offers no additional physical protection and zero temperature maintenance. For temperature-sensitive products, however, passive pallet covers ensure crucial temperature maintenance even when unexpected delays mean products may be exposed to the elements for hours or left in environmentally unmaintained warehouses for days. This type of protection not only retains the temperature within the cargo but provides radiant protection from sources such as the sun.
If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive products and want to know what kind of passive pallet cover will safely transport them to their destination, we can help. Contact us to explain your shipping needs and obtain a quote.
