Freight Unloading Best Practices

As with most logistics industry procedures, freight unloading has developed its own set of best practices for which Labor Loop, as a leading provider of freight unloading personnel nationwide, offers this posting as a guide. In the best interests of the management teams responsible for hiring freight lumpers, Labor Loop’s team advises that understanding the correct safety protocols is essential not only to the staffers involved but is also vital to the success of your business. Unloading freight is not a task that solely involves physical strength. The increased pressure on supply chains to deliver products and goods at greatly shortened timelines has put additional pressure on every link. Here are the best practices to follow to not only ensure the timely delivery of goods but to also make certain that everyone associated with this task operates with safety front of mind. 

Employee Safety

Many Logistics Managers, Transportation Carriers, and Warehouse Supervisors are partnering with third party freight unloading firms such as Labor Loop. Each realizes the benefits of hiring on-demand staffers who are highly experienced in their roles. This way, a stellar safety record can be maintained, increased operational costs due to higher insurance premiums avoided, and consumer demand for faster shipping times met.

Facility Safeguards

A leading cause of injury and accidents at the loading dock are from trailers that roll away, either by not being tethered or through poor communication practices. The use of trailer restraints instead of chocks will increase user safety, as well as establishing communication protocols before the task of freight unloading begins. 

Additional safety features your warehouse should consider installing include: barrier gates to prevent falls from ledges, as well as to block off areas where equipment such as forklifts operate. Hydraulic dock levelers to bridge any gap between the trailers and the dock have proven to be far safer than manually operated levelers. These can be deployed by pressing a button and are well-worth the expense when the potential for worker injury and a liability claim are two other options. 

Increased Efficiency and Lower Overhead

Partnering with a vendor such as Labor Loop ensures that a seasoned team will be deployed at a moment’s notice to perform a specific task, then leave. This reduces the risk of damage to goods while freight unloading is underway as our trained and experienced loaders can make certain that your freight is properly secured on pallets, shrink-wrapped, and the trailer stabilized. If freight unloading is the task, our workers will first check to see if any damage/asset losses have occurred in transit and document accordingly for an insurance claim. Be aware that while ‘covered’ by insurance that losses are long-term, a waste of time and money. Avoiding damages during these processes will have immediate and long-term cost benefits.

Reduced Liability

Partnering with a dependable, reliable firm such as Labor Loop further reduces overhead. Third party vendor services may qualify as a tax deduction. Check with your accounting office for details. However, another benefit of using Labor Loop’s services is that we carry our own liability insurance. It is highly unlikely that our experienced teams will encounter a scenario that causes injury. However, we carry our own liability insurance so should an injury occur to our team members, it will not impact your operational costs. 

Observing best practices in freight unloading will not only save money but also enable your supply chain to put products and goods into consumers’ hands quickly. Learn more about the benefits that a partnership with Labor Loop can bring to your business. Schedule your consultation today!