Pallet transport
On Transportscanner you will find the best carriers for transporting pallets. This unit transport makes transporting goods very affordable, safe and practical. Therefore, if a package is very large or heavy, a pallet is a better option. It also ensures that goods cannot be tipped over by the carrier. This in turn is very convenient if you are transporting liquids, valuable or dangerous goods, for example. In some cases a product does not fit on a pallet because it is too big. For this we have a separate page with information about extra large or heavy packages.
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What is a pallet?
A pallet is a load plate to put goods or cargo on, in order to make it easier to transport. Pallets are very much used for bulk transportation of goods.
A pallet is usually made of wood but can also be made of steel or plastic. A characteristic of a pallet is that the loading plate (usually wooden slats that are slightly apart) is raised slightly above the ground by means of (wooden) blocks. This allows you to easily transport the pallet with a pump truck, (fork) lift truck or stacker. More explanation about these means of transportation is given later. Basically, of these transporters, the steel horizontal strips, called forks , can be driven precisely between the blocks of the pallet. The pallet is then lifted up slightly by the forks and can therefore be easily driven anywhere.
Many warehouses consist of pallet racks. These are large open cabinets (racks) where a pallet fits precisely. Since the pallet is a tremendously common transport unit, inventory coming in can easily be placed in the appropriate racking.
Types of pallets
Europallet 800×1200×144
The best-known pallet is the EUR pallet, or the so-called Europallet. Its dimensions are 800×1200×144 mm and its load capacity is 1500kg. This has been established by the European Pallet Association (EPAL). You recognize Europallets by the EPAL logo that is always visible on the pallet. A unique feature of the europallet is the use of an exchange system. This usually works very simply as follows. A Euro pallet filled with goods is delivered by a truck to a warehouse, and the truck takes back an empty Euro pallet. This has the great advantage that the pallet does not have to be emptied upon arrival. This would be time-consuming and very inconvenient. Since the pallets are EPAL inspected, a pallet of approximately the same value is returned with them. As a rule, if a warehouse temporarily does not have enough pallets to give back, this is not a problem but some more pallets are given next time.
Block pallet 1000 x 1200 mm
Block pallets come in different sizes but the standard size is 1000 x 1200 mm. Other dimensions of a block pallet are 800 x 1200 mm or 1100 x 1100 mm. A characteristic of a block pallet is that it can be picked up from all sides. Because of this, it is also called a four-way pallet.
How do you move a pallet?
You move a pallet with a pallet truck (also called a pump truck), an electric pallet truck, a forklift or a stacker.
(Electric) pump trucks
A pump truck or pallet truck consists of two forks that can be raised slightly above the ground (usually around 15 centimeters) to lift the pallet. Lifting can be done by "pumping" the steering handle back and forth, called a hand pump truck. A hydraulic system allows the weight of the driver to lift a much heavier pallet. Electric pump trucks also exist . No human power is then needed to lift the pallet. Sometimes pump trucks have a small platform that you can stand on, so you can also drive yourself anywhere (an EPT).
Since pump trucks can elevator the pallet only a little bit, they are only suitable for moving pallets and not for stacking pallets. They are widely used in warehouses. They are also often used by trucks with a tailgate.
Forklifts and stackers
Pallets can also be moved with a forklift (also often called a lift truck ). This is a motorized vehicle that, like the pump truck, has two forks. The difference with a pump truck is that a forklift can be driven. In addition, the forks can be raised much higher. Depending on the forklift, the forks can sometimes be raised more than 10 feet high. This also makes forklifts suitable for stacking pallets. They are widely used in warehouses with high pallet racks. A forklift can also have a very high load capacity. Forklifts can have an engine that runs on gas, diesel or electricity. A stacker truck is in between an electric pump truck and a forklift. A stacker is motorized and the forks can also be raised to a great height. Unlike a forklift, however, you walk behind the stacker and cannot drive it.
Types of pallet transport
Often goods are already palletized at the factory and the pallets are loaded into a container. After the container arrives at the wholesaler, the pallets are loaded into the pallet rack. When an order comes in from a store, the goods are wheeled into a truck on the same pallet and taken to the store. Thus, it is common for a completely filled pallet to pass through several hands without anything being packed or unpacked.
Versatile and uniform
Pallets are used for transportation in shipping containers, in trucks, freight trains and cargo ships. When pallets are transported by truck, there are several ways to get the pallets into the truck. If a forklift or stacker is available at both the loading location and the unloading location, then transport can be accomplished with any truck. At both the loading location and the unloading location, the forklift or stacker can put the pallets into the truck. If this is not the case then there are two options: a truck with a tailgate or the so-called cage-lift transport.
Truck with tailgate
This is a truck with a movable steel platform at the back, the tailgate. This tailgate can be lowered down to street level so that pallets can be driven onto the tailgate with a pump truck. Then the loading ramp can be lifted up to the level of the truck. The pallets can now be driven from the platform into the truck. Then the tailgate can be automatically folded up, serving as the back of the truck. Trucks with a tailgate often carry their own electric pallet truck or pump truck so they can pick up or deliver pallets at any location. This type of solution is widely used by transportation giants such as DHL and DPD.
Kooiaaptransport
A cage-mounted or portable forklift is a small forklift that can be taken along by the truck. This allows the truck to put pallets in the truck with the cage lift anywhere on location. The advantage over a truck with a tailgate is that a caged lift truck can load the cargo on the side of the truck. This often allows larger cargo to be carried than the standard pallet. The way a cage trailer can be carried on the back of a truck works with an ingenious system. The forklift drives the forks into pre-installed tubes. Then the forklift can raise itself up under its own power by moving the forks downward.
What does transportation on a pallet cost?
Within the Netherlands, shipping a pallet costs between 90 and 250 euros for an individual. For companies with a fixed contract, it is between 40 and 60 euros.
Transporting a pallet is one of the most important standardizations in the transportation world. By defining everything in fixed unit sizes, it is clear to both client and carrier what will and won't fit on it. In addition, you know exactly what you need to transport a full pallet.
As a result, pallet transport has become big business, which both small and very large logistics companies use a lot. The more scale a company has, the cheaper pallet transport tends to be. The advantage of this is that pallet transport prices are fairly transparent. However, these prices depend on several factors. We are happy to help you get a suitable quote from our affiliated and verified transport companies.
Pallet shipping is by far the most commonly used for business shipments. For example, with a company like DHL, you can send pallets to your business customers only as a business customer. Private individuals rarely send pallets. The cost of pallet transport for businesses totally depends on the contract a company has with the carrier. Here, often the price can go down as more pallets are sent. For an individual, sending a pallet once is often much more expensive.
Below are some previous applications:
| Palletvervoer | Kosten (€) |
|---|---|
| Pallet Autodeuren van Lisse naar Stourbridge UK | 2500 |
| Palet ophalen met auto Interieur binnen Nederland | 180 |
| 4 pallets van Zelhem naar Standdaarbuiten | 165 |
| Pallet met tuinmeubelset 64kg van Krakow (Polen) naar Den Haag | 950 |
| Pallet met vaatwasser van Roosendaal NB naar Nijmegen | 260 |
| Palletje met warmtewisselaar van Raamsdonksveer naar Dronten | 162 |
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