A trailer of canned vegetables, 26 UK pallets stacked in a double configuration, partially collapsed after an emergency braking event and was refused at a supermarket regional distribution centre. Our team rebuilt the collapsed stacks, removed the damaged outer cases and recovered 22 of the 26 pallets. The refused delivery went back out the same day.
Situation
Double-stacking is popular for canned goods because it doubles what one trailer carries. The catch is physics: tins concentrate a lot of mass in a small footprint, and the upper pallet rides on nothing firmer than the cartons below it. When this trailer braked hard, several twin stacks folded into each other. The RDC turned the vehicle away on safety grounds, which meant a full trailer of food with a booking lost and nowhere to go.
What we did
First a pallet-by-pallet inspection, sorting the load into three groups: fully recoverable, needing a rebuild, and units too crushed to save. The collapsed double stacks were broken down completely. Cartons with compressed or split cases were removed, sound cartons were restacked in the correct pattern, and each rebuilt pallet was wrapped again.
Reloading mattered as much as restacking. We put the trailer back together with even weight across the floor and stable pairings for the double stacks, so the load would arrive in the same state it left us. The whole operation was photographed and reported for the insurer.
Outcome
22 of 26 pallets were recovered and the delivery resumed the same day. The loss was limited to a small number of crushed cases instead of a full trailer write-off, and the sender had the paperwork to show exactly what was lost and why.
What this means for shippers
A refused RDC delivery is not the end of the load, it is the start of a clock. The difference between losing a few cases and losing the trailer is how quickly the rework starts. Our approach to shifted loads is described in the article on pallet re-stow and load rearrangement. If your double-stacked load has just been turned away, use the contact form and we will take it in, 24/7.
