Package Handling 101 - How To Ship A Package

When you read the title of this post, you probably thought to yourself that the process is simple. Everyone knows how to ship a package, right? You put what you want to ship in a box and then you take it to a shipping place - say, the post office, or a FedEx Office store, or UPS - and then they ship it for you. That is how it works, essentially. But there is something that people don't think about when they ship a package, and that is actually packaging the package.

This is a very important step to shipping a package, and it's one that a lot of people completely fuck up.

During the sorting process a package goes through a series of belts, chutes, and rollers that carry it from one place to another. Often, packages are picked up by local vans (those square van-like truck things). Inside the van the packages can easily be crushed, tossed around, can fall, and be generally abused by the trip, depending on the road quality, the driver, and where in the van the package is sitting. At the FedEx hub, it is unloaded by a package handler by being sent along a small set of rollers to a belt that moves it up into the system. From there it travels with thousands of other packages, some small and some large, through a system where it is sorted. Often, there are jams in the system when a package - often one that is too long or too large - blocks up the belt system. This can result in packages getting crushed, especially if none of the mezzanine workers are nearby to quickly fix the jam.

Once they are sorted, the packages are then sent to their destination via a belt that leads to a load end. When they reach the load end they are dropped down a specific chute that takes them directly into the trailer that they are meant to be loaded in. This is the part where the package encounters the most damage.

A package might be fine going down a chute, depending on it's size, the amount of other packages going down the chute, and the quality of the package. If there are a lot of packages going down the chute then there is a good chance that the chute is lanefull. Lanefull means that there are so many packages that a warning light comes on saying that it is backed up and needs to be cleared out. Often the packages are weighing down on one another, and packages that are lighter or not very strong are likely to be crushed or burst open. Small packages won't necessarily be crushed if they are well packed. That is where "how to ship a package" comes into play.

The first step to shipping a package is packing the package in question. And the first step in packing a package is choosing a box (I'm only focusing on boxes here - everything else is typically incompatible, so the process is different). Here are a few rules when it comes to choosing a box:

1. Don't pick a box that is significantly larger than what you are shipping. The more open space in a box, the more likely it can be crushed. Air doesn't give much resistance against other, potentially larger packages.
2. Don't reuse a box too many times. Every time it goes through the system it acquires more damage and gets weaker. The weaker it gets, the more likely it is to be torn apart, crushed, or otherwise damaged when you use it.
3. Don't use a box that's too small for what you want to ship. If you have to squeeze it in, that means its too small. If it bulges out, it won't sit right on the belt, while going down rollers, and when it is loaded. It means that the item could be damaged.
4. If you have to tape two boxes together for the package to fit, just find a bigger box. Tape does not hold up well in the system.

The second step is putting the item in the box. The main idea here is to make sure there is as little empty space as possible. If you have to, fill in empty space with cushioning things, such as torn up newspaper, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or even a towel or something else soft. The third step is sealing it. The key here is to use packing tape, or some other sturdy tape. Even duct tape! Don't be afraid to tape it tightly and don't be afraid to use a lot of it. If you're worrying about how hard it will be to open, don't. Tape is your friend. Use the tape.

If you follow these steps, your package should be good. As an added measure, here are some things to consider, from the view of the package handlers where I work.

1. Arrows don't matter if the package fits better in a different direction, unless a manager is watching. Speed and wall structure is more important than directional arrows.
2. Fragile doesn't mean anything. Half the packages say it. Bright colors or big letters don't make a difference, and writing it more than once doesn't make it any more fragile than any other package.
3. Packages that say "do not lay flat" were obviously packed by an imbecile because, due to the nature f the system, the package has to lie flat in order to be moved to the trailer. Usually these packages are thin and don't stand up well on their own.
4. Re-taping a package that fell apart or came un-taped is annoying and time wasting, and sometimes isn't worth it if there are a lot of other packages to deal with. FedEx stresses speed over quality when there are a lot of packages.

Today I will end the lesson with that. Of course, the package handlers thing a lot of other things about certain packages and most of those thoughts include plenty of insults and swearing. But hopefully this little lesson will help a few people better package their packages.