7 Causes of Cargo Damage in Semi Trailers and How To Avoid Them

When transporting cargo in a semi trailer, you always hope for the best: wide-open roads, good weather, properly packaged items, etc. Unfortunately, that ideal scenario rarely happens. Typically, one or more factors increase the likelihood of cargo damage. If it occurs, there can be several types of consequences, including:

• Financial. Who ultimately pays for cargo damage may vary, but somebody pays, meaning nobody is happy.
• Logistical. Dealing with incidents can create a ripple effect that delays successive waves of subsequent pickup and deliveries.
• Reputational. Accidents happen. But if they affect your customers too often, word gets around. And if someone is evaluating two companies that are nearly identical, but one has a reputation for experiencing cargo damage, you can guess who they will give their business to!

So, understanding why goods transported in semi trailers sometimes don’t survive the trip is crucial.

Cargo Damage in Semi Trailers Is Largely Avoidable

Factors outside your control can result in damage to the goods or materials you transport in semi trailers. That is the bad news. The good news is that problems are more likely to result from issues within your control. So, you can take action to avoid them.

Of course, your actions to lower the risk of cargo damage in your semi trailers must be continual. As soon as you let your guard down, the possibility of incidents rises.

Below are potential issues followed by best practices you should adopt to...