Do Pallets Need To Be Weighed?
Do pallets needs to be weighed before they are put on your pallet truck? It’s a good question, and in many warehouses it’s not something that happens all that regularly. But it should. It should because it can save time and money, and can lead to safer working practices. And it doesn’t have to be a difficult thing to do – pallet truck scales offer a safe, viable, and quick alternative to weighing pallets on a standard scale.
But why do it?
Theft
Although we don’t like to mention it, and no one wants to admit it, theft happens. If a pallet is weighed before it is sent out for delivery, and then weighed again once it arrives at its destination, as long as the weight is the same both times, there isn’t a problem. But if there is a discrepancy, then you can easily work out where the missing items went… missing. This should be a pretty good deterrent when it comes to your employees and those who are working on your behalf.
Verification
Before the load even leaves the warehouse, you can verify that everything is exactly as it should be if you weigh that pallet. That means that if there is a problem, you can get in touch with your supplier immediately to find out what has happened and where the rest of the load has gone to. This saves problems further down the line when you are getting things ready to send out to customers only to find that the stock you thought you had has come in short.
Variations
It happens – a box might be filled too much, or perhaps too little. It can’t be sent out to a customer without the right amount of goods inside it – too much and you will lose money, too little and the customer does (and they may well make a complaint too, which does nothing for your company’s reputation). Being able to spot variations between loads means that these problems are fixed before they become bigger problems. An investigation is much better than a loss of reputation!
Health & Safety
Pallet trucks are only designed to carry certain loads. Different trucks can cope with different weights, and trying to carry something too heavy on a truck that isn’t designed for it will lead to potentially expensive and painful problems. A truck that is designed to carry a lighter weight could collapse under too much of a load, so you’ll immediately need a new truck. But what if that truck collapsed on someone’s foot? What if a hand was trapped? What if the load toppled off and crushed someone? And as for the load itself, that could also be damaged, which could means a loss of revenue. Only ever use a truck that is designed for the weight you need it to carry.