Improving Packaging: The Cost of Shipping Air is Going Up

Carriers say inefficient packaging is terribly wasteful. It wastes trees to make excess cardboard for packages that are too big for products being transported. It wastes space on trailers in an era when trucking capacity is stagnant. And it wastes fuel for extra trucks to move those excessively large packages.

Due to the driver shortage, the growth in e-commerce traffic, as well as the rise in bulky lightweight freight, carriers say that they’re “cubing out” their trucks before coming even close to reaching full weight capacity—and they’re reacting to these market place changes.

Many are beginning to measure shipments by their package dimensions. These so-called “dimensional pricing” methodologies are putting pressure on manufacturers to find smaller, more efficient packaging methods to move their goods.

There are ancillary benefits as well. Smaller packaging yields less waste, and it also means that more freight can be stacked efficiently on a pallet inside a truck—which could also equate into fewer trucks and lower emissions.

Many progressive companies say they are onboard with the green movement to save resources and fuel. One way to do that is by making your packaging as efficient as possible.