Q1. How much weight can your product hold back or keep in place?
Q2. What guarantee is there regarding claims reduction?
Q3. If freight shifts how difficult is it to unlatch if the weight is pressed up against it?
4. How many do you recommend per trailer?
Q5. How much space is required to store on dock?
Q6. How would we manage the balance?
Q7. What makes this product better than airbags?
Q1. How much weight can your product hold back or keep in place?
Our product is for protection against shifting and falling cargo. It is NOT to be used for top loading. However, we do adhere to and follow the Web Sling and Tie-Down Association's standards for tie-down applications. All of our products are manufactured to WSTDA specifications. Using WSTDA guidelines our standard product has been tested for a breaking strength of 1800 lbs. and rated at a 600 lbs. Working Load Limit. Freight Guard can be order with higher WLL’s if requested.
There are 4 thumb release clasp on the corners with a WLL rating of 1000 lbs. each. The strapping has a WLL of 4000 lbs. The material itself is from the Hurricane Protection Industry and used to replace plywood for window protection. It is made of a nylon synthetic weave that has been wind tested to 200 mph and is strong enough to combat Category 5 hurricanes.
Q2. What guarantee is there regarding claims reduction?
Benchmarking an actual guaranty is difficult because of the human factor involved. Like you, we wish we could be there to oversee every time a trailer is loaded. We can’t control when a unit is used or not used, if a unit was not secured properly, etc.
We will be there to assist in you developing a training program and video if needed. We will work with your Safety Department to quickly establish a message of “How to Use Freight Guard Properly”. With proper training you will see a reduction in damages.
We offer “Pilot Program Guarantee’s” to customers. We set a predetermined price on the number of units a carrier wishes to use in a trial. The carrier pays an upfront percent of that price and agrees to a time frame. At the end of the time trial the carrier can either return the product or pay the balance due and keep the product.
We have never had product returned.
Q3. If freight shifts how difficult is it to unlatch if the weight
is pressed up against it?
Not difficult at all. With 4 release points you can “ease” off a shifted load. You can’t do that with logistic bars. When freight shifts against logistics bars you cannot easily leverage the cargo with the bar in the way. In fact, it is possible to damage the logistic bar and freight when trying to release the bar. With Freight Guard you can put the forklift mast directly against the freight to assist releasing if needed. You can release 2 of the 4 corners and the freight will still be secured allowing a dock worker to safely get a forklift under the freight.
Dunnage can create unsafe working conditions because a dock driver cannot see whether a load has shifted behind that dunnage. Freight Guard is semi-transparent allowing for safer viewing of what’s behind the unit.
When a pallet of freight or loose boxes has fallen over a driver is put in an unsafe position when he opens the trailer door. There is nothing to hold the freight back from falling onto the driver. Freight Guard solves this safety concern as well. With a Freight Guard attached behind the last loaded pallets you have created a safety barrier allowing for the doors to be opened without fear of freight falling onto the driver.
Freight Guard has an advantage over logistics bars because it is pliable and can secure directly against the cargo in almost any situation. Logistic trailers are limited to where they have installed the e-trac. Shift occurs when cargo is loaded and space exists between where the freight ends in relation to the logi-post. You don’t have that with Freight Guard. Trailer 1 below shows logistic posts at the mercy of the e-trac location and trailer 2 with Freight Guard.
Q4. How many do you recommend per trailer?
We recommend you look at what your claim expense has been and begin working backwards. For example, in Step 1 below, if a client has $40,000,000 in claims allow for 1% of that amount. (Remember, claims cost you much more than just the amount reimbursed to the customer! How much time was spent processing, recovering, accounting, or litigating the claim?) In this case a $400,000 investment would purchase approximately 10,000 units. Put the 10,000 units into “trouble spots” and start looking for reduced damages. Next, Step 2, take the $400,000 and divide by your average claim cost ($400.00) and that gives you a definite number (1000) to gauge your investment. This scenario gives you a ratio of 10,000 units to offset 1000 claims. Once you have determined you have offset 100 claims the investment paid for itself. Your part in this is watching the investment work and deciding when to invest the next 1%. There will come a point when you no longer see a reduction in claims. At that point you have an efficient balance between preventable claims and your need for new Freight Guards.
With the above example take the 10,000 units and look at where your claims are happening. Line Haul, Dock Loading, or City P&D? Distribute the units at break bulk terminals and make sure they have plenty available. We also suggest one for every (trailer equipped) city driver on the street. Carrier’s can really benefit here. Drivers that currently use load locks, rope, etc. will now use a Freight Guard with the “Carrier’s” logo instead. The carrier gets to advertise its brand to every customer on every P&D.
Freight Guard is a reusable product and you won’t need to replace 1 per quarter. Think more about the ROI you will be getting on this reusable investment. Freight Guard will last you longer than the load locks you are currently purchasing.
Freight Guard compliments logistics trailers by working in conjunction with the built in bars. “Bulkheads” can be created that restrict load shift to limited areas.
Q5. How much space is required to store on dock?
A key feature of Freight Guard is the slim makeup. Like deflated airbags they take up very little dock space. Several carriers are keeping them in a 4 x 4 box. Other carriers store Freight Guard out of the way directly on trailer walls.
Q6. How would we manage the balance?
The same way you are doing with cargo bars, dunnage, air bags, etc. As mentioned in item 5 above they take little space. So if an end of the line terminal winds up with several they take up little space and can be returned to a break bulk facility rather easily. Again, they are a very pliable product and can be “stuffed, rolled, folded, or thrown” into a return trailer if needed!
Some Freight Guard options include manifest pouches & logo printing. We could also print terminal ID’s on these just as easily as your logo. They can then be easily identified as to where they go and returned accordingly.
Q7. What makes this product better than airbags?
Freight Guard fastens directly to the trailer. Airbags cannot.
Freight Guard can secure drums, top heavy freight, long freight, square freight, ugly freight, loose freight, etc. Airbags cannot.
Freight Guard has a longer shelf life than airbags. Puncture an air bag and it’s done.
Freight Guard can be used in the field with city p&d. Airbags are limited to dock workers.
However, Freight Guard can be a compliment to airbags, dunnage, etc. Freight Guard works with airbags better than load locks or logistic bars. In the picture above of the 2 trailers air bags are slid into the space between the 2 pallets. Would you rather have 4” keeping it in there or a 36”? With Freight Guard airbags will not shift or slide underneath like they do with bars.