Three things decide whether a pallet loads without argument at the dock.
Step one: start with the right deck
The standard pallet size is 48 by 40 inches, it stands about 4.75 inches tall empty, and it weighs between 30 and 48 lb on its own, per palletone.com, checked 2026-07-28. That same source puts the footprint at over 30 percent of all pallets used in the United States, which is why sticking to it removes a whole category of problems at the dock.
Check the deck before you load it
Cracked stringers and missing deck boards are how a load ends up on the floor of a trailer. A pallet that has already been dropped once will not survive a second forklift. Four-way entry is worth insisting on, because a driver who cannot get forks in from the short side may not be able to load you at all.
Do not exceed the footprint
Cartons should reach the edges of the deck and stop there. Overhang means the load cannot be stacked, takes the first impact on its corners, and hands the carrier a reason to reweigh and reclass the shipment. Building slightly inside the deck is safer than building slightly proud of it.
Domestic wood needs no stamp
That heat treatment mark stamped into the stringers of export pallets belongs to the international wood packaging standard, and it has no bearing on a load moving between two US states. The plant health agency confirms as much for shipments from the mainland to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Trust Territories, where it says treatment and an ISPM 15 mark are not required, per aphis.usda.gov, checked 2026-07-28. Untreated wood is fine on a domestic move.
Step two: stack, wrap and label
Heavy low, flat faces up
Put the densest cartons on the deck and work lighter as you climb, keeping the top surface flat so another pallet can sit on it. A column stack, boxes directly above boxes, carries far more than a brick pattern, because corrugated strength lives in the corners.
Wrap the load to the pallet
Start the film below the top deck boards and take several turns around the deck itself before you spiral up, then come back down. The point is to make the load and the pallet one object; film wrapped only around the cartons lets the whole stack slide off the deck on the first hard brake.
Label every carton, then the load
Each piece gets its own label with the same consignee, and the pallet gets a placard on at least two sides so it can be identified without a forklift turning it. Old barcodes on reused cartons should be covered or crossed out, because a scanner will read whatever it sees first.
Step three: the document, and what it must contain
The bill of lading is the contract of carriage and the receipt in one piece of paper, and its minimum contents are set by federal regulation rather than by the carrier. Under 49 CFR 373.101, every motor carrier subject to the rule must issue a bill of lading containing the following, checked 2026-07-28.
| Required item | What goes there in practice |
|---|---|
| Names of consignor and consignee | The shipping company and the receiving company, with contact names and phone numbers |
| Origin and destination points | Full street addresses, plus whether either end is residential or has no dock |
| Number of packages | Piece count as it will be handled, for example one pallet holding fourteen cartons |
| Description of freight | What the goods are, in words a dock worker and a claims adjuster will both accept |
| Weight, volume, or measurement of freight (if applicable to the rating of the freight) | Gross weight including the pallet, and dimensions, because these set the density and the class |
Fill the description honestly. It is the field that drives classification, and a load described loosely is the load that gets reweighed, reclassed and rebilled. Note the pallet weight is part of the gross figure: an empty deck is 30 to 48 lb before you put anything on it, and leaving that out understates both the weight and the density.
Step four: hand it to a freight carrier
When we ran a 48 x 40 x 48 in pallet at 500 lb through the parcel calculator on 2026-07-28, Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303, it returned no rates. A freight carrier prices and books a load like this; SMKlog sells parcel labels only and does not arrange pallet or freight shipments.
See what drives the price Try the load as a parcel and see Calculate the class first
Pallet build questions
What size should a shipping pallet be?
48 by 40 inches is the standard footprint, standing about 4.75 inches tall empty and weighing 30 to 48 lb, per palletone.com, checked 2026-07-28. That size accounts for over 30 percent of all pallets used in the United States and fits every standard dock and trailer.
What has to be on a bill of lading?
Under 49 CFR 373.101 the document must carry the names of consignor and consignee, origin and destination points, number of packages, description of freight, and weight, volume, or measurement of freight if applicable to the rating of the freight.
How should a pallet be wrapped?
Start the stretch film below the top deck boards, take several turns around the deck itself, then spiral up the load and back down. Film that only goes around the cartons lets the stack slide off the pallet, which is the most common reason a load arrives damaged.
Does a domestic pallet need heat-treated wood?
No. That marking belongs to the standard for wood packaging crossing international borders and has no role in a shipment between two US states. The plant health agency says treatment and an ISPM 15 mark are not required for movements from the mainland to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the US Trust Territories.