The Nelson Blog

Sharing our Transport Packaging Know-How

Our top transport packaging experts offer their best advice, research, how-to's, and more to help customers make sense of some of our industry's most perplexing challenges. Plus, we answer frequently-asked-questions including concerns about shipping, pallets and crates. See all posts or check out our blogroll of hand-picked favorites below.

Most Recent Blog Posts

Is your Packaging Routine feeling like Groundhog Day?

2/2/2024 by Tyler Pease on Technical Center

2024 02 pallets groundhog day

Does this sound like you? Everyday you're packaging product and moving it on pallets. Nothing has changed in your system for years, decades even. It works, but as the cycle repeats (and repeats, and repeats) you keep wondering if you're leaking profit. We have all heard the definition of insanity - "Don't do the Continue reading...

5 Advantages of using the Plastic Pallet Experts at Nelson Company

1/18/2024 by Mike Cunneen on Plastic Pallets

2024 01 plastic pallet experts

When it comes to plastic pallets, you could be leaking profits in sneaky places and not even know it. Nobody likes that. Chances are pretty high that our experts have been in your shoes before. That means we're in a good spot to optimize your system in ways you haven't considered. Continue reading...

4 Ways Plastic Pallets Help You Save

11/16/2023 by Mike Cunneen on Plastic Pallets

2023 11 plastic pallets save money

What's the first thing you look at when shopping for pallets? If you're like most folks, you answered price. If you give me just a few minutes of your time, I'll show four different ways to save money when you buy plastic pallets. This post is part 8 of a 10-post series on plastic pallets 101. (Part 7 is all about Continue reading...

Top 6 Benefits of Plastic Pallets

9/14/2023 by Mike Cunneen on Plastic Pallets

2023 09 plastic pallet benefits

Nearly every consumer and industrial item you interacted with today took a ride on a pallet. Let that sink in for a minute. Your morning coffee. That phone in your pocket. Those new tires on your car. Even the pulleys and electronics that took you safely up to the seventh floor in the office elevator. All of it. Continue reading...

Answer this Question Before Buying Plastic Pallets

6/15/2023 by Mike Cunneen on Plastic Pallets

2023 06 plastic pallet destinations

So you've been asked to buy plastic pallets. And, after looking at 200+ options, you're lost. How are you ever going to narrow down your choices? Well, any good pallet pro will ask this important question, “where’s the pallet going and how?" It's a great question for eliminating plastic pallets that won't work. Continue reading...

Common Plastic Pallet Sizes

5/4/2023 by Jonathan Haynes on Plastic Pallets

2023 05 common pallet sizes

The standard pallet size in North America is 48x40 and has been for decades. I detailed uses for the 48x40 along with nearly 40 other pallet dimensions in my previous post, Industry Standard Pallet Sizes: A Complete List. As a follow-up, I am specifically shining a light on plastic pallets and six (6) sizes commonly Continue reading...

Hot Topics and Popular Posts

Reduce Packaging Costs with Reverse Distribution

9/23/2021 by Rich Reiher on Sustainable Packaging

2021 09 reverse distribution

When it comes to moving product, manufacturers are in a pickle. Pallets are in short supply. Prices are up. Packaging of every kind is being impacted by current market conditions. Reverse Continue reading...

6 Freight Terms Everyone Should Know

4/11/2013 by Amber Potts on Shipping And Freight

2013 04 terms

Freight terms can be confusing. Acronyms, abbreviations, shorthand, and jargon make up the shipping freight lexicon. Many terms commonly used in the freight world can often leave people in a state of confusion... Continue reading...

5 More Freight Terms Everyone Should Know

11/8/2018 by Amber Potts on Shipping And Freight

2018 11 freight terms

When I wrote my original post, 6 Freight Terms Everyone Should Know, I had no idea it would become so popular. Since that time, a lot of interesting freight questions from all over the world have come my way. Continue reading...

2 Most Common Wood Species for Pallets and Why

10/30/2014 by Jonathan Haynes on Wood Pallets

2014 10 wood

The two most common wood types used for making pallets are southern yellow pine (SYP) and oak. A former study done by the USDA and Virginia tech determined that SYP made up 18.9% of all woods used while oak made up 17.1% (by volume)... Continue reading...

Are your pallets ready for the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

3/24/2016 by Hartson Poland on FDA, News And Events

2016 03 fsma

FSMA enforcement begins summer 2016. Are you ready? The Food Safety Modernization Act is a group of regulations signed into law in 2011. The act is meant to apply the best available science and good common sense... Continue reading...

When is a Container Considered a Gaylord?

9/5/2013 by Penny Peirce on Crates And Containers

2013 09 gaylord

Gaylord was originally a trade name for a bulk-size corrugated box. You have probably seen a Gaylord box in your local grocery or big box store. They are big corrugated boxes attached to wood pallets. These corrugated containers... Continue reading...

Can Your Moldy Wood Pallets Be Saved? Maybe...

6/6/2013 by Rich Reiher on Pallet Mold, Wood Pallets

2013 06 pallet mold

Don’t scrap that moldy pallet just yet... we might be able to save it! The bad news is you found mold on your pallets. The good news is that mold grows on the surfaces of the pallet components. Continue reading...

How Many Plastic Pallets fit on a 53' Truck?

1/28/2022 by Aaron Pascarella on Shipping And Freight

2022 01 how many plastic pallets fit on a truck

The question I get most often from customers wanting to buy plastic pallets is, "how many fit on a truck?" Seems like a straightforward question, right? Well, if we're talking about standard 48x40 plastic pallets, I can tell you that we've got 26 to 30 skid spots to work with on a typical 53' dry van Continue reading...

Industry Standard Pallet Sizes: A Complete List

10/29/2018 by Jonathan Haynes on Plastic Pallets, Wood Pallets, Industrial Packaging

2018 10 standard pallet sizes

The most popular standard pallet size in US inches is 48L x 40W. How popular? The 48x40 accounts for approximately 30% of all wooden pallets produced each year. Continue reading...