Published April 8, 2026
Here’s a counterintuitive truth about freight damage: it usually isn’t the pallet’s fault. Far more often, product arrives damaged because the load shifted in transit — and the fix is inexpensive wood that most shippers underuse.
That’s what dunnage and blocking are for.
The terms, briefly
- Dunnage is material — usually wood — placed between, around, or under cargo to support, separate, and cushion it. It stops pieces from rubbing together, crushing each other, or sliding.
- Blocking and bracing lock the load in place inside a trailer, container, or crate so it can’t move during stops, turns, and road vibration.
Think of it this way: the pallet gets your product onto the truck; dunnage and blocking keep it exactly where you put it until the doors open at the destination.
Why it matters more than people think
A trailer experiences constant forces — braking, acceleration, cornering, and vibration over thousands of miles. A load that has even an inch to move will move, and movement is what turns a clean shipment into a damage claim.
Proper securement:
- Prevents product damage from shifting, tipping, and abrasion.
- Protects people — a load that stays put is safer to unload.
- Helps meet carrier requirements for load securement, avoiding rejected or re-worked loads.
Doing it right
A few practical principles:
- Fill the voids. Empty space is where movement starts. Dunnage fills gaps so cargo is snug.
- Brace against the walls. Blocking transfers movement into the structure of the trailer or container instead of into your product.
- Cut to size. Securement works best when the pieces fit the load — not when a crew is hand-cutting scrap on the dock. Pre-cut, properly sized dunnage and blocking saves time and does a better job.
- Mind export rules. If the shipment crosses a border, the wood dunnage has to be ISPM-15 compliant too — not just the pallet.
The easy win most shippers miss
Dunnage and blocking are the natural companion to every pallet order, yet they’re the thing most commonly left off. Adding properly sized securement to a shipment is cheap insurance against a damage claim that costs many times more — in product, in replacement freight, and in a frustrated customer.
At APSS, we supply custom, cut-to-size dunnage, blocking, and bracing right alongside your pallets, and deliver it together on our own fleet. Securing a tricky load? Tell us what you’re shipping and we’ll spec the dunnage to match. Get a quote and we’ll help you lock it down.