Wanderer

 

​The process of cargo handling begins with booking and planning shipments, there is much to be done before the shipment even leaves the facility. Having a solid plan of action allows for smooth booking and prevents fewer problems further down the chain of events. It is necessary to follow the steps below to book your shipment properly. These activities also include the steps handled by freight forwarders as listed below.

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• Receive shipper freight information.

• Plan the routing-direct or consolidation.

• Request capacity against forwarder or carrier inventories

• Confirm capacity.

• Arrange pick up of freight.

• Picked up from the shipper.

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Receive Shipments into Carrier Domain

Once the freight forwarding truck arrives at the carrier's domain and the truck driver has informed the Cargo Handling Agent of their arrival, the carrier domain can receive the goods. They should have received the following information in advance, which is why filing electronically is always recommended:

• Electronic air waybill information

• Electronic house waybill information for consolidated shipments

• Truck number and type (if available)

• Estimated arrival time (if available)

• Security screening needs (if known/available)

Once the information has been received, and the truck has arrived, an unloading slot and position will be assigned to the driver. Different slots are given according to needs, such as dangerous goods, live animals, ULDs, healthcare products, and more.

 

Accept Shipments as Ready for Carriage

When accepting shipment as ready for carriage, airport cargo and ground handling personnel must take several steps to meet the requirements to ship goods by air. First, they must verify if the shipments are security cleared. Then they must perform a ready-for carriage check. This entails verifying that all the information aligns with the actual shipment and ensuring all embargoes and operational restrictions are applied. Once everything has been checked, the information is validated against the booking and updated. The primary objective is to ensure the consignments are in compliance with

• Carrier requirements

• Local export rules and regulations

• Rules and regulations of the transit airport(s) and air spaces (if any)

• Import regulations of the destination country

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Prepare Cargo for Flight

After accepting shipments ready for carriage, airport cargo and ground handling personnel can prepare the air cargo for flight. The goods in transit must be received and security cleared once again. Goods left on the aircraft that are in transit are considered transit cargo. Cargo and ground handling services must give this transit cargo security checks, including x-ray and Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) screening. A detailed exam of the e-AWB, integrity of the cargo, and piece count is made. Once the pre-plan details are received from the carrier, a build-up plan must be prepared, which indicates what air cargo is to be built for flight, and the information is sent to the warehouse.

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Send Shipments to Flight

Now it is time to move the loaded ULDs to a secure flight holding area while being mindful of all sensitive information such as temperature-controlled and dangerous goods. Ensuring no flights are delayed, the ULDs can be lined up in order, if it is known, to prepare for ramp transportation. All ramp safety protocols must be followed. To avoid accidents being mindful of all ground support equipment during the process of loading and unloading is necessary. This is why proper training in IATA's rules and regulations is imperative for all cargo and ground handling personnel.

At this time, the control of the air cargo passes from the warehouse operator to the ramp handler. The transport of goods from cargo terminal to aircraft is a multi-step process best lined out in the wanderer Cargo Handling Manual (WCHM). After following each of those steps explicitly, you would load the aircraft according to the load plan, making a note of arrangements for special cargo. Once the aircraft is loaded, any discrepancies must be addressed by updating the electronic Flight Manifest. It is now that the aircraft can depart, but the cargo loading procedure is not complete without mailing the flight manifest, loading, and carriage information.

 

How Air Cargo is Unloaded

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How air cargo is unloaded involves fewer steps for

airport cargo and ground handlers than the shipping and loading process. There are still many rules and regulations cargo, and ground handling personnel must comply with, however. Following ramp safety protocols while performing tasks in a methodical manner help alleviate accidents and keep aircraft turnaround times in check. According to the wanderer Cargo Handling Manual (WCHM), the following are the specific steps to unloading air cargo:

• Unload and dispatch shipment to warehouse

• Check-in shipments

• Arrive shipments.

• Hand over shipments to forwarders           
   

What are the Last Steps Before Delivery?

Once the truck has collected the goods from the carrier’s domain it is transferred to the freight forwarder hub where it’s unloaded and checked. Often before goods are dispatched via a Forwarder Branch Facility before being handed to the Consignee and then they are finally delivered to the final customer. These steps fall under the following chapters of the WCHM where you’ll find more details about each step:
 

• Arrive shipment at forwarder hub.

• Transfer shipment at forwarder hub

• Load truck and produce run sheet.

• Delivery, obtain proof of delivery, and conclude the cycle.