Does A Twisted Container Or Unlevel Ground Mean You Struggle To Close Container Doors?
Racked containers are a common problem in the shipping industry, where you can’t close the door(s) as the container isn’t sitting flat. Usually, the front of the container will slope in one direction & the rear will slope in the other direction. This essentially puts a spiral in the container and causes the door opening to twist and become diamond-shaped, rather than staying rectangular.
But because containers are extremely rigid, this problem is only noticeable once they're fully loaded. You won't know the container doors are racked until the time comes to seal them and the doors won't close no matter how much force you use.
As a result, you may try using crowbars, forklifts, or brute force to solve the problem, or you may wait for the swing lift to lift the container while the doors are open and have a person get in under the chains and close the container door while it's suspended. All of these options pose a serious health & safety issue. According to the TT Club, an insurance company specialising in Intermodal Operators, NVOCs, Freight Forwarders, Logistics Operators, Marine Terminals, Stevedores, Port Authorities, and Ship Operators, “injuries almost always occur when frustration takes over and mechanical means such as a crowbar or a fork truck are used to try to open the shipping container doors.”
