Aerospace & Defense Freight Requirements
Every program flows down its own specification. These are the fields that decide whether a part is released into stock or sent to a quarantine cage.
Specifications
Aerospace and Defense Handling Requirements at a Glance
Every program flows down its own specification. These are the fields that decide whether a part is released into stock or sent to a quarantine cage.
| Requirement | The specification | What it means for the load |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation | Certificate of conformance, material and process certifications traceable to a mill heat or lot, FAA Form 8130-3 or EASA Form 1 on airworthy parts, and program document numbers on defense tenders | Sealed weatherproof document sleeve fixed to the crate, packing list photographed at loading, serial and lot numbers written onto the bill of lading |
| Shock and vibration | Impact and tilt indicators set by your packaging group, data-logging recorders on high value assemblies, thresholds matched to what the crate was designed to absorb | Air-ride equipment, blocking and bracing, securement to FMCSA standards at designed lift and lash points, no terminal re-handling, readouts returned with the delivery paperwork |
| Temperature | Composite prepreg and film adhesive stored frozen, commonly near minus 18 C, with a cumulative out-time budget that runs whenever the material is above storage temperature | Temperature controlled equipment with the set point in the dispatch instructions, time out of frozen storage recorded at both ends, rolls warmed to ambient still sealed before any bag is opened |
| Electrostatic protection | Avionics, line replaceable units and circuit card assemblies in static shielding bags with desiccant, not opened outside a controlled area | Sealed inner packaging is never opened for a dock inspection, and condition is documented on the outer package at pickup and at delivery |
| Corrosion and FOD | Bare aluminum and steel in vapor corrosion inhibitor film with desiccant, and a clean, dry, residue-free trailer with no loose hardware | Trailer inspected at loading: dry floor, doors that seal, no residue from the prior load, nothing that can shed into an open assembly |
| Dimensions and equipment | Structures and their shipping frames commonly run over-length while weighing very little, and tooling runs tall, rigid and dimensionally critical | Quoted on the frame's outside envelope: enclosed van when it fits, permitted flatbed or step deck when it does not, project cargo when the program moves in pieces |
| Delivery window | AOG measured in hours, production parts kitted to a fixed station date, MRO induction slots that do not wait and do not reopen quickly | Exclusive use and team drivers for AOG, program freight planned backward from the station or induction date, no early delivery to a plant with no floor space |
| Security and custody | Sealed trailer with the seal number on the bill of lading, an unbroken signature chain, and gate access and badging arranged in advance at controlled sites | Access list, receiving hours and gate procedure confirmed before dispatch, and seal integrity checked against the paperwork at delivery |
| Regulatory status | ITAR or EAR classification, facility and personnel clearances where classified material is involved, and sector quality flow-downs such as AS9100 | Confirmed in writing per shipment before booking, with the requirement named, never assumed from a general capability statement |
The equipment
Equipment Follows the Part, Not the Price Sheet
One aerospace program runs nearly every trailer type in the book inside a single quarter. Finished detail parts, avionics and interior components belong enclosed, in a dry van, and on partial truckload when the crate must not touch a terminal, because each break is another forklift beside a package whose contents will be inspected against a shock record. Certified prepreg and film adhesive ride on temperature controlled equipment with the frozen set point written into the dispatch instructions. Long structures and their shipping frames go flatbed or step deck once the frame passes legal length, as a permitted over-dimension move rather than as a routine one. Tooling and large fixtures pick the trailer by deck height, so the jig stays legal and stays square. Engines ride in their transport containers, on a deck that lets the container do the job it was designed for. Ground support equipment rides like the wheeled machinery it is. And when the date is an aircraft on the ground, exclusive use with team drivers is the equipment decision, because the trailer's only job is to not stop.
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Every carrier is vetted for operating authority and insurance, and we check the certificate before every dispatch, not once a year. USDOT 3411782 · MC 1100274