Paper Transportation Demand is Here to Stay 

Imagine a counterperson handing you a glazed donut without a bag, your new computer monitor arriving in a heap of broken glass and circuits or finding yourself without a wipe as a spill seeps slowly into your couch. 

The paper business isn’t dying. But we’d be dying without it. That’s why paper—and the transportation that moves pulp and paper to where it’s needed—is absolutely essential. We may not read newspapers like we used to, but we still rely on paper every day. In fact, paper packaging and household products have been on the rise for 30 years, according to the UN.  

Most of America’s biggest pulp and paper manufacturers, suppliers, and mills rely on 3rd party logistics support to get their products in the right hands at the right time. As a long-term 3PL player in the paper and forest products industry, WSI has gathered insights into the best logistical practices for creating leading-edge paper and pulp supply chains for today. In this article, we will cover some of the key paper transportation requirements in this industry and how to make sure companies are set up for success.  

• Specialized equipment and expertise
• High safety standards  
• Food and hazmat compliance  
• Intermodal capabilities  

Paper Transportation Is Specialized

 People outside the industry may make the mistake of assuming pulp and paper transportation is pretty standard, but it’s not. It requires agile resources, strict standards of reliability, and category experience.  

 Paper and pulp logistics deal with raw materials and commodities in a range of forms. A roll of paper can weigh a ton, requiring specialized forklifts and loading techniques for bulky and oversized products. Pulp used to make paper is often stored and transported in enormous bags called super sacks. They sit on pallets or are sometimes floor loaded and can be filled with wet or dry pulp, making for wide weight variability. Additionally, bulk chemicals used in paper and printing can be part of the transportation mix.  

Carriers need to be versatile to respond to the breadth of pulp and paper shippers’ needs. Because so much of the freight is heavy paper rolls, depth of experience hauling heavy trailers weighing up to 80,000 lbs. is paramount. Much of the work of harvesting trees and milling pulp takes place in weather-challenged northern regions, where snow requires excellent driving skills and training.  

Paper rolls loaded incorrectly can lead to disaster. According to WSI Sales Manager, Scott Van Zeeland, knowledge of proper weight disbursement prevents dry trailers from bowing, breaking, or causing a trailer to tip. A freight broker 3PL like WSI that manages both transportation and warehousing provides shippers with the advantage of warehouse staff and truckers working together to safely and carefully move these challenging loads.   

Food safety is another aspect that often comes into play with paper today. This is because so much of the paper produced today is used for food packaging and in restaurants. Van Zeeland gives the example of the ubiquitous brown bags with the clear plastic window in them used by chains like Starbucks™. The rolls of brown paper used to make them need to be transported in food-grade conditions.  

Ensuring trailers are up to standard in cleanliness and are free from damage, moisture, and fumes is required for many paper loads. WSI maintains stringent requirements for trailer conditions and works with experienced paper haulers who are trained to haul food-grade loads.  

Work With Partners Who Are Good on Paper

 Experience supports successful paper and pulp shipments today. Familiarity handling paper and pulp in its many forms helps prevent damage and delayed shipments. Familiarity with routes and buyers is also beneficial. WSI partners with trusted carriers who understand our customers’ facilities and requirements, ensuring consistent and reliable service. Many mills and converters operate just-in-time (JIT) supply chains that rely on routine deliveries and flawless on-time performance. Pick-ups and deliveries have to be precisely coordinated. Continuous communication among carriers, receivers, and shippers is crucial.  

Van Zeeland explains that with today’s high real estate costs, manufacturers need pulp and paper materials delivered the same day that they will be used in production because they have nowhere to stage a day’s- or two-day’s worth of raw materials. At the other end, manufacturers and converters rely on transportation partners like WSI to move finished product out quickly to preserve factory floor space for production.  

Reliability standards are demanding, and so are standards of care. When WSI is the shipper, paper mills benefit from WSI warehouse associates with experience and specialized equipment making the handoff. “We do a really good job on our pre-checks when we’re actually dispatching the load to give carriers the requirements for their shipments and make sure trailers are clean, fume-free, and leak free,” Van Zeeland says.  

Damaged or soaked rolls make for expensive claims and if the stock was meant for a JIT production line, the resulting downtime costs can be astronomical. To ensure proper care is taken requires proper tools for moving paper and pulp. WSI’s specialized warehouse equipment includes pulp clamps, roll clamps, and clamp trucks (to move pulp and rolls). WSI also runs a forklift fleet of powerful 8,000-, 10,000-, and 12,000-pound lifts.  

Specialized warehouse racking and storage areas are required to ensure safety and keep paper stock clean. Paper and cardboard are major dust-producers in any warehouse. A storage facility that stores paper has a much bigger challenge controlling accumulation that sullies stock. These facilities feature ventilation and cleaning protocols purpose-designed for paper. 

Now’s the Time to Strengthen Paper and Pulp Supply Chains 

Paper and pulp output is projected to be $228.7 billion in 2025 and increase at a compound annual growth rate of 1.12% through 2029, according to Statista Market Insights. Transportation and logistics partners who know the paper and pulp industry will be in high demand—especially those who can harness today’s technologies and transportation strategies for shippers’ benefit.  

What should mills and converters look for in a transportation partner in addition to experience? Transportation Management Systems (TMS) with advanced route and load optimization capabilities support efficient, cost-effective JIT supply chains. They aid shippers in selecting carriers, booking loads, and providing visibility into inbound or outbound shipments. A TMS that is integrated with a warehouse management system (WMS) and inventory management system (IMS) lets customers know precisely how much stock is located at what sites within a customer’s network. This enables them to leverage stock network-wide to mitigate the risk of missed orders or production delays. 

WSI operates more than 13 million square feet of warehousing and has paper- and pulp-friendly warehouses across the country. Scott describes how converters and mills are leveraging WSI facilities to expand their capacity and achieve network efficiencies. 

“Most of our customers are choosing our warehouse facilities based off where their manufacturing is. So if they’re storing freight with us in our Sauk Village, Illinois facility near Chicago, those loads are delivering within a 50-mile radius from our warehouse. We have certain customers set up there that we know we’re going to ship two loads a day for. If they’re storing in Wisconsin with us, they’re distributing to the paper mills that are inside a hundred-mile radius from the warehouse. So they’re positioned very well based on wherever their final end manufacturer is going to be.” Scott Van Zeeland, WSI Sales Manager

Agility is a key attribute of transportation providers serving the paper and pulp industry today. The industry long served by paper and pulp from Canada and Mexico is seeing new international sources of raw materials that require agile supply chain adjustments. Brazil has entered the market, thanks to fast-growing trees that mature in a third of the time that it takes for Canadian hardwood to mature. Much of this stock is entering the supply chain by rail from ports.  

As a freight broker 3PL with pulp and paper expertise, WSI combines drayage, transloading, rail-served warehousing, and truckload shipping to integrate raw materials from Brazil and other countries, including Europe, into manufacturers’ and mills’ supply chains. Rail integration is an advantage a partner like WSI can provide. The cost-effective and carbon-reducing rail network aligns with top priorities of pulp and paper companies.  

As an industry, sustainability expectations are inescapable; today recycling results and carbon reduction go hand in hand. Logistics partners like WSI can perform an invaluable role in supporting pulp and paper companies’ sustainability initiatives through route and load optimization that reduces miles, policies that limit idle time, the use of modern equipment that minimizes emissions, and the use of greenhouse gas-reducing rail.

Turn On Your Paper Transportation

For paper and pulp companies today, working with a transportation partner steeped in the industry and well-versed in leading-edge technology and strategy is an absolute necessity. Talk to our team about how you can optimize your logistics to best capitalize on the opportunities ahead. We’ll deliver a plan that looks good on paper—and even better in reality.