LOADING
Loading on the Khorgos line: curtain-side trailer, 80 CBM, lashing
On this page
- What this page covers — and what it does not
- Curtain-side loading is not container stuffing
- 80 CBM and 22 tonnes: both limits at once
- Stacking order: package strength and delivery point
- Lashing: timber, dunnage, straps and wrap
- Lifting and out-of-gauge pieces: declare before loading
- After loading: measure, photograph, seal
- Who loads, and what sits outside the quote
- Five things to send with the enquiry
- FAQ
This page covers one stage only: the loading bay. Cargo goes onto a curtain-side trailer at the origin warehouse, gets lashed, measured and sealed, and the truck leaves China at Khorgos. The Khorgos line runs Xinjiang → Kazakhstan → Uzbekistan → Turkmenistan → Iran, delivered CPT / DAP to Tehran West, Aprin or Mashhad customs. The equipment is a tilt trailer or curtain-side trailer, not a container, so the plan is built around this load on this trailer rather than around a box number. No freight figure appears here, and no day count is published for the Khorgos line.
- Khorgos line: Xinjiang → Kazakhstan → Uzbekistan → Turkmenistan → Iran
- Equipment is a tilt trailer or curtain-side trailer, not a container
- No more than 80 CBM and no more than 22 tonnes per trailer; any excess is reviewed separately
- Lashing and lifting are outside the quote and charged on what the load actually needs
- The quote covers China-side warehousing, handling and export declaration; delivery is CPT / DAP to destination customs, not door-to-door and not DDP
What this page covers — and what it does not
You are on this page during the few days when the shipment is booked and the truck is being planned. It describes the work at the ramp and its boundaries: how cargo is measured, stacked, lashed and sealed, and which items are billed separately. It does not give a rate, does not give a fixed Khorgos day range, and does not promise that a particular packing will clear a particular border — those are confirmed per shipment. The Wuqia line through Kyrgyzstan is a different route with its own pages on this site; it is not mixed in here.
Curtain-side loading is not container stuffing
The side curtains open, cargo goes in from the side, and the sequence can follow the actual shape of the goods. The trade-off is that no steel wall holds the load: the forces between packages have to be handled by stacking and lashing. So the plan follows this cargo, this packing and this trailer, and is not copied from another shipment. Where one file contains several package types, list them in groups on the packing list first — crates, pallets, coils and loose pieces carry load differently, and mixed stacking damages the bottom layer first.
80 CBM and 22 tonnes: both limits at once
The published limit is no more than 80 CBM and no more than 22 tonnes per trailer. Both apply at the same time, and anything above either one is excess, reviewed separately. Volume is measured on packed outer dimensions, not on the bare product. Gross weight includes pallets, timber, stretch wrap and dunnage, because all of it goes over the weighbridge. A load can sit under the volume limit and still fail on a single over-width, over-height or over-length piece, so send single-piece dimensions before the loading day.
Stacking order: package strength and delivery point
Heavy at the bottom, light on top is the baseline, but package strength decides the rest: cartons, crates and pallets should not be laid on their side. One trailer carries one destination customs. A shipment split between Tehran West and Mashhad is two transport arrangements quoted separately, not one trailer unloaded along the way. Tell the loading team in advance which positions are fragile, crush-sensitive or moisture-sensitive; that conversation is worth more before loading than after.
Lashing: timber, dunnage, straps and wrap
Lashing is done while loading, not added afterwards as a formality. Timber and dunnage separate cargo groups, straps bind a group into one body, and stretch wrap keeps a stack from toppling or taking damp. Lashing is not in the quote; it is charged on the materials and hours this load actually uses. The loading team chooses the method on the day from the cargo, and the shipper is the one who says which faces cannot be loaded and which pieces must stay upright.
Lifting and out-of-gauge pieces: declare before loading
Where a single piece is too heavy or too large to move by hand, a crane or forklift is needed, and lifting is likewise outside the quote. Declare the single-piece weight, length, width and height at enquiry stage, along with whether it can lie on its side or be stacked. Discovering on the loading day that a piece cannot be lifted changes the truck's whole schedule, not just that one item.
After loading: measure, photograph, seal
Measure the packed outer dimensions again once the trailer is full, then check piece count, gross weight and volume against the packing list and the invoice — all three documents have to describe the same goods. Then photograph the seals and record the seal numbers. Under TIR the goods are sealed at origin and one carnet travels with the truck, so there are fewer openings and trailer changes than on ordinary road freight — but fewer is not none, and the seal numbers plus each break-and-reseal record are the evidence chain for that shipment, including at handover at Iran customs.
Who loads, and what sits outside the quote
The quote covers the China-side leg: warehousing, handling and export declaration. Lashing, lifting, inspection, destination clearance and insurance are not in the quote and are charged as they occur. Delivery is CPT / DAP to destination customs — Tehran West, Aprin or Mashhad — and Iran clearance is handled by the consignee and their licensed broker. No door-to-door, no DDP. Schedule and transit time for the Khorgos line are confirmed per shipment; this site does not publish a fixed day range.
Five things to send with the enquiry
Origin hub, destination customs, cargo description with HS code, gross weight in kilograms, and packed volume in CBM. On cargo class, general goods are the baseline; chemicals, dangerous goods and branded goods need documents reviewed first; lithium batteries need a complete 16-section MSDS plus UN packing certification, and a review is not an acceptance — it is confirmed again for that shipment before loading. Send the missing item first; quotes go out by email with a validity date.
FAQ
How is a curtain-side trailer different from a container?
A curtain-side trailer or tilt trailer opens at the side and the load is planned around this shipment. The Khorgos line moves cargo on these trailers, not in containers.
Can one trailer take 100 CBM?
The published limit is no more than 80 CBM and no more than 22 tonnes per trailer. Both limits apply at once, and any excess is priced separately.
Why is lashing not included in the quote?
Lashing depends on the materials and hours this particular load needs, and cargo varies too much for one figure. It can be confirmed separately before loading.
How many days does the Khorgos line take?
This site does not publish a fixed day range for the Khorgos line. Send the origin hub, destination customs and cargo data and the schedule is confirmed for that shipment.
Related: Starting at Khorgos · CBM and gross weight for a quote · Checking a Khorgos line quote