Freight glossaryCargo HandlingContainersWarehousing
Devanning
Definition
Devanning is unloading freight from a shipping container, also called stripping or container unloading.
What it means
The opposite is stuffing, or loading a container. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey describes a container freight station as a dock where cargo is "loaded/stuffed or unloaded/stripped from containers."[1]
Palletized containers are devanned by forklift or pallet jack; floor-loaded containers are unloaded carton by carton, often onto a conveyor or straight onto pallets. Before a powered industrial truck enters a trailer or container, brakes are set and wheel chocks placed, and the floor is checked for breaks or weakness.[2] A good devan starts with photos of the seal and the door face and a count against the packing list.
Example
A 40-ft container backs into a dock door. The seal number is photographed and checked against the bill of lading, the doors are opened carefully, the load is photographed, and the pallets come off by forklift and are counted against the packing list.
Related
Related terms
- Floor-Loaded FreightFloor-loaded freight is cartons stacked directly on the floor of a container or trailer, without pallets...Glossary
- TransloadingTransloading is moving freight from one type of transport equipment to another on the way to its destination...Glossary
- Container Freight StationA container freight station (CFS) is a facility where cargo is loaded into or unloaded from containers...Glossary
- Container SealA container seal is a numbered, tamper-evident device locked through a container's door hardware after...Glossary
- Packing ListA packing list is a document that details what is in each package of a shipment: the contents, quantities...Glossary
- Overages, Shortages and DamagesOverages, shortages and damages (OS&D) is the receiving record of freight that arrived over the expected...Glossary
Related tools
Related freight problems
Related guides
Sources
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, “Truckers Resource Guidebook (revised July 2023),” Port authority guidance. Published July 2023. Accessed September 30, 2026.
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, “29 CFR § 1910.178, Powered industrial trucks,” Federal regulation. Accessed September 2026.
General operational information, not legal, customs or regulatory advice. Rules and rates change; confirm current requirements with the agency, carrier or contract that governs your shipment.