Pool-marked plastic pallets and ownership
A pool-marked plastic pallet carries another company's name, logo or RFID tag and may belong to that pool, not to whoever holds it. We will not sell what is not ours to sell, and this guide explains how to tell and what to do.
- Pool pallet owner
- The pool operator
- For resale
- Not as ordinary used stock
- Marks to look for
- Names, logos, RFID tags
- What we do
- Hold them back
What a pool is and why it matters
Pooling is renting pallets from an owner who tracks and collects them. Pool pallets are not ordinary used stock because they were never the holder's. Common pool pallets carry the owner's name or logo on the side and often an RFID tag, which is a radio tag moulded or fixed into the pallet so it can be tracked.
What the record shows
| Case | Outcome |
|---|---|
| California AB 1760 (2022) | A recycler may take possession of stray proprietary pallets if the owner cannot be identified or fails to retrieve them in time, with a 35-day period before they can be declared abandoned |
| CHEP and California recyclers | CHEP sued two recyclers over CHEP-marked pallets they would not return; a Los Angeles court granted CHEP's motion to retrieve pallets in one case |
| Quebec, 2011 | A court ruled that identified blue CHEP pallets belong to CHEP and cannot be sold |
| Los Angeles County, 2011 | A task force recovered over $250,000 of illegally obtained plastic pallets, including iGPS pallets, from a plastic recycler |
What to do about a marked lot
If you are unsure whether a mark is an owner's or a maker's, send us a photograph through the contact form. A maker's raised logo or part number is not an ownership claim.
- Do not sell, trade or scrap the marked pallets.
- Photograph every mark and tag.
- Separate marked pallets from the rest of the lot.
- Contact the owner named on the mark to arrange retrieval.
- Sell the unmarked pallets as an ordinary used lot.
What to do when you find a marked pallet
If a lot includes pallets marked with a pool operator's name, a company logo or an RFID tag, set them aside. Some states have rules about what a recycler can do with stray proprietary pallets, and in California the law lets a recycler take possession only if the owner cannot be identified or fails to retrieve them in time. Tell the desk, and ask the owner or pool operator what they want done.
Marks that are easy to miss
Pool marks are not always a painted logo. They can be a moulded name along a runner, a coloured block, a bar code label, or an RFID tag set into a deck. Look at both sides and in the fork pockets. A mark that is faded may still be legible under raking light, and a label that is peeled may leave an outline. When in doubt, set the pallet aside and ask.
A kit for the walk-around
- A steel tape that reads both inches and millimetres.
- A torch for the underside, where hairline cracks hide in shadow.
- A straight edge about a metre long to test decks for bow and dishing.
- Gloves, because burrs and weld beads cut skin.
- A phone, a pen and a numbered sheet so every pallet checked gets a mark.
Sorting a lot into piles
- Pile one: whole pallets with flat decks, square corners and no repairs.
- Pile two: whole pallets with a repair or a mismatched piece, kept separate and counted.
- Pile three: pallets with a crack through a load path, set aside for repair or scrap.
- Pile four: marked pallets that may belong to someone else, held until the owner is known.
- Write the pile count on a board by the stacks, and photograph it each morning.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Deck: deck marks and tags photographed
- 2Corners: corner logos photographed
- 3Runners: runner marks photographed
- 4Fork pockets: pocket tags photographed
- Owner contacted before any sale
Words used on this page
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- Pooling
- Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.
What the sources say
- In December 2011 a Los Angeles County Sheriff task force recovered over $250,000 of illegally obtained plastic pallets, including iGPS pallets, from a plastic recycler. eponline.com
- In 2011 a Quebec court ruled that CHEP's identified blue pallets belong to CHEP and cannot be sold. palletenterprise.com
- Static capacity is the highest of the three ratings; racking is often the lowest; dynamic is always lower than static. nelsoncompany.com
- Plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy; a typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb. en.wikipedia.org
How a request works
- Pick the footprint, then the grade you can live with.
- Say what the pallets will carry and how many you need.
- Read the written lot description that comes back.
- Agree the lot before anything moves.
The four grades, in a line each
- Like new. A few trips only. Clean, no cracks, no missing parts, deck and runners flat.
- Used and clean. Many trips, scuffs and colour variation, but whole and usable for general-purpose or closed-loop work.
- Repaired. A cracked or chipped part welded or swapped. Some designs use snap-lock parts for repair.
- Mixed lot. Mixed makers, colours and sizes sold by the truckload, sorted by footprint.
Questions people ask
Can I buy pool-marked pallets?
We do not sell them. They may belong to the pool operator.
Can I sell pallets I found with a logo?
Not without checking ownership. California law has a defined process for strays.
How do I tell a maker's logo from an owner's?
A maker's mark is raised and part of the moulding. An owner's name, logo or tag is applied or tracked. Send a photograph if unsure.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.