In the design of material handling operations, optimal pallet loading configuration is a common concern for maximizing cube utilization and increasing unit load stability, but little is known about the effect of the stacking patterns on the performance of the pallet. The load carrying capacity of a pallet can change depending on the stacking patterns used due to the load redistribution as part of the effect known as load bridging. The presentation will cover the results of the latest research on the interaction between the packages, the pallets, and the material handling equipment focused on the effect of the stacking patterns in the pallet performance and load carrying capacity. During the study, five pallet stacking patterns were investigated using three pallet stiffnesses and four common support conditions.