Holes in Deck

Those holes aren't big, doubt many shippers will cause a fuse.

But, I definitely would replace that lumber asap. Not expensive and won't take that long.

 

If you can't or don't want to change the wood in Dec/Jan I would suggest silicone sealed nailed or screwed down metal covers (tin can type metal). This will stop moisture coming up under a load without being a "speed bump" on your deck.
That wood does look badly weathered and I would be concerned that if needed nails would not hold in it. Changing the wood as soon as you can would be a priority for me, and 3 or more coats of boiled linseed oil before final screw-down is a good way to slow weathering of the new wood.

 

What wood would you recommend? My trailer was manufactured with apitong, which does make for great trailer decking, but it doesn't come cheap.

 

Apitong is the only way to go, one strip or two in the middle won’t be costly compare to doing the whole trailer if it was needed. And like mentioned, linseed for a seal. It will last forever. The aluminum deck I would weld or fine someone to patch/weld a piece.

 

Apitong would be best but white oak is a good second best. White oak really needs boiled linseed oil(BLO) but it is a good weatherproof wood in its own right. You should consider a coat over all your wood once per year when you can let it set up for 24 hours or more. Also consider carrying a small bottle of BLO to squirt into nail holes when the nails are pulled to preserve the wood longer.

 

I've only had one shipper worried about holes in the deck, and it was because his foot fell into one. I've got several 1" diameter holes where the A frames used to bolt down, and nobody has ever refused to load or even mentioned it.

 

Since it looks like the wood is in the centre nailing strip l wouldn't worry about it. The only time I've seen loaders look at the deck is when they are dock loading with a fork truck. Since the damage isn't where the fork truck tires would normally go the damage shouldn't be a concern. I would get it fixed but that's just me lol As a side note always try to have the fork truck drive on the rails as much as possible.