Doleco’s new trailer decking system for LTL carriers reduces assembly time by 95%, taking what used to be a five-minute job and making it possible in just 13 seconds.

Introduced at the Technology & Maintenance Council’s annual spring meeting, the ConnectedDeck system is also significantly lighter weight and more durable than competitive designs, Doleco officials claimed.

An LTL Fleet with 1,000 trailers can save US$15.8 million a year in labor costs thanks to the time savings, company president Ralph Abato said. The system pairs self-leveling deck beams with composite panels, creating an easily adjustable decking system that stores at ceiling height when not in use.

No disassembly is required and the tracks are installed using a strong adhesive, avoiding rivets. A common dock hook or fifth wheel pin puller can be used to release the system – no special tools are required.

“Time is a critical factor for LTL carriers in particular, so bad weather, freight volume fluctuations and manpower variations can mean trouble. Time savings of this magnitude can make a fleet more resilient to those other variables, and since the majority of LTL fleets already use some form of captive decking system, the cost of such a system is already baked into their economic cake,” Abato said.

A spring system allows the unit to lift itself, unassisted, to ceiling height when not needed.

“No longer will dock workers have to search for special release tools, spend time adjusting single beams one side at a time, or have to exit the trailer multiple times to retrieve heavy sheets of plywood or other decking material,” said Steve Downing, product manager of deck systems for Doleco.

“ConnectedDeck is easier, faster and 95% more time effective than any other decking system. By creating an easy-to-access, easily manipulated, complete cargo platform, the ConnectedDeck System eliminates the time-wasting steps associated with earlier captive decking solutions — this is truly a transformative technological advancement.”