With a view to adding scheduling flexibility and efficient deliveries, Demountable Concepts www.demount.com has developed a new demountable, or ‘body swap’ system that can be used with smaller, class 3-5 delivery trucks. The company claims users can make more deliveries per day while reducing rush loading and double handling by using multiple demountable bodies with each truck in their fleet.

Instead of pulling and staging orders and then loading them into the truck when it returns from its route, the entire order can be loaded directly into a free-standing demountable body — not attached to a truck — at the terminal or warehouse.

In practice, drivers can get on the road early in the morning because bodies are loaded the night before. During the day, second bodies are loaded at the warehouse while trucks make deliveries. In the evening, trucks return and drivers swap empty bodies for loaded ones to be ready for the next day’s deliveries. The swap takes less than 10 minutes, the manufacturer says.

A similar system has been available for some time for larger straight trucks, as pictured above. A slightly different design protects the payload capacity of smaller trucks, in which the system uses crank-down legs that are removed instead of stored under the body, as they are with larger vehicles. Each truck’s chassis is equipped with a lock-down apparatus that facilitates mounting and demounting.

The key advantage is that companies can spend less to increase delivery capacity by acquiring additional bodies instead of new trucks. The system can also reduce or eliminate overtime loading since free-standing bodies can be loaded during regular business hours while  trucks are on delivery.

Demountable Concepts has installation and service centers throughout North America and works with truck body builders and leasing companies "to ensure seamless installation."