Demountable bodies boost fleet’s bottom line

Tennessee-based Braden’s Furniture recently added four Demountable Concepts-equipped trucks and eight bodies to their fleet to streamline their delivery operation and increase their profitability. The system makes use of removable and interchangeable truck bodies that can be loaded while off a chassis.

According to Demountable Concepts, Inc. (www.demount.com), each Braden truck utilizes two bodies for maximum efficiency. When a truck returns from its route, the empty body is immediately “swapped” for one that’s been preloaded. In about five minutes the truck can be back to delivering furniture. Workers at Braden’s previously had to wait for trucks to return before they could reload them. The new system has enabled Braden’s Furniture to eliminate downtime, save on labor and fuel, and deliver more furniture per shift.

 “In the past, we paid a driver and helper team overtime to load their own trucks, but now our warehouse crew loads one body for the next set of deliveries before the driver comes back with the empty one,” explained Josh Theriot, customer relations & operations agent for Braden’s. “Thanks to the Demountable truck body system, we can load during the day and our furniture deliveries are on the road by seven a.m. the next morning.”

Braden’s also uses Demountable bodies to supplement their warehouse space. A yard truck shuttles the bodies around the facility, readying them for pickup and creating room at the dock to load additional bodies.