A booming economy is great until you have to figure out how your operation is going to keep up with the increased demand.
Fleets and independents alike have to grapple with the simple, yet vexing limitations of available man-hours and vehicle capacity when it comes to moving freight. New routing and scheduling algorithms can help, but they can’t address the ultimate barriers imposed by a labor force with more options.
There are plenty of good jobs to be had in this economy, and while the shipping industry continues to struggle to find enough drivers to meet its current needs, there is widespread speculation that there won’t be enough of them to man the record-breaking truck and trailer orders already in the pipeline. What if, as many experts predict, the economic expansion continues, pushing us beyond our maximum throughput?
“I recently heard a speaker at an industry conference work through the math and propose that the trucking industry is on the verge of essentially ‘maxing-out’ on the volume it can cope with,” said Scott Frazier, national account manager for Kinedyne LLC. “I believe one way to change the equation is to focus on increasing a vehicle’s cargo capacity, and Kinedyne has a solution that has a successful track record spanning more than two decades.”
Kinedyne’s Kaptive Beam Double Decking System increases profits by boosting a trailer’s load capacities by up to 100%. The system can help maximize a trailer’s total available cargo space, and allows easy loading and unloading access of two cargo levels.
“The Kaptive Beam system transforms a refrigerated trailer into a super-productive, super-capacity, super reefer,” said Frazier, “with the ability to hold double the cargo it otherwise could.”
The system’s beams glide on wall-mounted tracks and store at ceiling height when not in use, and when used properly, won’t damage a reefer’s flexible ductwork. Because the beams remain on their tracks, never leaving the trailer, they don’t become tripping hazards and will never be left behind on the dock. The Kaptive Beam system is fully adjustable accommodating cargo of varying dimensions and heights, and is not only easy, but also intuitive to operate using bare hands and the system’s beam adjustment tool.
The Kaptive Beam Double Decking System must be installed during trailer construction and works best in scenarios where the entire vehicle is being used for frozen or refrigerated cargo. The system favors 28- to 53-foot trailers without ancillary ductwork, or ceiling-mounted ductwork that is low profile and centered, but can accommodate other duct configurations as well.
This system is designed exclusively to support palletized cargo, though non-palletized floor-loaded and mixed cargo can be stowed below. It is perfect for use with products that are fragile, can’t be stacked and those susceptible to damage if double-stacked.
Cargo compartments of many reefers are segregated into three chambers. The most forward chamber, often closest to the refrigeration unit, is commonly reserved for frozen cargo. The adjoining mid-ship chamber is often used for refrigerated cargo. The rearmost chamber may be used for dry and packaged products. Many fleets also configure trailers with unrefrigerated chambers in their midsection, enabling workers entry to both adjacent frozen and refrigerated sections through the mid-ship door. In chambered reefers, the Kaptive Beam works best when installed in the rear chamber.
As a cargo, seafood presents a number of challenges. The containers come in odd shapes, and because the product is often still alive, can be easily damaged, so loads can’t be stacked. Additionally, seafood is a value-dense cargo, and even minor product losses can be extremely expensive.
Like most others engaged in moving refrigerated seafood, one supermarket chain was forced to floor-load everything and was unable to fit more than 24 pallets in any load. In order to satisfy demand, the supermarket chain was making two to three runs a day from its central Pennsylvania shipping location to its distribution hub in central New York state.
After the purchase of one Vanguard reefer fitted with the Kaptive Beam system, the supermarket chain was able to double the load capacity of 53-ft reefers. It moved from 24 palletized containers to 48, essentially taking the original loadable floor space from 450.5 to 901 square feet of usable cargo area.
“Kinedyne usually tells customers to expect a Kaptive Beam System to pay for itself within three months,” said Frazier. “The supermarket chain has reported that it calculates the cost savings associated with just a single Kaptive Beam System to be about $400,000 annually.”
Since the mid ‘90s, Kinedyne has been supplying the Kaptive Beam Double Decking System to the trucking industry. Today, the system comes in two versions; the original K1 and the newer K2.
The K2 system was recently upgraded. Its new head assembly trigger profile interfaces with the revised, grooved head design of the beam adjustment tool, making the system’s operation much smoother and efficient even in refrigerated environments. The trigger now features an angled lip that enables the beam adjustment tool to make a more secure connection, making locking, unlocking and adjustment of beam height faster and easier.
The system’s foot and guide shoe components are made of rugged anodized aluminum, and the locking pawl is made of steel. Head assemblies with the new high-performance locking trigger design can be purchased separately and can replace existing head assemblies on any older K2 model Kaptive Beam Decking System.
Kinedyne offers a service to all existing and prospective Kaptive Beam customers to help accurately assess needs before purchase and to assure maximum ROI after purchase. The Kinedyne Solutions Team, a group within the Kinedyne organization, provides a Train the Trainer Program for dry van and refrigerated fleets that purchase the Kaptive Beam Decking System.
Access www.kinedyne.com for full details.
