Ancra International announced that its Lift-A-Deck II Load Maximizing System is generating an estimated 10% to 30% increase in load averages while reducing freight damage claim experience as much as 50%.
The company said it developed the estimates from proprietary studies and analysis of companies that have installed the system, which is a patented, integrated, adjustable decking system developed by Ancra’s Cargo Systems Division. The system makes any standard trailer more productive by enabling it to carry more cargo in a safer, more secure and more stable manner.
Ancra added it provides the Lift-A-Deck product both as a new OEM installation and as a trailer up-fit or retrofit installation for existing trailing fleets. The system is applicable to all manner of trucking industry trailer models, including the typical 28-ft. “pup” trailers used by national LTL carriers, as well as 45- and 48-ft. city vans and 53-ft. trailers typically used in the long-haul truckload market.
As it completes current installation of Lift-A-Deck with several major carriers, Ancra expects to have more than 55,000 Lift-A-Deck systems on the road by 2013, making it North America’s largest adjustable decking system supplier.
According to its maker, the Lift-A-Deck II features a high-strength design that is easy to configure and delivers exceptional performance, creating multiple decking platforms for palletized freight. The system starts with a solid foundation of narrow, low-profile, aluminum aircraft-style cargo tracks. The tracks’ sloping shoulders reduce the chance of forklift damage and attach to the trailer’s vertical structural posts every 16 or 24 in., becoming an integral part of the sidewall structure.
Horizontal shoring beams clamp securely into the vertical tracks and the ends of the metal beams are each independently height-adjustable at one-inch increments. The system provides unparalleled adjustment flexibility, allowing loaders to accommodate freight pallets of varying shapes and sizes by precisely setting the right second-tier deck height. When not in use, the shoring beams can be retracted to the trailer ceiling, remaining out of the way but ready for rapid deployment during the next loading sequence, according to the company.
The lift system can be ordered as an option from all major trailer OEMs, and retrofitting existing trailers is simple and convenient. Ancra has developed a nationwide network of certified, professional installers, capable of accommodating significant installation volumes, the company added.
