Our niche in the trucking industry is to keep a plant productive until a tractor-trailer arrives with the amount of product a customer needs.  Our load usually consists of a couple of pallets that comes nowhere close to filling up our box. 
 
In ten years of Expediting I can only think of a couple of times when the box of our truck has been full.   We carry a lot of freight handling equipment including a pallet jack, piano dollies, plywood to cover floors or build ramps, load bars, blankets, and various sizes of straps to name just a few things.  The first two feet of our box is used to store everything we carry and the pallet jack is strapped to the inside of the box. 
 
We take freight securement very seriously since we often carry such a small amount.  We have had pallets nailed to the floor, freight nailed to the inside of the wall of the box, had freight wrapped up in a blanket and then secured, and lined up down the center of the box.  As a dry box we have it much easier then the refrigeratored expedite trucks, as we do not have to worry about air flow.  
 
With many of our loads the pallet jack is stowed away inside one of the pallets the freight sits on but not this time.  This was a floor load and there was not an inch of room to spare to put the pallet jack back into the box.  Bob put on his thinking cap and figured out a way to secure the pallet jack. 
 
Everything rode fine and as soon as we unloaded the pallet jack went back into its customary place of honor.
 

Comments (7)

Linda Caffee

Bob and Linda started their driver careers after their children left home for college in 2000. Bob started as a driver for a large motor carrier with Linda as a rider. They decided to enter the Expedite industry as team drivers in 2005 and purchased their first Freightliner. Both, Bob and Linda have had their Class A licenses since the early 80's starting out driving in the oil field and hauling grain as fill in drivers where Bob worked as a diesel mechanic. Linda worked at the local country courthouse in data processing.

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TALK ABOUT MAKEING ROOM!!THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!!

May 06, 2014 17:24:59 PM

Kurt that is a great idea and once again proving that if there is a will there is a way.

May 04, 2014 7:29:14 AM

I recently had a shipment that I was so tight for space I had to unbolt the pallet jack handle, and tip the pallet jack up vertically and secure.

May 02, 2014 19:23:39 PM

Lorence it would be interesting if there was a way to store a pallet jack outside. We know another straight truck driver that made a very interesting holder for his pallet jack using his dolly legs. It was a really nice setup. I am glad we do not run into this problem often.

May 02, 2014 17:17:19 PM

Looks like the trailer companies should start making their trailers with something to secure a pallet jack on the rear of the trailer like those flatbeds with the forklift on the rear!

May 02, 2014 16:44:52 PM

The pallet jack road safely and securely from Las Vegas to Mississippi until we were ready to unload! We checked it often and it never moved.

May 02, 2014 14:41:40 PM

That is certainly a creative way to haul the pallet jack! But hey, if it is safe and it works then it's a great solution.

May 02, 2014 13:25:38 PM