Load Securement in a Reefer Trailer
Is it possible to add e-track to a reefer trailer?
If you purchased or are considering buying a refrigerated semi-trailer and are wondering if it’s possible to add an e-track, the answer is yes. E-track can be surface or flush mounted to the sides of that 53′ used reefer trailer you are considering buying.
E-track offers several ways to secure your cargo in a reefer trailer. Here are some examples.
Less Than Load (LTL)
Trailers that deliver to multiple stops are typically referred to as Less-than-Load. Cargo is loaded into the trailer according to its stop along the delivery route. As product is offloaded, the trailer becomes less than a fully loaded trailer.
In a less-than-load trailer, shippers will use e-track, installed on the inside walls of the reefer trailer, to secure their cargo. One or more horizontal rows of e-track offer multiple options for securement. E-track straps and E-beams secure the product to the e-track.
E-straps and e-beams are often the preferred option for securing products over the Standard Load Bar, as there is no fear of damaging the reefer’s interior walls. Whereas a Standard Load Bar, if cranked too hard, could puncture through the ceiling or the sidewall of the reefer trailer.
An added benefit to having surface mounted E-track installed inside your reefer trailer is that it serves as a rub rail to protect the walls from damage. Raised roughly a 1/2 of an inch from the wall’s surface, the e-track helps keep freight and tow motors from rubbing up against the liner of the reefer trailer and tearing it when loading and unloading cargo.
Securing Milk Crates – Dairy Industry
In the dairy industry, many shippers use e-beams to secure their load. The milk crates are floor loaded and stacked high. Running three rows of e-track, they secure the crates with e-beams at each level to keep them in place and from falling.
Securing Rolling Carts – Retail Store Delivery
Many retail stores are running LTL 48-foot trailers using rolling carts.
Order pickers, fill rolling carts with the product, and load them into the trailer. As carts are offloaded at each stop along the delivery route, the load must be adjusted and secured throughout the delivery route.
Because the carts often do not run straight from side to side in the trailer, e-beams may not be the best solution to keep your carts secure. Instead, e-straps offer the flexibility to secure them in various positions and locations along the roadside and curbside of the trailer, locking the strap into the e-track to tighten and secure the load properly.
Stacking Cargo
Some shippers transporting delicate cargo will create multiple levels within the trailer to stack and protect the cargo.
By installing e-track at various heights from floor to ceiling and placing plywood on top of the e-beams locked into the e-track on the roadside and curbside, they create shelving at multiple levels to stack products.
The floral industry uses this system for flowers, bulbs, and plants.
Installing E-track
When purchasing a used or new equipment trailer, it is likely a stock trailer and will not be equipped with e-track.
The installation of the E-track, no matter the height or number of rows, can all be installed after the trailer purchase, and with no damage to the exterior or interior of the trailer, and will take 4-8 hours, depending on the number of rows being installed.
Utility Keystone Trailers uses stainless steel high-quality grade fasteners to install the track to the side post of the reefer trailer.
Which is Best, Flush Mounted or Surface Mounted E-Track?
Surface-mounted e-track reduces the interior width of your reefer trailer. If you install a surface-mounted e-track, you will lose approximately one inch of the standard 102-inch wide inside width of the trailer.
With a Flush mounted e-track system, you will not sacrifice the 102″ inside spacing of the trailer, but it is slightly more invasive than the standard surface mount.
Please get in touch with the Utility Keystone Trailer Service Center to install e-track in your semi-trailer.