ConnectedDeck system folds quickly, uses integrated lightweight decking

March 1, 2023

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Tom Berg

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Doleco USA has designed a decking system that can be fully deployed in a trailer in just a few minutes, saving enough drivers’ or dock workers’ time to pay for the product in less than a year, the company said.

Doleco showed off its ConnectedDeck system at the Technology and Maintenance Council’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Like previous double-decking systems used in LTL and other operations, Doleco’s ConnectedDeck adds capacity to a trailer. When it is not needed, it folds up into the ceiling for stowage. Unlike others, the new system is self-contained and does not require use of extra plywood or other deck materials.

ConnectedDeck folds quickly, uses integrated lightweight decking
Each section of Doleco’s ConnectedDeck system can be pulled down, folded out, and adjusted in 13 seconds, compared to about 4.5 minutes for conventional decking using plywood or other deck material that is fetched from elsewhere or outside the trailer and added to framework. (Photo courtesy Doleco USA)

ConnectedDeck consists of individual sections of aluminum-alloy framework with an integrated platform that pulls down from the trailer’s ceiling and folds out to form the base for the deck, which is made of a lightweight polypropylene. Supporting framework is secured in Doleco’s LayerLok XP tracks. Each section forms a 4- by 8-foot platform to hold cargo, and the deck’s height above the trailer floor is adjustable.

Each section can be set up in about 13 seconds compared to 4.5 minutes for a typical section of a double-decking system. Springs assist positioning of the framework, and in pushing it back into the ceiling. The resulting time savings can convert to almost $16,000 in annual savings per trailer, said Ralph Abato, president and managing director of Meriden, Conn.-based Doleco.

Installing a ConnectedDeck system in a 53-foot trailer costs $6,000 to $7,000.

More information about ConnectedDeck is at Doleco-usa.com.

Doleco USA is a subsidiary of Dortmund, Germany-based manufacturer Dolezych GmbH & Co. KG, which specializes in rope, lifting, slinging and load securing technology. The U.S. subsidiary was founded in 2013.  LL

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Tom Berg worked his way through college by driving trucks. Since 1978, he’s been writing about trucks and trucking. He holds a Class A commercial driver’s license and drives trucks as part of story research. While semi-retired, Berg still writes about semis as a contributing editor at Land Line.