AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Mechanical Handling Speeds Up Transport Service

6th June 1947, Page 35
6th June 1947
Page 35
Page 35, 6th June 1947 — Mechanical Handling Speeds Up Transport Service
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

An American Operator of 700 Vehicles Builds a Modern Terminal for Goods, in which Freight is moved on Trolleys Attached to an Overhead Conveyer 800 ft. long

AS the first part of a million-dollar expansion and modernization programme at the company's Portland aeadquarters, Consolidated Freightways, Inc., has completed a large terminal building in which mechanical handling is used to a high degree. The company operates 700 vehicles over more than 12,000 route-miles, has 67 terminals, and serves 11 states between Oakland and Seattle in the west and Chicago in the east.

The key to efficient handling of freight is an 800-ft. overhead chain conveyer system, which moves at a speed of 100 ft. per minute. It enables most of the dock area, measuring 400 ft. by 80 ft., to be used.

54 Towing Points There are 54 points on the chain at which the masts of three-wheeled and four-wheeled trolleys can be attached. These trucks are capable of carrying up to 2,000 lb. and the masts are of telescopic construction so that they can easily be raised or lowered for engagement or disengagement with the chain. There are 225 trolleys of different types. Specially built three-wheelers are provided for handling heavy crates and barrels, and loads of unusual length can be accommodated partly on trailers hauled by the trolleys.

The freight dock is served by power lifts, and one end of the terminal is reserved for a 10-ton overhead electric crane, there being a 130-ft. runway for operation and storage. The crane can be used for loading and unloading direct from road vehicles. Another facility is a cold store for perishable foods.

Control of work is facilitated by a public-address system. with speaking stations at advantageous points.

Bills of lading accompany the trolleys to the storage zones. Blackboards on the trolleys are marked to indicate the

appropriate zones. After the goods have been placed in the road vehicles, the bills are dispatched through pneumatic tubes to rating and billing offices. The pneumatic tube system is more than a mile long.

Already increased efficiency and speed have reduced handling costs. Fewer claims are now experienced on account of discrepancies and damage to merchandise. As a result of mechanization. freight seldom has to be handled more than twice at the terminal.

Moreover, the use of the conveyerdriven trolleys facilitates the consolidation of shipments. An entire consignment can be kept together throughout handling operations. Accidents have also been reduced.

The terminal building is of T plan, the offices being housed in the 170-ft. crossbar of the building. Welfare amenities have received special attention. There is a lower floor of more than 40,000 sq. ft., divided into sections for packing, crating, and miscellaneous storage.


comments powered by Disqus