Drive-Through Racking

What Is Drive-Through Racking?

Drive-in racking with an aisle on both sides. Load from the back, unload from the front: first in, first out.

Drive-through rack, open at both ends.

How It Works

  1. Load from the backNext open position, toward the front.
  2. Unload from the frontOldest pallet in the lane first.
  3. One product per laneOne SKU and date range.
  4. Two trucks at onceLoading and picking together.

Advantages of Drive-Through Racking.

  • FIFO.
  • Up to 70% more pallets than selective in the same footprint.
  • Two-sided.
  • No carts, rollers or motors.
  • Fewer aisles to refrigerate.

What to Know Before You Buy

  • Two aisles use floor a drive-in keeps.
  • No back bracing, so engineering matters more.
  • Discipline. One product per lane.

Drive-Through Racking Components

Drive-Through Racking: Upright frames. Welded frames form the walls of each lane.
Upright framesWelded frames form the walls of each lane.
Drive-Through Racking: Rail arms. Brackets that carry one rail per level.
Rail armsBrackets that carry one rail per level.
Drive-Through Racking: Pallet rails. Galvanized rails carry the pallet on its edges.
Pallet railsGalvanized rails carry the pallet on its edges.
Drive-Through Racking: Top tie beams. Keep each lane square.
Top tie beamsKeep each lane square.
Drive-Through Racking: Floor entry guides. Keep forklift wheels off the frames.
Floor entry guidesKeep forklift wheels off the frames.

Drive-Through Racking From Every Side

Drive-Through Racking: Looking through a lane. Open at the far end.
Looking through a laneOpen at the far end.
Drive-Through Racking: From the back. No backstops.
From the backNo backstops.
Drive-Through Racking: Front view. The rack face.
Front viewThe rack face.
Drive-Through Racking: Side view. Pallets several deep.
Side viewPallets several deep.
Drive-Through Racking: Top view. From above.
Top viewFrom above.

Where Drive-Through Racking Is Used

  • Food and beverage, dated product.
  • Pharma and chemical lot rotation.
  • Freezers and coolers.
  • Any strict FIFO operation.

Common questions

Drive-in or drive-through?

Drive-in for maximum density. Drive-through when the oldest pallet must leave first.

Can an existing drive-in rack be opened up?

Sometimes, if the back is not against a wall and the bracing can be re-engineered.

How deep can a drive-through lane be?

Four to eight pallets is common. Deeper lanes hold more but are slower to work.

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