The double deck debate

Transdek recommends the introduction of a new loading bay height at distribution centres for handling high volumes of deliveries through fixed double deck trailers. Simon Duddy caught up with md Mark Adams to talk about the challenges facing double deck distribution.

Have you received support for your proposal? Several customers have expressed interest in developing new-build dcs with double deck bays at 900mm above ground. But this is just one of the issues raised by the operation of double deck vehicles - a way of making the loading of these highcube money-saving trailers more cost effective. The incentive of saving up to 40% on transport costs is a very strong one. Parcel carriers and pallet networks have embraced double decking wholeheartedly. Yet large swathes of the industry are resistant.

Carriers of high-density products gain no benefit from double decking, their loads reach weight limits well before they can benefit from the extra cubic capacity, and small operators often do not require the volume.

These are obvious reasons for avoiding double decking - although if collaboration became more of a reality than a dream, then more operators could benefit from the efficiency gains.However, there are other, less obvious obstacles, such as the relationship between logistics service providers (LSPs) and their customers.Where 3PLs or 4PLs are involved, the incentive to shift towards double decking is often muddied by the question of 'who pays for any new investment versus who gets the benefit?'We have come across situations where LSPs have refused to offer double-deck cost incentive to their customer because they would not be able to make efficient backhauls.

Then there are more specific concerns about how to get double deck trailers in to sites and how to load and unload them. New loading systems have enabled the introduction of double deck deliveries to sites without raised docks, for example. Finding re-active ways around issues is one thing. But we are asking the industry as a whole to consider how to design and prepare new sites for the most effective introduction of double deck trailers.

Who are the key people you need to convince? The main drivers in this situation are the big retailers and manufacturers.

They are expanding operations and stand to make the biggest savings.

However, so much of the UK's logistics business is operated by the LSPs that it is imperative they embrace double decking, rather than seeing it as a headache - which is often the case.When it comes to design and build, architects and contractors play a crucial role. All parties need to work together.

You have trialed the approach with turnaround times cut to 50mins.Can you put a cash value on this? It's difficult, but there are definite savings to be made. A case that illustrates the concept is that of TJ Morris, the Home Bargains retailer.

By fitting wheel ramps in front of its retrofit double deck lift installations, the company has effectively achieved the same advantage the 900mm dock provides. Products can be run straight off the lower vehicle deck into the warehouse. TJ Morris is able to handle up to 20 double deck trailers on a single bay in each 24-hour period.Without this loading speed, they would require two docks to service the same volume of vehicles - a quantifiable added cost.

Is the call for a new double deck loading height premature given the EU is still to confirm a maximum height for trailers? I don't think the proposal we've put forward is premature as innovative concepts have a habit of taking some time to trickle through into practice.

I'd be pleasantly surprised if there was an instant rush to build new sites with 900mm docks.

In reality, even the leading double deck trailer operators have a relatively low number of dedicated delivery bays compared to single deck bays.

Even when the percentage of product double decked on primary or secondary distribution runs gets quite high, the majority of inbound bays are still geared around single deck vehicles. This is due to backhauling from suppliers that are not able to service double deck vehicles or where the volumes don't stack up. Even at dcs geared towards double decking, you're typically looking at 20-30% of bays being designed specifically to handle double deck trailers.

Is the argument with the EU being won? The arguments for keeping the existing height in the UK are so strong and the case against so weak, that it is difficult to see how it could turn out any other way. According to the DfT and a recent report from Heriot-Watt University, there are around 7,000 double deck trailers in operation in the UK, which is about 3.5% of the total 44-tonne vehicle fleet. These statistics show that even this relatively small amount of vehicles is generating savings of some 260 million miles, £203 million and 222,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. We estimate that, given careful thought and widespread collaboration, this figure could be increased to about 30% of the 44-tonne fleet, providing almost 10 times the savings.

The DfT is trialling longer semi-trailers.Will this present loading bay challenges? At larger hubs, where space is not an issue, then the integration of these vehicles will doubtless be pretty smooth. But at smaller, spacerestricted sites, there could well be problems accessing loading bays.

However, operators will be well aware of this and will no doubt make sure that they use their longer vehicles on specified routes, where they won't run into any real challenges.