How much floor space does drive-in rack actually save?

Trading aisles for lanes typically shrinks the footprint for the same pallet count by roughly a third, sometimes more in a taller building. We give you the side-by-side numbers in the layout rather than a rule of thumb.

What's the difference between drive-in and drive-through rack?

Drive-in is open at one end and runs LIFO - highest density. Drive-through is open at both ends and allows FIFO, at the cost of some positions and a second access aisle.

Does drive-in slow down put-away?

It can, since the truck has to travel into the lane for every pallet. It works best for bulk moves rather than piece picking - pairing it with a selective pick face keeps daily order fulfillment from bogging down.

How do you keep lift trucks from damaging the rack?

Floor-mounted guide rails steer the truck through the lane, and column guards plus rail-end protection absorb the contact that still happens. Both get specified with the system up front, not bolted on after the first repair.

How do you handle a seasonal peak when we need more positions for a few months?

We size the base system for normal operations and can price temporary or add-on positions separately for peak season, so you are not carrying idle steel the other nine months of the year.

Our dock is tight and we cannot receive a full truckload at once. Does that change anything?

It changes the delivery plan, not the design. We stage material in smaller drops timed to your receiving hours, and sequence installation zone by zone so a tight dock does not hold up the schedule.

Drive-In Rack system inside a Kentucky warehouse

Covington, Kentucky

Drive-Through Racking in Covington, Kentucky

Name: Cincinnati Pallet Racks - Covington
Address: 2345 Ashland Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45206, US
Telephone: (513) 957-3017
Price range: $$

If your Covington operation is dealing with the same SKU stored in five different places because the rack is only one deep, that is a storage design problem, not a leasing problem. Drive-In Rack is built for exactly that situation — it turns the unused clear height in a Latonia building into working pallet positions instead of aisle.

We size the drive-through racking around your pallets, your lift trucks, and the clear height in your Latonia building, factoring in bulk SKUs held deep while the pick face stays selective. You get a drawing and a line-item price for the Latonia site, not a rough estimate. Call (513) 957-3017 and we will start a Covington layout.

(513) 957-3017

Why Covington Warehouses Work With Us

Warehouses in and around the Covington riverfront tend to be constrained by something specific: a low sprinkler line, tight columns, or a dock that will not take a full truck at once. Those details decide a Covington design, not a standard drawing.

As part of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co., we have designed storage for light manufacturing and regional distribution operators around the Covington riverfront since 1997 — enough history that the highest density available for a small number of SKUs rarely surprises us mid-project.

We also keep the Covington drive-in rack layout on file, so adding a bay next year or replacing a bent frame does not start from scratch.

Free warehouse consultation

CAD layout with position counts

Installation by trusted installation partners

Operations We Rack Around Here

Nearby areas we work in regularly include Latonia, the Covington riverfront, Madison Avenue corridor.

Light manufacturing

Beverage and packaging

Regional distribution

Building products

Drive-in pallet rack lanes fitted with continuous rails

Drive-in warehouse racking loaded with bulk pallets

How Drive-In Rack Works

No aisles. The forklift enters the structure, and the floor holds more pallets per square foot than any other system.

Continuous rails, not beams

Pallets rest on rails carried by upright frames rather than individual beam levels, so a lane accepts pallet after pallet at the same elevation.

The truck enters the lane

The driver travels inside the bay to place or retrieve each load. Lane width, rail height, and mast clearance get dimensioned to that specific truck, not a generic one.

One open end or two

One open end gives LIFO and the highest density available. Two open ends give FIFO with slightly fewer positions, since each lane now needs clearance from both sides.

Guarding built into the design

Guide rails, column guards, and rail-end protection are part of the spec from the start, because a lane that takes daily contact from forklifts is a lane that will eventually need repair.

What a Drive-In Rack Project Includes

Every Covington drive-in rack project begins with the numbers: what you store, how heavy it is, what lifts it, and how tall the usable space is. That Covington conversation happens over the phone and usually takes about fifteen minutes.

Our design team turns that into a CAD layout with drive-in rack position counts, load capacity per level, and an itemized quote for the Covington site. Because this system trades on the highest density available for a small number of SKUs, we usually model an alternative configuration on the same footprint, so you weigh positions against picking speed with real numbers rather than a sales pitch.

Drive-In Rack delivery windows are built around your Covington riverfront dock so trailers do not sit and wait. Installation partners work off the Covington drive-in rack drawing you approved, tag capacities on completion, and phase the job by zone or shift. Parts, added drive-in rack positions, and later reconfigurations go through the same Covington contact.

High volume of a small number of SKUs

Seasonal or buffer inventory held in bulk

Cold storage and freezer rooms where cube matters most

Product too fragile to floor-stack more than two high

Buildings where floor space, not height, is the binding constraint

Call (513) 957-3017

Recent Installations

Racking projects completed for warehouses across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

View More Projects

Get a Drive-In Rack Quote for Your Covington Warehouse

Send the basics and we will follow up with a layout and pricing. Prefer to talk it through? Call (513) 957-3017.

Cincinnati Pallet Racks

2345 Ashland Ave.

Unit #584

Cincinnati, OH 45206

(513) 957-3017

Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

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