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.

Do you sell used drive-in rack, or only new?

We focus on new components so load ratings and capacity tags are documented from day one. If used steel makes sense for a short-term need we will say so, but for anything carrying real weight day after day, new is usually the better call.

Drive-In Rack system inside a Kentucky warehouse

Florence, Kentucky

Drive-In Warehouse Racking Systems in Florence, KY

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

If your Florence operation is dealing with a mixed manufacturing-and-distribution floor fighting over the same square footage, 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 Mall Road industrial area building into working pallet positions instead of aisle.

We size the drive-in warehouse racking around your pallets, your lift trucks, and the clear height in your Mall Road industrial area building, factoring in the highest density available for a small number of SKUs. You get a drawing and a line-item price for the Mall Road industrial area site, not a rough estimate. Call (513) 957-3017 and we will start a Florence layout.

(513) 957-3017

Why Florence Warehouses Work With Us

Warehouses in and around Turfway Road 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 Florence design, not a standard drawing.

As part of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co., we have designed storage for air freight and logistics and auto parts distribution operators around Turfway Road since 1997 — enough history that aisles traded for lanes to push positions per square foot rarely surprises us mid-project.

We also keep the Florence 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 the Mall Road industrial area, Turfway Road, the CVG logistics corridor.

Air freight and logistics

E-commerce fulfillment

Auto parts distribution

Cold chain support

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 Florence 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 Florence conversation happens over the phone and usually takes about fifteen minutes.

From there our design team produces a CAD drive-in rack layout showing positions, elevations, and aisle widths for your Florence floor plan, plus an itemized quote so you see cost per pallet position. Where it helps, we price a second configuration on the same plan, with aisles traded for lanes to push positions per square foot, so the tradeoff between density and access is a number instead of an opinion. Load ratings for each drive-in rack level are documented in the Florence drawing, not guessed in the field.

Common drive-in rack items ship from stock, and we stage deliveries to match your Mall Road industrial area dock. Installation partners set and anchor the system to the Florence drawing, verify it loaded, and tag capacities. Work is sequenced zone by zone so Florence receiving and shipping never stop, and we stay reachable for drive-in rack parts, added lanes, and repairs.

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 Florence 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

Name *

Company *

Email *

Phone *

Where are you located? *

Approximate warehouse size *

Expected timeframe *

Additional Information

I consent to receive SMS and email communications from Cincinnati Pallet Racks regarding my quote request. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

We respect your privacy. Your information will never be shared.