Decking 101

Below are the steps in decking a truck.

1. Road drivers pick up their load at an ATT terminal located near a manufacturing plant.
2. The terminals modify the trucks so they can be decked. When a driver is assigned to a load, the trucks are decked and ready to roll. Typical modifications include:
   • an air hose rigged from the pull truck to ensure each axle on the ground has brakes
   • a light bar mounted at the rear with a light cord rigged from the pull truck for tail lights and turn signals
   • the exhaust stack removed from certain styles of trucks
   • axle shafts removed from the rear end on the ground so it can be freewheel
3. When the load is delivered, the driver is responsible for undecking and putting the trucks back in order for the customer. The driver unbolts the saddle mount, along with other decking equipment accumulated through the process. The driver then places it where the customer requests for the company to pick up at a later time. Drivers carry simple hand tools with them to re-assemble trucks upon delivery. The undecking process generally takes 2 to 3 hours for 3-way and 4-way loads.
4. After successful delivery, Central Support secures travel and sends the driver either back to their home terminal, or to another terminal for a backhaul.