Drive-In Rack in Montana
Drive-in rack trades selectivity for density. Forklifts drive directly into the rack structure to place and retrieve pallets, stacking them 5-10 deep in a single lane. If you store large quantities of the same SKU and don't need to access every pallet individually, drive-in makes your square footage work harder. Montana's warehouse market is small and geographically dispersed. Billings and Missoula serve as regional distribution points for the state's widely scattered population. Agriculture (grain, cattle) and natural resources (timber, mining) drive most industrial storage needs.
Learn more about drive-in rack in Montana ↓Drive-In Rack Suppliers in Montana (0)
Nearby Drive-In Rack Suppliers
These companies serve areas near Montana.
Arnold Machinery Company
A 95+ year-old heavy equipment distributor operating 23 locations across the Intermountain West, with a full material handling division offering forklifts, warehouse racking, shelving, and AutoCAD warehouse design.
A and A Boltless Rack and Shelving
Family-owned wholesale distributor with over 35 years experience providing pallet racks boltless shelving mezzanines cantilever systems and material handling equipment.
Abel Womack
Full-service material handling dealer serving the Northeast. Offers selective, double-deep, drive-in, push-back, cantilever, and mobile pallet rack plus forklift sales and rentals.
Advance Storage Products
Advance Storage Products is a leading manufacturer of push-back pallet rack and other high-density storage systems. They operate manufacturing facilities in California Georgia and Utah.
Alliance Pallet Rack
Alliance Pallet Rack distributes pallet rack systems across Texas and Oklahoma serving Dallas Fort Worth Midland Odessa and other markets.
American Surplus
American Surplus carries new and used pallet rack from 17+ brands including Ridg-U-Rak with nationwide delivery.
When to Choose Drive-In Rack
- ✓You store large volumes of a single SKU per lane (bulk storage)
- ✓LIFO (last in, first out) inventory rotation is acceptable for your product
- ✓You're running out of warehouse space and need to increase storage density
- ✓Cold storage — drive-in is the dominant system in freezer warehouses because every cubic foot of cooled space is expensive
- ✓Seasonal storage where you fill up and empty out entire lanes at once
Key Specs to Ask About
- •Lane depth (how many pallets deep — typically 5-10, sometimes more)
- •Pallet weight (affects rail gauge and upright sizing)
- •Clear height (drive-in can go 30+ feet with structural frames)
- •Rail type and profile (standard vs. heavy-duty, affects pallet guide-in)
- •Entry/exit configuration — drive-in (one entry) vs. drive-through (entries on both ends)
- •Column protection — essential, since forklifts are operating inside the structure
Montana requires seismic engineering for drive-in rack installations. All rack must resist lateral seismic forces per ASCE 7 and local building code. Budget for heavier baseplates, larger anchor bolts, and stamped engineering.
How It Compares
| Factor | Drive-In Rack | Push Back Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory rotation | LIFO | LIFO |
| Max depth | 10+ pallets | 2-6 pallets |
| Forklift enters rack? | Yes — drives into the structure | No — loads from the aisle face |
| Damage risk | High — forklifts inside the rack | Low — no entry needed |
| SKUs per bay | 1 SKU per lane (ideally) | 1 SKU per lane, but more lanes per bay |
| Cost per position | $ (lower per position) | $$ (carts and rails add cost) |
Both are LIFO systems. Drive-in goes deeper and costs less per position, but forklifts operate inside the rack (more damage). Push back is shallower but loads from the aisle face — faster, safer, and better for operations with more SKUs.
Montana is the 4th largest state by area but 44th by population. There are more cows than people. The state's distribution challenges are less about warehouse design and more about the fact that your nearest customer might be 200 miles away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between drive-in and drive-through rack?
How many pallets deep should my drive-in lanes be?
Is drive-in rack more expensive than selective?
How many drive-in rack suppliers are in Montana?
Does drive-in rack in Montana require seismic engineering?
A fully loaded drive-in rack system can hold more weight per square foot than the foundation of the Empire State Building was designed to support.
Coverage Map
Drive-In Rack in Nearby States
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