Why Draw the Curtain on Side-Loaded Freight?

While it’s the traditional way to handle freight in North America, not all cargo can be accessed efficiently by backing a truck up to a loading dock. The ability to load and unload cargo from either side of a trailer is growing in popularity with the eCommerce-driven rise in urban and last-mile deliveries to places without loading docks.

Born decades ago in Europe, where loading docks are a rarity, curtainside truck and trailer designs are increasingly meeting the rigorous demands of trucking on this side of the Atlantic. Kinedyne introduced our curtainside solutions for North America five years ago, with two systems: Kin-Sider and Kin-Slider.

The durable curtains give a trailer the combined advantage of having flatbed access and the walled structure of a van. The durable curtains allow loading and unloading from ground level with a forklift, so you don't have to get into the truck for access to the cargo. This reduces the risk of driver injury and speeds up access to freight anywhere on the trailer at any time. The curtainside design also eliminates the need to tarp during inclement weather, minimizing downtime for a faster return on investment

With these systems, sideloading freight is easier, faster, and more fuel-efficient. Typical sideloaded freight includes bagged goods, drywall, landscaping supplies, lumber, racked goods, windows, and other large freight.

Kin-Sider and Kin-Slider are distinguished by how quickly their curtains can be opened and closed. While Kin-Sider employs familiar fasteners at the bottom of the curtain, Kin-Slider features a revolutionary latching approach that enables the curtain to be effortlessly opened and closed in just 30 seconds — up to 10 times faster than traditional curtainside systems. Click here to see more differences between our two curtainside solutions.

Whether the Kin-Sider or the Kin-Slider is selected, the result is no more tarping of sideloaded freight, no need to get inside the trailer to load or unload it, which improves driver safety, and faster delivery turnarounds, especially in tight urban confines.

The Kin-Sider uses pull-to-release overcenter buckle and rave hook web assemblies instead of a push-to-release method of buckling. The overcenter buckles are located at the bottom of vertical reinforcements so that they always remain within easy reach.

Operating Kin-Sider is simple. A tensioning mechanism provides a weather-tight fit to keep everything within the trailer sealed off from moisture and other damaging elements. Rather than waste energy opening heavy roll-up doors, the Kin-Sider offers quick, convenient, and labor-saving access.

The system’s universal tension box, located at one end, effectively tensions the curtain so that it remains tightly bound to the trailer. When it’s time to unload, just loosen the tension and release the overcenter securements for quick access to the cargo.

The Kin-Sider can be retrofitted to existing truck bodies or installed on new OEM bodies. It can be manufactured for truck bodies as short as 10 feet and trailers up to 53 feet long. It can be used with vehicle carriers transporting cars, with box trucks transporting drywall or racked goods, or with 48-foot to 53-foot trailers transporting lumber, pipes, cabinetry, and other cargo.

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The Kin-Slider is the 30-second curtainside solution. Equipped with a unique full length, vertical, multi-latch closure system, and an all-in-one release mechanism, it only takes 30 seconds to fully open and fully close Kin-Slider. This is especially helpful for drivers who make frequent stops to load and unload cargo. Using Kin-Slider can save 10 to 15 minutes per delivery.

Kin-Slider provides a technological advantage for those with chassis-mounted truck bodies that now use rollup doors and traditional curtain-walled vehicles who want to operate with greater speed and efficiency. Able to be opened and closed at both ends of the truck or trailer, this curtain-side solution lets you fully open the curtain, access the cargo, and then fully close and seal the curtain again up to 10 times faster than traditional curtainside offerings.

Compared to trailers or trucks with heavy roll-up aluminum doors that add weight and reduce cargo space (because the doors roll up into the trailer), Kin-Slider weighs up to 1,000 pounds less than a rollup system and takes up to 111 cubic feet less space. That means more room for cargo, which means more deliveries, resulting in increased utilization and revenue.

Kin-Slider can be used with pup trailers, box trucks, glass trucks, and beverage trucks as well as on 18-wheel tractor-trailers to transport a wide variety of cargo. Also, our revolutionary curtainside solution can be used on any platform (flatbed) body or trailer without camber. Suitable applications include sideloading of racked cargo, long-cargo formats, and other situations where loading and unloading freight from rollup aluminum door at the rear of a trailer is slow or laborious.

Watch this video to learn more: