New arrivals have been making their way to the Missouri Army National Guard’s 548th Transportation Company in Trenton.
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The Palletized Loading System, a 33 short-ton gross capacity truck and trailer combination, has been arriving in Trenton and is composed of a prime mover truck with integral self-loading and unloading transport capabilities, a 16.5-ton payload trailer and demountable cargo beds known as flatracks. The vehicle can also be equipped with material handling equipment and/or a winch.
According to Sergeant First Class Christine Chaney, the Readiness NCO for the 548th TC, PLS is a key transportation component of the ammunition distribution system and will perform long range hauling, local hauling and unit resupply of ammunition.
The flatracks are demountable cargo beds, which come in three types: the “A” frame (M1077), the intermodal flatrack (M-1) and the container roll-in/out platform (CROP). The PLS lift system can pick up 36,250 pounds at the lift hook. The “A” frame weighs 3,250 pounds, which allows a payload of 16.5 short-tons. The intermodal flatrack, which is ISO intermodal, weighs approximately 7,800 pounds and allows a payload of 14.25 short tons for PLS and a 15.35 short-ton payload for intermodal. The CROP weighs less than 4,000 pounds and has a payload of 16.35 short-tons or 32,250 pounds.
THE PLS tactical truck is a five-axle, 10-wheel drive vehicle equipped with a 500 horsepower Detroit Diesel engine, Allison automatic transmission and a Central Tire Inflation System. This combination, according to SFC Chaney, provides a highly mobile system capable of transporting its payload in virtually any type of terrain, in any type of weather and maintaining pace with the self-propelled artillery systems that it supports. The PLS comes in two mission-oriented configurations, the M1074 and the M1075. The M1074 is equipped with a variable reach Material Handling Crane to support forward-deployed Field Artillery units. The M1075, without MHC, is used in conjunction with the M1076 trailer in support of transportation line haul missions.
The M1076 trailer is a three-axle, wagon-style trailer with a 16.5 ton payload capacity, equipped with a flatrack that is interchangeable between the truck and trailer. The combination of truck and trailer provides the combined payload capacity of 33 tons. The flatracks are lifted on and off the truck and trailer by a hydraulic powered arm mounted on the truck, eliminating the need for additional material-handling equipment. The controls for the arm are located inside the cab, allowing the operator to load or unload the truck in less than one minute without leaving the cab of the truck. The trailer can be loaded or unloaded in less than five minutes utilizing the remote arm control.
The PLS is capable of transporting multiple configurations or cargo utilizing a variety of flatracks. The M1077 and M1077A1 flatracks are sideless flatracks used to transport pallets of ammunition and other classes of supplies. The M-1 flatracks carry identical classes of supplies, is ISO/CSC certified and is suitable for intermodal transport, including transport on container ships. ammunition can be loaded on the M-1 at depots, transported via container ship to the theater in which it is needed, picked up by a PLS truck and carried forward without the use of any material-handling equipment. The walls fold inward when it is empty to facilitate stacking for retrograde. The M-3 CROP is a flatrack that fits inside a 20-foot ISO container. The U.S. Army plans to procure up to 12,000 CROPs. A Container Handling Unit kit installed on the PLS allows the direct loading, transporting and unloading of the 20-foot ISO containers without the use of an external flatrack.
SFC Chaney noted that the 548th TC will use the equipment to transport items within the state of Missouri. She also noted that in operation “Cracked Earth” which is preparing for the possibility of a major earthquake in Missouri, the 548th is predicted to be the only transportation company in the state that would not be affected. This equipment would be used to provide needed items to those areas that are affected.