The Palletized Load System (PLS) is a logistics

Logistics

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...

 supply program that entered service in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 in 1993. It performs line haul (long distance), local haul (short distance), unit resupply, and other missions in the tactical environment to support modernized and highly mobile combat units. It provides rapid movement of combat configured loads of ammunition and all classes of supply

Classes of supply

The U.S. Armed Forces divides supplies into ten Classes of Supply. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation uses only the first five.-U.S...

, shelters and containers.

Design

The system consists of a prime mover truck (the "tractor") with an integral self-loading and unloading capability, a payload trailer (M1076), and demountable cargo beds, referred to as flatracks. The PLS prime mover truck carries its payloads on its demountable flatrack cargo beds, or inside 8×8×20 foot International Organization for Standardization

International Organization for Standardization

The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...

 (ISO) intermodal container

Intermodal container

An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...

s, or shelters. The PLS prime mover truck comes in two mission-oriented configurations: the M1074 and the M1075. The M1074 is equipped with a variable reach Material Handling Crane (MHC) to support forward-deployed artillery units. The M1075, without MHC, is used in conjunction with the M1076 trailer in support of transportation line haul missions. The M1076 trailer, capable of carrying payloads up to 16.5 short tons, is equipped with a flatrack that is interchangeable between truck and trailer. The tractor and trailer form a self-contained system that loads and unloads its cargo without the need for forklifts or other material handling equipment. Without leaving the cab, the driver can load or unload the truck in less than one minute, and both truck and trailer in less than five minutes.
Two additional pieces of equipment enhance PLS flexibility. The M3 containerized roll-in/out platform (CROP) is an A-frame type flatrack which fits inside a 20 ft (6.1 m) ISO container. A container handling unit (CHU) enables PLS to pick up and transport ISO containers without using a flatrack. Flatracks and CROP are interchangeable between PLS and the HEMTT-LHS.

The PLS prime mover features a central tire inflation system that significantly improves off-road mobility. Current NATO agreements require PLS to maintain interoperability with comparable British, German and French systems through the use of a common flatrack.

PLS is a major enabler of the Army’s drive to achieve a distribution-based logistics system. The PLS-Enhanced (PLS-E) program procures the Movement Tracking System, which provides a multitude of tactical wheeled vehicles with Global Positioning System

Global Positioning System

The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...

 capability and two-way digital messaging. The MTS enables the commander to track logistics assets over the range of the battle space. The two-way messaging allows redirection of logistics assets as needs develop.

Different modules give the PLS various abilities, including concrete

Concrete

Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 mixing, road paving and water dispersion. Engines are up to 600 hp Caterpillar or MTU Detroit Diesel. The US Army has ordered 700.

Operational use

First used in Bosnia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

 by logistical units of the 1st Infantry Division

U.S. 1st Infantry Division

The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army is the oldest division in the United States Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917...

. Used for distributing supplies from central logistic point to outlying basecamps. It has also been used extensively from the very start of Operation Iraqi Freedom to haul supply containers, loose cargo and damaged vehicles between camps in Iraq and from ports in Kuwait to camps in every corner of Iraq and back again, as well as Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 and Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

.

Technical description

• Curb weight: 55,000 lb (25,000 kg) includes flatrack
• Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR): 88,000 lb (40,000 kg)
• Gross combined weight rating (GCWR):137,520 lb (62,380 kg)
• Truck payload: 16.5 short tons (14,969 kg)
• Trailer payload: 16.5 short tons (14,969 kg)
• Truck length: 431 inches (10.9 m)
• Trailer length: 327.4 inches (8.3 m) (includes trailer tongue, with flatrack)
• Truck width: 96 inches (2.4 m)
• Trailer width: 95.7 inches (2.4 m)
• Truck height: 128 inches (3.3 m)
• Flatrack dimensions: 8 by 20 ft (2.4 by 6.1 m)
• Fuel capacity: 100 gal (379 liters)
• Engine type: 500 hp V8 Detroit Diesel (8V92)
• Transmission: Allison 6-speed automatic (5-speed forward, 1 reverse)
• Transfer case: Oshkosh 2-speed with lockable planetary differential
• Range: 300 mi (482.8 km)
• Fording capability: 48 inches (1.2 m)
• Air transportability: C-5A, C-17 aircraft
• Cab: 2 person
• Max speed: 62 mph(100 km/h)
• Axle configuration: 10 x 10 (5 axles) full-time all-wheel drive
• Axles: AxleTech with diff. lock and planetary hubs
• Crane: 5,400 lb (2,450 kg)
• Central tire inflation: 4 preset selections HWY • CC • MSS • EMERG

Manufacturer

• Truck and CHU (Oshkosh Corporation – Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  Oshkosh, Wisconsin
  As of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
  
  )
• Trailer and flatrack (Oshkosh Truck – Bradenton, Florida
  Bradenton, Florida
  Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's 2007 population to be 53,471. Bradenton is the largest Principal City of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2007 estimated population of 682,833...
  
  )
• CROP (Summa Technologies – Huntsville, Alabama
  Huntsville, Alabama
  Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
  
  ; Hyundai Precision America – San Diego, California
  San Diego, California
  San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
  
  )

See also

• Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System
  Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System
  Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System is a family of logistics vehicles operated by the British Army, which currently consists of two vehicle types:* Leyland DAF Medium Mobility Load Carrier...
  
  
• Unit load
  Unit load
  A unit load combines individual items or items in shipping containers into a single "unit" that can be moved easily with pallet jack or forklift truck...
  
  
• List of U.S. military vehicles by model number