Dallas-Fort Worth is the busiest industrial market in the United States, and the first half of 2026 set a leasing record: Cushman & Wakefield counted 40.3 million sq ft of leasing through June, 9 million sq ft of net absorption in Q2 alone, and vacancy down to 8.1%. The same report explains this project — buildings between 150,000 and 499,999 sq ft were the only size band still above 10% vacancy.
That is where a mid-size 3PL on the Great Southwest side of the metroplex signed its new distribution centre: 220,000 sq ft (20,439 m²), 12 dock doors, one drive-in ramp, and inbound trailers booked for the week the racking went in. Twelve doors on a site planning 120 trailer movements a day is a scheduling problem, not a space problem. Here is how six 15-ton heavy-duty hydraulic mobile yard ramps closed the gap.
Project Snapshot
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Customer | Third-party logistics provider, retail and e-commerce fulfilment |
| Site | Grand Prairie, Texas — Great Southwest submarket |
| Facility | 220,000 sq ft (20,439 m²) leased DC, 12 dock doors, 1 drive-in ramp |
| Trailer volume | 120 movements/day at peak, 70–80 on a normal day |
| New loading positions | 4 usable ground-level positions from 6 units (2 permanently staged, 4 mobile) |
| Equipment | HRHS heavy-duty hydraulic mobile yard ramps, 15 t (33,070 lb), 11,500 × 2,300 mm (37’9″ × 7’7″) |
| Working height | 1,200–1,700 mm (3’11″–5’7″), covering 48–52 in (1,220–1,320 mm) van and reefer decks |
| Hot-climate package | ISO VG 46 oil, enlarged reservoir, 2-pack polyurethane topcoat |
| Order to first trailer | 69 days — 22 days production, 33 days sea freight to Houston, 6 days customs and drayage, 3 days commissioning |
| Container loading | 3 × 40 ft high-cube, 2 ramps per container |
Twelve Doors and Thirty Drop Trailers
The site was leased on the strength of its doors, and the doors ran out by week three. Retail and e-commerce freight does not arrive on schedule: a carrier drops a trailer, the driver leaves with an empty, and the next appointment is already two hours behind. By mid-shift the apron held 25 to 35 dropped trailers, and the only way to empty one was to spend a dock door on it — 45 to 70 minutes of bookable dock time, every time.
Ground-level unloading was the obvious answer, but the north apron had no pit, no leveller and no wall to cut into — and the first two rack rows were due to move in Q4.
Why We Did Not Pour Another Pit
Published industry estimates put a new dock berth — pit, concrete, leveller, bumpers, seal and safety kit — at USD 15,000–50,000, with the leveller alone at USD 5,000–15,000 installed. Concrete needs about 7 days before a leveller is set and 28 days before full forklift traffic; permits and drawings were quoted at 4 to 8 weeks. The tenant had 10 weeks before peak season and no authority to alter the slab.
| Option | Indicative cost | Business interruption | Flexibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 new pit dock positions, north apron | USD 60,000–200,000 civil works plus USD 5,000–15,000 per leveller | 4–8 weeks permitting, then concrete cure; apron unavailable through peak build-up | Fixed for the life of the lease, tied to one wall |
| 6 × 15 t mobile yard ramps (this project) | USD 7,400–9,200 per unit EXW with the hot-climate specification | None — every unit works outside the building envelope | Any apron position, repositioned by tow bar in about 10 minutes |
Indicative planning ranges on an EXW basis for standard sizes, given as guidance only and not as a quotation.
The Specification That Went to Foshan
Capacity was set by the fleet. Loaded travel on site is an 8,000 lb (3,630 kg) LP counterbalance truck with a 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) pallet, roughly 5 t (11,000 lb) live. The site specified 15 t (33,070 lb) dynamic capacity, three times the working load: the margin that keeps a ramp flat after five years rather than the minimum that passes on day one.
Length was the other decision. The rise from apron to trailer deck is 1,320 mm (4’4″); a 9,000 mm (29’6″) ramp would have run a 14.7% grade, which the site’s three-wheel electric trucks could not climb loaded. The 11,500 mm (37’9″) deck brings that down to about 11.5% (6.6°) at maximum rise.
| Parameter | Specified value |
|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 15 t (33,070 lb) dynamic / 22.5 t (49,600 lb) static |
| Overall size | 11,500 × 2,300 mm (37’9″ × 7’7″) |
| Working height range | 1,200–1,700 mm (3’11″–5’7″) |
| Working grade at maximum rise | 11.5% (6.6°) |
| Deck plate | 6 mm (0.24 in) checkered anti-slip steel |
| Main beam | Q355B welded box section |
| Power pack | 4 kW, 460V/60Hz three-phase (240V single-phase option) |
| Hydraulic oil | ISO VG 46, high-viscosity-index mineral |
| Finish | Zinc-rich primer plus 2-pack polyurethane, ~120 µm dry film |
Heat drove two changes. North Texas summer highs of 35–38 °C (95–100 °F) put a dark steel deck above 60 °C in direct sun, so the reservoir was upsized and the oil moved from VG 32 to VG 46. Hot-dip galvanizing was declined: with no coastal air and no washdown, it was insurance the site did not need.
From Purchase Order to First Trailer: 69 Days
Production took 22 working days, including a 125% load test on every unit with the record filed in the CE and ISO pack. Three 40 ft high-cube containers left Foshan with two folded ramps each, power packs crated separately, at about 4,100 kg (9,040 lb) per ramp. Sea transit to Houston ran 33 days, then 6 days for clearance, drayage and inland trucking.
Commissioning took three days, and the first was not about the ramps. Two positions sat over a drainage swale, so steel blocking plates went under the support legs instead of letting them bridge air. The yard was line-marked for a square approach, because side entry is how a ramp gets walked off its leg pads. A dropped trailer still needs chocks or a restraint, exactly as with a portable dock board.
What Changed on the Floor
Five months in, the operator reports eight to ten dropped trailers cleared per shift at ground level, dock door utilisation up from roughly 68% to 91%, and average trailer turn down from 71 to 54 minutes. Two ramps sit permanently at the north apron; the other four move by tow bar to whichever door is serving a drop trailer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a mobile yard ramp need a permit or concrete work in Texas?
No. It is portable equipment, not a structure — no building permit, no pit, no concrete cure period. This site graded and line-marked the apron and changed nothing else.
What grade should a 15-ton yard ramp run?
Keep the working grade inside your forklift’s loaded gradeability. Most ramps we build for US docks run 11–15% (6.3–8.5°), and above 10% OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(n)(7)(i) requires loaded trucks to travel with the load upgrade.
How many 15-ton ramps fit in a 40 ft container?
Two folded 11,500 mm units per 40 ft high-cube with power packs crated separately, about 4,100 kg per ramp. Shorter 9,000 mm units load three to four.
Can one ramp serve both a drop trailer and a dock door?
Yes, which is why four of the six were specified mobile: repositioning by tow bar takes about 10 minutes, so the ramp follows the work.
Send us your apron layout, highest trailer bed and forklift weight, and we will come back with a ramp schedule, working grade in percent and degrees, container quantity and a drawing. Start with the mobile yard ramps range, or look at the HRHS heavy-duty hydraulic mobile yard ramp used here. If your site suits a semi-permanent structure instead, compare the ground-to-dock ramps. Contact our engineers and we will size it within two working days.
