Patent ID: 7873542

Claim:
A method of distributing beverages to account locations on a route by a truck of the type having a trailer with a floor and side walls, utilizing mini-pallets adapted to be carried with a hand truck comprising the steps of: (a) receiving beverage orders from account locations at a beverage warehouse facility; (b) loading mini-pallets with beverages corresponding to a beverage order from an account location; (c) placing the loaded mini-pallets for the account location into the trailer along the sidewalls in a fashion that leaves a center aisle to accommodate the passage of a hand truck; (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for additional account locations on the route; (e) loading a bulk pallet with beverages corresponding to a beverage order from an account location and placing the loaded bulk pallet at the rear of the trailer; (f) first driving the truck to any account location for which a loaded bulk pallet has been placed in the trailer and off loading the bulk pallet at such location; (g) driving the truck to an account location on the route; (h) positioning a hand truck in the center aisle adjacent to a loaded mini-pallet corresponding to the account location; (i) placing a tongue of the hand truck under the loaded mini-pallet and lifting the loaded mini-pallet with the hand truck; (j) off loading the mini-pallet and hand truck from the trailer to the account location; (k) returning the hand truck to the trailer and repeating steps (h) through (j) for each loaded mini-pallet corresponding to the beverage order for the account location; (l) driving the truck to the next location on the route; and (m) repeating steps (h) through (k) until the route is complete.