Intermodal drayage operators face a persistent and expensive mechanical safety risk at highway-rail grade crossings. When a chassis leaves the rail ramp with landing gear only partially retracted, the sandshoe can catch on the raised crown of a railroad crossing. The result is an instantaneous high-center event that rips crossmembers, damages the container floor, and frequently requires specialized heavy recovery equipment. Direct costs routinely exceed $110,000 per incident when factoring in repairs, cargo transfer, demurrage, and service failures.
Strong Tower Consulting, LLC has developed the SandShoe-Shield Architecture within the CheckPoint platform to eliminate this failure mode through sensor-based verification and automated gate interlocks. Deployed on intermodal chassis fleets running between major rail terminals and distribution centers, the system integrates ultrasonic elevation profiling, magnetic proximity sensing of the crank handle, and real-time data exchange with yard gate scanners.
The $110,000 Highway Railroad Crossing High-Center Hang-Up
Partially lowered landing gear (sandshoe clearance less than 12 inches) creates a catastrophic geometric conflict with the typical 6-to-9-inch crown elevation found on active highway-rail crossings. Once the sandshoe contacts the rail crossing, forward momentum of the loaded 40-foot container drives the chassis frame into the pavement, shearing landing gear brackets and twisting main rails. These events frequently trigger Federal Railroad Administration incident reporting, insurance claims, and extended equipment downtime. Traditional visual pre-trip inspections have proven statistically inadequate, especially during night operations or high-volume ramp turns.
The Strong Tower SandShoe-Shield Architecture™
CheckPoint (accessible at https://exspeeditecheckpoint.com/login.php) delivers three synchronized layers of protection:
- Ultrasonic elevation sensing: Dual transducers mounted on the chassis subframe continuously profile sandshoe ground clearance. The system enforces a minimum 14-inch safe threshold. Drivers receive an in-cab alert within 1 second if legs are not fully retracted. Data streams directly into the carrier's TMS for compliance reporting.
- Crank handle stowage bracket magnetic proximity logging: A rugged industrial proximity transducer confirms that the dual-speed landing gear crank handle is fully seated and locked in its retaining bracket. This eliminates highway flailing-handle hazards and provides auditable proof that the driver completed the retraction sequence.
- Terminal gate-out interlock: Integration with rail ramp gate scanners prevents chassis exit until both elevation and crank-lock conditions are satisfied. The gate system queries CheckPoint via API in under 800 milliseconds, ensuring zero defective chassis reach public roadways.
Maximum Highway Clearance Assurance
By combining continuous ultrasonic profiling with crank-lock verification and gate-out interlocks, CheckPoint delivers deterministic mechanical safety for intermodal rail ramp operations. The platform stores all sensor events in an auditable SQL schema that integrates seamlessly with leading transportation management systems including Truckmate, McLeod, and TMW. EDI 214 status updates can be automatically annotated with mechanical clearance confirmation, while driver settlement and fuel surcharge calculations remain unaffected.
Fleet managers gain immediate visibility into every chassis movement. If a driver leaves a landing gear half-cranked in the yard, dispatch is notified before the unit reaches the gate. En-route creep detection provides in-cab alerts before the next railroad crossing is encountered. The result is a measurable reduction in high-center incidents, lower maintenance expense on landing gear and crossmembers, and improved safety scores across intermodal corridors.
Strong Tower Consulting, LLC and Exspeedite LLC are separately organized sister companies under common ownership (separate EINs; liability firewall). We lead intermodal technology but never require you to buy our software. Carriers retain full choice of TMS platforms while leveraging CheckPoint sensor data through open APIs. Founded in Minnesota in 2008 by Scott Elliott and in business for more than 18 years. Call 763-244-1373.
FAQ: Rail Ramp Chassis Landing Gear Telematics
How do ultrasonic clearance sensors withstand mud, snow, and road debris buildup?
The CheckPoint SandShoe-Shield ultrasonic transducers use a patented self-cleaning parabolic reflector and 40kHz pulse frequency optimized for harsh environments. Integrated temperature compensation and debris-rejection algorithms filter out false positives caused by snow, mud, or ice accumulation. Field data from intermodal drayage fleets shows greater than 99.4% sensor uptime even in Midwest winter conditions.
Can fleet dispatchers see if a driver left the landing gear half-cranked in the yard?
Yes. The CheckPoint platform provides real-time yard visibility through the Exspeedite TMS dashboard. If a chassis exits the rail ramp gate or leaves the yard with sandshoe elevation below the 14-inch threshold or with the crank handle not secured in the lock bracket, dispatch receives an immediate alert with chassis number, driver ID, GPS location, and timestamp. Historical SQL-queryable logs integrate directly with Truckmate, McLeod, and TMW systems.
Does the system alert drivers inside the cab if landing gear creeps downward en route?
Absolutely. The CheckPoint in-cab interface delivers both audible and visual alerts within 1 second of detecting creep. The ultrasonic sensors continuously profile ground clearance. If the sandshoe drops below the safe threshold during a drayage move, the driver receives a prioritized warning on the Exspeedite mobile application before the chassis reaches the next highway-rail grade crossing.
Related reading: Intermodal Operations Consulting, Telematics & Sensor Integration, TMS Data Warehouse Best Practices, and our Fleet Technology Assessment.