Drive-in and drive-thru racks are storage rack configurations that enable a forklift to drive into a lane of stacked rows (also known as a bay). The difference between these two pallet rack systems is whether the bays have an entry at both ends or one end. Drive-in systems have a common entry and exit, while drive-thru systems have entry points at one end of the bay or the other end. Because a drive-in system has one entrance it uses a “LIFO” (last in, first out) storage method. What’s more, because there’s only one entrance, the final pallet put into a row is always the first one to be removed.
A drive-thru system with two different entry points can also use a FIFO (first in, first out) storage method. With a FIFO system, pallets can be loaded in at one end and pushed back to the other end where they then end up at the front of the row on the opposite side. The initial pallet put into this type of row is the first one removed at the other end. This system is beneficial for those who have products that have expiration dates, or wherever shelf life is a concern.