Van trailer/ e track needed?

E-track can be installed. Put 3 rows in my reefer a few years ago. If buying a trailer, I’d look for logistics post 16” on center. Mine are 12” centers first 4 or so feet from and back, then 16 down the middle.
Personally I’d look for logistics posts over e track. (Vertical vs horizontal). If e-track, I’d want 5 rows. Works great for LTL, decking, plus almost a guarantee you can strap any load.

 

Yep, it's called E-Track.
If the trailer doesn't have it then you have to use standard extension friction style load bars. They suck. The bars can fall down if odd bumps or an uneven ground surface causes the trailer walls to rock, possibly even before you get out of the lot knowing how uneven some lots are or the street transition. When I was looking for a used trailer to buy, the first thing I wanted to see was a picture of the inside to see if it had e-track, either vertical or horizontal.

Both have benefits and drawbacks.
Horizontal e-track is better for pallet securement, you can easily throw a strap across the front of the pallets. But you'll have to check if it's rated to be used for decking with heavy duty e-track logistics bars to create a '2nd floor' to stack pallets on and for how much weight it's rated for.
Vertical has the chance of the pallets ending between the posts and you have to squeeze a strep between the pallet and wall to hook to a column or there will be a gap between the pallet and the strap making it useless because it can shift. But vertical e-track is typically built into the trailer as part of the wall columns so is much stronger for use as decking.

Either one can be manually installed if needed, think horizontal is sold for around $40 for a 10ft section so would need 11 pieces for a single row down both sides of a 53ft trailer.

Finding a trailer with both would be best of both worlds.

 

Either style of on-track can be used with logistics bars or straps.

 

Logistics Posts is basically e-track built into the columns of the trailer.
That picture above, the vertical columns of the trailer walls with notches for straps or logistics bars. Technically called Logistics Posts.

 

E-trac vs load-locks is the way to go. You can install these yourself over a weekend. We always had two horizontals, if I remember correctly about 2' & 4' up from the floor. They were riveted to the vertical posts, worked really well, not hard to do yourself. I wouldn't pass on a good deal on a trailer because they didn't have 'em, just figure it in as a price bargaining chip...

 

I think Logistics posts are better than e track. I think e track has been around longer, and as mentioned, cad be added to any Trailer

 

straps are by far better than load locks.

 

E-trac runs horizontally, logistics posts are vertical. Logistics posts are hands down better than e-trac, but either is much better than using friction style load locks.