Why Pallet Jacks Chew Up Concrete Floor Joints, and What Stops It

By Pablo Figueroa · October 14, 2026 · 2 min read

If the joints in your pallet lanes are chipped and getting worse, the joints aren't the original problem. A hard wheel is hitting an unsupported edge, and each hit makes the next one worse.

Why do joint edges break?

A pallet jack carries its load on a few small, hard wheels. Where one crosses a joint, the wheel drops into the gap and strikes the far edge. Concrete edges are the weakest part of a slab, because they have no concrete on one side to back them up. A few hundred passes a day in the same lane chips the edge, the gap widens, and the next wheel strikes harder.

Why does it get worse so fast?

The damage compounds. A small chip makes the wheel jolt, the jolt increases impact on the edge, and the edge breaks further. Once the joint is wide enough, loaded pallets tip or jacks stall on it.

What stops it?

Semirigid joint filler. It is stiff enough to support the joint edges under wheel traffic and to carry load across the gap, which a soft sealant cannot do. Where edges are already spalled, the damage is repaired first, then the joint is filled.

Timing matters on new slabs. Concrete shrinks for years, with the most movement in the first year and especially the first 90 days. Filler manufacturers commonly recommend waiting 28 days, and ACI 302.1R-15 advises delaying joint filling as long as possible and cites 90 days. Filler that goes in too early can pull away from its edges as the joint opens.

Can the damage be prevented at the design stage?

Mostly, yes. Laying joints out so they run along traffic lanes, not across them, means wheels cross fewer joints. Detailing the joints with load transfer where heavy traffic crosses them, and planning for filler at the right time, takes care of most of the rest.

Do I need to replace the slab?

Usually not. Spalled joints are generally a repair, not a replacement. The question to ask is whether the slab itself is sound and whether the joint pattern fits the traffic. A condition assessment answers both.

How DTI repairs and protects joints

We repair spalled joint edges, install semirigid joint filler, and look at lane layout and wheel loads when we assess a floor. See this week's edition of The Floor Front, our LinkedIn newsletter, for the full receiving-area framework.

Seeing chipped joints in a pallet lane? Request a free floor-condition assessment or call (209) 879-9674.

Image: AI-generated illustration of pallet-jack traffic at a damaged concrete joint, not a documented DTI project.