Innovations: New Future for Off-Road Tire Hauling
Submitted by brent on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 16:05.
At Nussbaum, we love a transportation challenge. And our Dedicated Contract Carriage business gives us ample opportunity to solve equipment use and logistics issues. Lately, we’ve been innovating new ways to haul products we’ve transported on flatbeds and vans for years.
Take large, off-road tires. Ideally these tires – up to 13 feet in diameter and 5 feet wide – are loaded flatbeds on their sides (the industry standard for hauling large tires) Sometimes the tires are so wide they hang off the sides of the trailer into adjacent lanes of traffic and require an escort service. Not only are escort services costly, they can only operate on weekdays during daylight hours, no weekends or holidays adding shipping cost.
At Nussbaum, we like to reduce if not eliminate transportation scenarios that come with these kinds of operational limitations. One of the ways we’re doing that is by utilizing customized trailers that meet the transportation demands of our customers.
For instance, we are currently working on a project with Michelin to use a custom built trailer, recently developed by Wabash Trailer that hauls large size off-road tires “standing up”. (See photo of prototype below.) This new transport system will not require permits or escort services, and the new trailers can be hauled 24 hours a day, ultimately, saving time and transit costs for tire shipments, helping our customers get the job done more efficiently. Furthermore, when empty, these specialized trailers convert into flatbeds to haul other products, reducing the cost of operation.
This pilot project is slated for startup in January 2010. Stay tuned for future updates on this project and others, and how Nussbaum is truly setting new ideas in motion.
Take large, off-road tires. Ideally these tires – up to 13 feet in diameter and 5 feet wide – are loaded flatbeds on their sides (the industry standard for hauling large tires) Sometimes the tires are so wide they hang off the sides of the trailer into adjacent lanes of traffic and require an escort service. Not only are escort services costly, they can only operate on weekdays during daylight hours, no weekends or holidays adding shipping cost.
At Nussbaum, we like to reduce if not eliminate transportation scenarios that come with these kinds of operational limitations. One of the ways we’re doing that is by utilizing customized trailers that meet the transportation demands of our customers.
For instance, we are currently working on a project with Michelin to use a custom built trailer, recently developed by Wabash Trailer that hauls large size off-road tires “standing up”. (See photo of prototype below.) This new transport system will not require permits or escort services, and the new trailers can be hauled 24 hours a day, ultimately, saving time and transit costs for tire shipments, helping our customers get the job done more efficiently. Furthermore, when empty, these specialized trailers convert into flatbeds to haul other products, reducing the cost of operation.
This pilot project is slated for startup in January 2010. Stay tuned for future updates on this project and others, and how Nussbaum is truly setting new ideas in motion.
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