Trailers: Better Durability Offsets Rising Fleet Costs

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otor carriers, intent on making their fleets more efficient and offsetting rising costs of fuel, insurance and labor, are focusing more on trailer durability be-cause they want to keep vans longer and extract as much value from them as possible, industry officials said.

Their quest for durability makes fleet officials increasingly concerned about the life-cycle costs of ownership: acquisition, operation and resale.

“When you’re beating the hell out of trailers on a regular basis, durability becomes a top priority,” said Tim Hopkins, vice president of Refrigerated Delivery Service, Oklahoma City, a less-than-truckload carrier.

Though the average life of a trailer will vary with the kind of cargo it hauls and the weather conditions in which it operates, many carriers will try to keep a van for 10 to 12 years before sending it to a reseller. Many trucking firms previously would trade in trailers after using them for eight years.

For the full story, see the June 12 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.