Equipment costs aren’t going down any time soon and as fleets navigate all sorts of rising costs, they’re looking for their trailer dealers to be a transparent partner in their business, a panel of fleet executives told the National Trailer Dealers Association (NTDA) Convention last week in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The panel was moderated by Dave Saunders, vice president of sales at Florida Utility Trailers.
Jared Dusharm’s fleet, Armellini Express, carries fresh cut flowers. The vice president says equipment cost is the single biggest issue influencing his decisions on trailer purchases.
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“We can’t go out and raise our rates to all our customers,” he says. “We’re watching what we spend and how we spend it.”
His fleet also is scaling back and is also retrofitting older equipment to keep it going.
Shawn Miller, vice president of fleet maintenance at R+L Carriers, oversees 25,000 trailers. For him and his company, it’s not even an option.
Shawn Miller, left, vice president of fleet maintenance at R+L Carriers, listens to Jared Dusharm, vice president of Armellini Express, speak during a fleet panel at the National Trailer Dealers Association meeting. The panel was moderated by Dave Saunders, right, vice president of sales at Florida Utility Trailers.
“We need trailers,” he says. The costs are passed on to customers and to the industry. “That’s a tough conversation at times. … There’s a need for the trailers and we just have to negotiate through pricing and availability. The cost just keeps going up and up, all across the board.”
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Craig Albers, recently retired as director of trailer operations at Werner Enterprises, says for that company, they also consider what maintenance is going to cost when they look at trailer purchasing and at depreciation. That includes looking at smart trailers as a money-saver, “but you have to know what you’re looking at,” he warns.
Some of the smart trailer data the fleet executives say they’re using include location and geofencing data, temperature, tire sensors, reefer unit data and other insights. Gerry Mead, vice president at Travel Centers of America, says the data from smart trailers can be used to lower the total cost of ownership with the right personnel and monitoring the data.
What they’re not looking for as another subscription.
“We don’t want to spend the extra expense right now,” Miller says.
Other technological advancements can help too. Dusharme says the transition to disc brakes not only made his fleet more safe, but the components are also easier to maintain. Albers’ fleet switched to disc brakes in 2021 and says they saw “incredible” numbers. Mead says air disc brakes just make sense and also improved fuel efficiency.
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One thing the whole panel agreed on? Harnesses are a headache and once the problems start, they’re difficult to chase down.
Gerry Mead, left, vice president at Travel Centers of America, and Craig Albers, recently retired director of trailer operations at Werner Enterprises, talk during a fleet panel discussion at the National Trailer Dealers Association meeting.
“I’m very protective of my harnesses and how you repair a harness,” Mead says. “If you cut into my harness that I spent a lot of money on, we’re going to have a discussion.”
Communicating about repairs such as fixing those wiring harnesses also is important to the fleets. The industry does a good job with scheduled repairs, the panel says, but there’s always room for improvement. Be up front about delays and transparent about any problems.
“If you can’t ensure my uptime and my availability, then I’m going to find someone else who can,” Mead says.
