The newest acquisitions to the Weber Distribution temperature-controlled fleet consists of a combination of 53-foot Great Dane trailers and 48-foot roll door Utility trailers and features the latest generation of Thermo King SB210 Whisper reefer units that meet the most stringent California and EPA emission standards. The trailers are equipped with Maxxon 5,500 pound Tuck-a-Way lift-gates, along with an electrical plug-in option, which allows the units to use electricity during loading and at terminals, thereby reducing fuel consumption, diesel emissions, maintenance and noise.
At the heart of the new trailer fleet is a state-of-the-art GPS tracking technology provided by 'Star-Trak.' The Star-Trak monitoring system continuously transmits real-time data and automatically broadcasts an alert if the trailer is performing outside of its pre-set parameters. Another major feature of the system is that the temperature set-point can also be changed directly from the dispatcher's computer.
According to John Nutt, Weber's COO, the company has been expanding its existing temperature-controlled business since acquiring a 700,000 square foot temperature and humidity-controlled warehousing and transportation provider last year. 'As a result, we have increased our freight volumes with such leading food/confectionary and beverage customers as Nestle, Hershey Chocolate, Cadbury Schweppes, and General Mills, to name a few,' said Nutt.
Weber has also started working with Wal-Mart to support its expanding grocery distribution network. 'We provide Wal-Mart with multi-stop produce truckload pick-ups from agricultural regions throughout California for delivery to their refrigerated consolidation center in Riverside, California. All of their produce is moved at 35-degrees and we currently handle approximately 200 loads per month, which we are hoping will continue to grow through the purchase of our new trailers, commitment to the environment, and enhanced technological capabilities,' noted Nutt.
'We are very excited about enhancing our temperature-controlled network in the Western United States with our new fleet, featuring the latest in refrigeration and tracking technology. Weber operates a true, asset-based LTL reefer distribution network and unlike many providers in our market, we have the tonnage and scale to handle loads on a time-defined basis, consistently meeting our customers' required delivery dates,' he said. Weber is using its new fleet to also service its temperature-controlled truck terminals and cross-docking operations located throughout the West Coast including: Phoenix, Arizona; Fontana, California; Stockton, California; Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.
'We are very proud of our new 'green' refrigerated trailers, which are part of Weber's long-term and on-going environmental program,' said Nutt. 'Weber has a market approach that leverages both our dry and temperature-controlled tonnage to provide more direct service to more locations than any other carrier in our regional market. Our temperature-controlled LTL and cross-docking services make us truly unique in the markets we serve.'
