Truck size-weight issue loses traction
The packaging revolution and product miniaturization have improved truck capacity and reduced the need for larger tractor-trailers, the head of a major trucking company said Monday.
Manufacturers have removed water to create concentrated laundry detergents, used vacuums to compress toilet paper and paper towel, digitized electronics and created smaller box sizes in response to environmental concerns and a desire to reduce transportation costs.
| Lofgren |
In the past couple of years, Schneider National has lost 35 percent of its truckload volume as manufacturers changed package configurations, Chief Executive Officer Christopher Lofgren said during a panel discussion at a freight transportation conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Five years ago, Lofgren was one of the loudest proponents of raising truck size and weight limits to increase the trucking industry's productivity. Federal rules limit fully loaded trucks to 80,000 pounds and trailers to 53 feet in length, with exemptions granted to some states.
Now there is less of a need to better utilize available equipment by increasing a trailer's physical carrying capacity, at least for consumer non-durable goods, Lofgren said. Bulk commodities like steel could still benefit from larger trucks.
'We're seeing products shrink for all the right reasons,' he said. 'So productivity is going to have to come from how fast we can turn the assets that we've got.' ' Eric Kulisch
