Wisconsin-based Schneider National recently announced it is building a new operations center in Dallas, where the company will manage up to 500 truck drivers.
The new facilities will include a 14,000-square-foot driver services building and a 47,000-square-foot maintenance building, sitting on more than 50 acres.
“The new facility will include many of the amenities found at our other locations across North America, but also new features or improvement designs based on driver feedback,” said Dave Geyer, Schneider’s executive vice president, group president of transportation and logistics.
The new location is being built at 1211 E. Pleasant Run Road in Wilmer, Texas, around 16 miles from downtown Dallas. It will replace the current facility located at 34500 LBJ Freeway, which Schneider opened in 2000.
Schneider’s new operations center in Wilmer will be near where Interstate 20 intersects with Interstate 45. The I-45 corridor between Dallas and Houston is one of the most heavily travelled freight corridors in Texas.
Schneider officials said its new operations center will have expanded tractor (304 stalls) and trailer (340 stalls) parking – nearly 50 percent more than the current location.
The new site will also include a maintenance building that will include 10 tractor bays, five trailer bays, three express bays, a 6,700-square-foot parts room, and two open steam bay stations.
Driver amenities will include a video lounge with power charging stations, exercise equipment, expanded free laundry services, nine shower stalls and onsite training simulators.
“Maximizing drivers’ comfort and providing the tools and facilities they need to do their jobs safely and efficiently is job number one for all Schneider associates,” Geyer said.
Schneider made the announcement about the new Dallas facility on August 13, two weeks after shuttering its First to Final Mile (FTFM) operation.
Green Bay-Wisconsin based Schneider launched FTFM in June 2016 as a business-to-consumer e-commerce category, “first-to-final-mile” shipping service for furniture and carpeting orders.
Schneider announced August 1 that it would immediately halt the unit’s operations due to “significantly below expectations.”
According to financial records, the FTFM service lost $26 million in the first half of 2019 and was on track to lose another $9 million in the third quarter.
As part of the shutdown of the FTFM unit, Schneider announced it would layoff 73 employees at its Conover, North Carolina terminal and 85 jobs in Green Bay. It is unclear how many other jobs nationwide could be affected.
Schneider National, one of the largest carriers in the country, has around 19,400 employees.