GO BIG or Go Home: Semi Truck Day Cab Adds Transport Efficiency
Fleet Adds Semi Truck DayCab for Sheet Metal Transport
When it comes to sheet metal fabrication, things can get pretty big - and transporting large items requires big trailers and big cargo space.
So P1 went 鈥渂ig鈥� with the addition of a new Semi Truck DayCab.
P1 Corporate Fleet Manager Nick Miccoli explains the need for more cargo space, and the trailers that provide that.
鈥淗aving a semi-truck to pull our 53-foot trailers allows us much more cargo space,鈥� Nick said. 鈥淭his reduces multiple trips in a box truck or smaller vehicle. We now have the capability to haul our own semi-trailers, instead of having to outsource the hauling.鈥�
Steve Hinshaw adds that several meetings with P1 sheet metal foremen - and others with subject matter expertise - were the catalyst for the DayCab decision.
鈥淲e conducted meetings with several of P1鈥檚 top sheet metal foremen asking them for areas of improvement,鈥� Steve said.
Steve says the group - which included Gary Kluender, Brian Tongue, Dave Wright, Tom Keating, Steve Klamm, Steve Turner, Jason Larson, and Ben Gannaway - pointed out that one semi-load is about the equivalent of four box truck loads.
Warehouse Operations Manager Ben Gannaway was a major driver in the purchase of the DayCab.
鈥淭here is time lost waiting for a crane or fork lift 鈥� that we typically have to borrow to unload a truck - on a job site,鈥� Ben said. 鈥淲e were paying for a driver, back and forth four times, instead of just once.鈥�
鈥淚t is also difficult to get an outside trucking company to move trailers that don鈥檛 belong to them,鈥� he added.
Fabricated duct is one of the most common components requiring significant space.
鈥淚nstead of fabricating duct and putting it into a neat pile in the shop, where space is precious, we can now fabricate duct and load it straight onto one of our four new semi-trailers - which can be then be transported with the DayCab,鈥� Steve said.
Nick notes this is the first semi-tractor in the P1 fleet, but may not be the last.
鈥淭his is the heaviest duty vehicle we have in the fleet, and, depending on future work, there is always a possibility we would acquire more,鈥� Nick said.
