GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider completed its conversion to a company-owned and managed chassis fleet last year, and continues to invest in company-owned equipment including intermodal chassis, containers and tractors.
The company added more than 4,200 intermodal containers in 2018, bringing its total to 22,200 – a 24 percent increase year over year. The containers – combined with the corresponding number of company chassis to maintain a private fleet – allow Schneider to provide truck-like service in the intermodal segment. In a world of tight capacity, shippers and drivers are experiencing the benefits of Schneider’s company-owned intermodal equipment, according to Jim Filter, senior vice president and general manager of Schneider’s intermodal division.
“Investing in reliable company-owned equipment means we don’t have to rely on equipment pools and, as a result, we have offered a better experience to our customers and dray drivers,” Filter said. “With Schneider-owned chassis, drivers experience less downtime due to their easy access and low maintenance needs. Investing in the equipment space delivers a win-win for drivers and shippers.”
Filter said benefits and productivity gains that shippers and drivers are experiencing as a result of Schneider’s company-owned intermodal equipment investments include:
- Consistent and cost-efficient shipping: By working with an asset-based intermodal provider that has new lightweight chassis, shippers can move up to 700 pounds more than the common pool chassis for a total of 45,500 pounds with a day-cab tractor. The weight of all Schneider chassis is the same, so the shipper knows how much weight it can haul with every load.
- Increased availability: The demand for chassis in shared pools often outstrips supply, as recently experienced in the Chicago market. Schneider’s equipment increases supply and allows the company to precisely match the number of customer orders to equipment availability.
- Decreased downtime and improved reliability: Schneider’s high-quality chassis and complete control over the maintenance of those chassis allows the company to maintain equipment, identify issues and make repairs before they turn into critical breakdowns and costly delays.
- Improved service and load acceptance: Available and reliable chassis have already led to increased productivity, which has improved driver retention and dray capacity availability.
- Enhanced safety: Consistent with Schneider’s No. 1 core value of Safety First, and Always, the company’s maintenance control over the assets also ensures all Schneider chassis are well maintained.
Schneider plans to continue investing in intermodal containers, chassis and tractors to continue supporting the needs of both shippers and drivers, Filter said.
For more information about shipping with Schneider Intermodal, visit www.schneider.com, email [email protected] or call 844-701-LOAD.
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