Understanding Equipment
Western Logistics operates a superbly modern fleet of trucks, tractors, and trailer equipment. All of our trailer equipment is air-ride, with logistics tracking and translucent roofs for pleasant and safe loading and unloading. Our highway trailer fleet has an average age of 3 years, and features roll-up doors for customer convenience and load security. More and more, we have been fitting regional "pup" trailers, 40 and 28 feet, with power-gates for delivery in difficult areas.
Our warehouses are also fitted out with the best tools for the job, including specialized racking and dollies, fork extensions, carton clamps, furniture pads, load lock bars, straps, and decking materials to create secondary floors in trailer equipment.
Currently, we are fast upgrading our fleet to "clean diesels," both for environmental concerns and fuel economy. Many new trucks have been acquired in 2007-08, most of them with the latest Cummins ISX technology, arguably the world's most advanced "clean diesel." We use mid-point switch operations very extensively to turn drivers back home, to utilize equipment to the maximum, and to avoid truck idling while drivers sleep en route.
Frequently Asked Questions About Equipment:
Q: Does this policy of modern and high-quality equipment not cost more? Does it not affect your competitive position?
A: If you look at the winners and losers of every industry, you will find that the companies who commit themselves to good technologies, good facilities, and good capital assets will win in the long run. For management, it is always tougher to make the decision to spend $100,000 for a truck, instead of buying a used one for $35,000, or repairing an existing older one. The answer lies in performance and personnel. We’re always functional, with no excuses about trucks broken down. Drivers are not frustrated by second-rate equipment, and are totally productive at all times. In a business which is so labor-intensive, our “power-tools” enable us to attract superior drivers, and enable them to be super-productive as well as proud of their Company.
Q: What does Western Logistics do that is special about equipment?
A: Lots. On truck and trailer equipment, we have air-ride suspension, we have logistics tracking in all our trucks and trailers, and we have power tailgates in most centers. In our warehouses, we have special equipment, such as pinch lifts (clamp trucks), fork extensions, special dollies, some of which we design ourselves. We have blankets for product protection, decking materials for load separation, straps and bars for load retention. Most of all, however, we have PEOPLE WHO CARE. That’s our secret weapon, and it will always be our most important asset.
Q: What about special situations? Does Western Logistics get equipment for these?
A: Yes, we do. Here’s an example. When faced with problems of large deliveries into downtown towers, in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Vancouver, etc. we purchased low (12’ high) trailers, single axle 40’ units, to allow us to drive directly into the belly of downtown towers, and clear low bridges, with large shipments. Western Logistics will gladly spent capital to acquire power tools that make us better at our job. For example, our recent emergence in Atlantic Canada into business electronics -- an area for future development -- we have fitted out trucks with larger power-gates, logistics tracking on 16" centers instead of 24," horizontal E-track as well as vertical tracking, blanket storage hatches, stair-climber and refrigerator dollies, etc., which work like magic on inside deliveries of 400-pound machines worth up to $50,000.
Q: That’s interesting. What about truck loading?
A: We have canopies over our loading bays so water can’t get into the trailers or trucks during loading, thus keeping product completely dry at all times. We also accommodate cube vans by designing our new warehouses to receive these lower trucks at dock level. Incidentally, we are well advanced in our corporate building program, working now on our fifth building -- Mississauga, Ontario -- which will have 36 loading doors on 6 acres. Designing and building our own buildings on a turn-key basis lets us have exactly what we need to serve our specialized markets.