Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co. — a manufacturer of dry freight vans, reefers, flatbeds and Tautliner curtainsided trailers — announced Monday, Nov. 12, that its plant in Paragould, Ark., reached a production milestone with its 75,000th dry van that rolled off the assembly line in August.
The Paragould plant produces the 4000D-X dry van, which Utility says accounted for more than 50 percent of its dry van production in 2006 compared to about 5 percent in 2001. The 4000D-X was engineered to compete in the thin-wall segment; in addition to its high cubic capacity and productivity, the 4000D-X offers aerodynamic enhancements, low rolling-resistance tires and overall weight reduction. According to Utility, those factors enabled the 4000D-X to be the first trailer to qualify under the specifications of the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Partnership.
“We have a well-established reputation of providing durable trailers, and the 4000D-X reflects our dedication to providing solidly engineered products,” says Craig Bennett, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Utility Trailer, based in City of Industry, Calif. “And as the industry’s first qualifying dry van to be certified as a SmartWay trailer, we expect production at Paragould to continue at a brisk pace.”
