2013 CCJ Top 250 rank: 6
Industry segment: General freight
2012 revenues: $3.5 billion
Revenue change vs. 2011: 2.9 percent
Power units: 11,563
Trailers: 44,000
Drivers: 13,070
Continuing a trend in other markets, including C.R. England’s TempStack container on flat car initiative and more recently Boyd Bros.’ flatbed intermodal solution, Schneider National set its sights on augmenting its liquid chemical transportation business with rail.
In April, Schneider introduced its bulk intermodal service using a new 40-foot tank container that can be used on the rail and over the road to haul up to 5,800 gallons of liquid bulk chemicals across the United States. The company began with 100 containers and plans to grow to 200 units by the end of the year.
Schneider’s new service echoes an industry trend – especially among larger carriers – to increase intermodal offerings to offset capacity constraints and improve customer service.
“With concerns about driver capacity becoming more prominent for both carriers and shippers, we need to offer solutions for moving our customers’ products in innovative ways,” says George Grossardt, vice president and general manager of Schneider’s Bulk division. “It quickly became apparent that opportunity existed on the railroads, so we invested our time and energy into creating a solution that would allow for maximum payload and efficiency while still meeting our high safety standards.”
Schneider anticipates bulk intermodal shipments will take only 24 hours more than truck-only service.
“Truckload plus one day is very doable for most chemical shippers today,” says Grossardt. “If they can build the extra day of transit into their supply chains, they can count on our reliable service to deliver.”
<<No. 27: Cardinal Logistics Management Corp., Concord, N.C. Click here to download the entire 2013 CCJ Top 240 list>>
