We've Made Progress for You
Progress! It was once the curse word among US trucking industry executives
who had the luxury of sitting on the hands of regulation and getting richer
and richer. Their operating rights couldn't be challenged and they were,
for the most part, unmovable. But as the industry was deregulated, many
saw their wealth disappear and the paper fortress was reduced that had
existed for so long.
But today's modern trucking professionals have learned their lessons
and use progress as a tool to their competitive advantage. It is just such
professionals that know the advantages and that have learned the value
of new technologies, new equipment, and new, more profitable ways of doing
business and servicing their customers with higher quality service. The
Box Trotters equipment technology delivers a competitive edge to them.
This incredible tool, a method to seamlessly automate the transfer of freight
among modes and carrier to carrier from point to point through the standard
infrastructure that exists today, provides the profit potential many progressive
companies want and need to survive, compete, and grow in todays competitive
world.
Combing this exciting multimodal equipment with the internet opens the
way for many of our progressive leaders to join us in saving time, applying
more productive techniques to the physical movement of freight, and enjoying
the benefits along the way.
Background:
Containerized, Intermodal Shipping...Real Progress!
An important part of our technology.
Oceangoing containerized shipping marked its 50th anniversary in 1996,
50 years after the first container was loaded aboard a ship in New York,
NY., and was transported to a Southern United States port. This umble and
seemingly uneventful event was the beginning of an exciting new industry
that has produced considerable wealth through improved efficiencies in
transferring freight from mode to mode. This initiative was undertaken
by Malcolm McLean, founder of Sea Land, the largest steamship operation
in the world and currently owned as a subsidiary of CSX railroad.
Containerized shipping that today has built incredible wealth and is
the world standard in moving a majority of freight. But there remains a
significant amount more to be gained by tapping into small economies and
operational inefficiencies that exist inside the domestic management of
containerized shipping systems.
Today, this basic business philosophy continues to expand its dynamics
and synergies into many related fields and sub fields of the industry.
And it continues to evolve as a result of industry visionaries discovering
more and more benefits of its uses. From utilizing tanks and domestic containers
to creating other ways to use the standard 20' ISO intermodal container,
more and more ways to cut costs and improve productivity and profitability
are being realized every day. This is where Box Trotters fits the equation
of today.
Opening the Bottleneck...Reducing Line Haul Origin, Destination
Exchange Productivity Costs
Even though intermodal shipping has progressed greatly, there are still
many operational inefficiencies yet to be resolved.
How are containers typically transported?
The transport of containers from a railroad, truck, or steamship terminal
typically involves the use of a specially built container chassis. The
container chassis for ocean containers are typically 20' or 40' long to
accomodate the respectively sized containers. In the day to day operations,
there are a multitude of challenges that impact the productivity of an
operation.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Chassis Drayage?
The Box Trotters equipment technology represents the convergence of
several equipment types(straight trucks-for local distribution...intermodal
ocean and domestic containers...and conventional flatbed, both spring and
air ride suspension-for line haul), and 2 primary transportation philosophies...containerized
shipping and trucking.
Everyday, managers with seasonal, regional, military, rush, delay, and
idle storage demands, the Box Trotters system enables the everyday management
of freight movements and time demands to be handled more productively and
efficiently by reducing the time a truck driver and his shipper must interact
with a fork lift operator a shipper and all the circumstances around these
functions.
The Box Trotters Technology...A Engineering Marvel!
True Multimodal Power!
The Box Trotters technology is a steel manufactured equipment item that
has become known as a multimodal frame unit. The frame unit is horizontal
in shape, features intermodal twist locks on each corner, which are situated
directly above intermodal corner castings. Also attached at each corner
are 4 telescopic, multistage, multi-part legs. The legs support the frame
when it is resting, waiting for a container to be attached, waiting for
a load to be loaded, or waiting for a flatbed or straight truck to drive
beneath it.
 Two Box Trotters Frames Shown Stacked.
Equipment Repositioning Costs are Lower
For storage and transport, the frame units stack. In fact, 8 stacked
frame units will occupy the same amount of space as 1, 20' ISO intermodal
container. This allows the frames to be stacked for original shipment from
our manufacturing site to initial user, or it allows the units to be repositioned
from, a net inbound location to a net outbound location, for example. Repositioning
empty equipment from delivering a load to pickingup the next load costs
productivity, fuel, and time in many transportation segments. For example,
repositioning inbound rental trucks from Florida back to Texas(a high outbound
location in 1989), cost a major truck rental company $125 thousand dollars
in employee air fares that year)
Equipment Features
The Box Trotters Equipment:
- Fits Conventional Equipment
- Carries low maintenance costs
- Provides variable loading heights, including low profile and standard
flatbed height
- Provides several conventional options lifting and lowering damands
- Suitable in unlevel and level terrain
- Supports various weight capabilities
- Stackable(saving valuable yard space)
- Provides ISO corner casting and twist lock latching systems
- Requires no lifting machinery
- Fits intermodal and domestic equipment
- Comes with a1 year limited warranty
- Can be shipped 8 high=1 20' ISO container
- Is completely Self Contained
- Fits into standard parking place(for apartment community deliveries)
Local Operations and Distribution
- Can Easily Outfit an existing straight truck with kit
- 10 minute offloading time
- Can be positioned on flat and unlevel terrain(including residential
driveways)
Line Haul
- Fits Conventional Equipment(No need to modify your flatbed)
- Fits standard ISO and domestic containers
- Operates from Trucks existing power systems
- Fits Low profile as well as standard height flatbeds
- Driver can load/offload in 10 minutes
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- Can offload without waiting on other trucks
Key Driver Benefits
- Has More Time Flexibility to get home
- Can Easily Load More Shipments and Increase Income
Key Stockholder/Company Benefits
- Can increase return on investment with less investment
- Can Expand and Contract Easier with less Equipment
- Downsize Fleets
- Utilize more "Contract Carriers" for line haul
- Maintain "Back-up" storage
- Utilize More Efficient routing
- Add flexibility to warehousing operations
- Reduce Stripping and Stuffing time
- Variable lease options
- Improve Inventory Management
- Profitable service rural areas
- Reduce Docking Time
- Reduce Fuel consumption
- Improve Delivery Performance
These Features Translate into Customer Savings...
Box Trotters Equipment Versatility...
As you learn more and more about the benefits of the Box Trotters equipment
technology, you'll learn that the system increases productivity greatly
be integrating local and line haul operations. However, you may have an
application that involves just the exchange of shipments in certain routing
operations where you transfer a load via flatbed to flatbed without the
necessary stripping and stuffing required. Box Trotters fits these applications
with greath versatility.
Flatbed Options
The Box Trotters technology is an exciting technology that local and
long distance trucking and distribution operators find astounding. The
features of the system enable the transfer of freight completely sealed
inside the secure, sealed if necessary, international ISO steamship or
domestic container such as the 28' lightweight stackable high cube box.
The power of the Box Trotters equipment technology is the fact that
it can be transported via standard flatbed truck, either spring
chassis or air suspension. Either standard
height of around 5' or drop deck chassis can be used. An added benefit
is gained when a carrier can include the use an air ride flatbed to conduct
transport of special commodities or high value goods.
Box Trotters Power of Load Efficiency...
Load Options
Operating the Box Trotters Equipment for
Local Operations...
What kind of training is needed to operate the Box Trotters equipment
in the local area? Typically the driver and opertor of the Box Trotters
equipment is mechanically inclined and should have previous experience
opearating commercial equipment.
Local Straight Truck Operations
Perhaps the most powerful feature of the Box Trotters system is how
easily a commercial operator can convert his existing stratight truck to
fit it. Box Trotters local delivery , pick-up and distribution of the Box
Trotters mobile containers involves the usage of a conventional straight
truck. With no chassis modification except the application of our kit(which
is installed in a day and a half, typically) our dealers, and customers,
have their equipment converted to the modular mobile container delivery
system.
The conversion can be done at our plant, or the kit can be shipped anywhere
in the world for direct field installation.
A Hands On Unloading Demonstration in a local deliervy
application
Offloading the Box Trotters Technology
Locally, from a Straight truck, requires 3 easy steps
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Step 1
The first step to offloading the Box Trotters Frame unit, is the operator
grabs the easy to operate up and down button that operates the hydraulic
system and he presses the up button. This raises the frame slightly from
the truck chassis.
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Step 2
Next, the arms are pulled out until a safety catch stops them at the right
point.
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Step 3
The final step includes the pinning of the leg. Once the leg is positioned
on the ground, the leg is pinned and the frame is now supporting the load.
Once the load is secure, the hydraulics are lowered(the reverse of step
1) and the truck is driven from beneath the frame.
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We'll continue to make progress for you! Now, let's and make progress
together.
Truckers...Register Your Equipment With Us!
If you're a trucker, and you want to become a member of our carrier
team, you'll need to register your equipment with us. Once you register
your equipment, you'll be able to start transporting our loads and we'll
know the dimensioins of your equipment.
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Truckers Sign In
