Custom Trailers Going to Extra Lengths

WALMART CANADA HAS EXPANDED CAPACITY

First pioneered by Walmart Canada, Utility Trailer’s Canadian customers are adding custom, longer trailers to their fleets. After initiating a pilot program with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to introduce 60-foot trailers on the province’s roads, Walmart Canada collaborated with Utility and Action Trailer Sales in Mississauga, Ontario, to develop the new 60-foot (18.5 meters) custom reefer trailer in 2022. While a standard 53-foot trailer can typically haul approximately 26 pallets, the longer alternatives can fit as many as 30 across multiple temperature zones. With a higher load capacity, Walmart Canada’s Ontario shipping is experiencing increased efficiency and saving on fuel costs while reducing the number of necessary trips.

In the United States, there are currently 57-foot trailers operating with permits in Texas and Oregon, and additional states may soon follow suit. Western Extrusion, a Utility Trailer supplier, has upgraded its Pennsauken, N.J., facility to handle longer-trailer extrusions.

“Walmart has had a positive experience with the longer trailer and has turned a lot of heads on the road. It has certainly piqued the interest of others. I hope to see more of these longer trailers in operation in the next couple of years,” said Bob Ray, President of Action Trailer Sales.