Technicians help with spec’ing their company’s trailers

Fleet technicians know the importance of minimizing shop time so their trailers can be on the road earning revenue. As a result, trailers need to be easy to repair.

So, when it came time for AAA Cooper Transportation to add new trailers, it turned to its technicians for guidance.

Capitalizing on their combined 211 years of experience and understanding of trailer component combinations, 11 of the company’s technicians sat down with AAA Cooper’s Great Dane representative and developed customized trailer specifications for the fleet’s recently ordered new Great Dane 53-ft vans and 28-ft pups.

AAA Cooper (www.aaacooper.com) is a privately held, asset-based, multi-regional transportation solutions provider offering less-than-truckload, truckload, dedicated contract carriage, brokerage, fleet maintenance and international services. Great Dane (www.greatdanetrailers.com) is a manufacturer of dry van, refrigerated and platform trailers.

"Our fleet technicians worked closely with our Great Dane representative to review trailer specifications – line by line – to build the best trailer for our application,” says Steven Aronhalt, AAA Cooper’s president of safety and maintenance. “The specs include every detail – from exterior and interior wall preferences to the ways we need to haul and protect cargo.”

Flexibility

“As a less-than-truckload carrier, the inside of our trailers have to handle a variety of loads – differing sizes and weights, which means we need optimum flexibility," Aronhalt notes.

That was among the reasons AAA Copper's newly designed trailer specification included Great Dane’s Double Dex system. A factory-installed option, it allows for increased load flexibility through "double-decking" by adding a deck for additional cargo.

Typical captive beam systems, which are attached to the trailer sidewall or post, leave the supports for the beams exposed to snag and damage freight, as well as increase maintenance costs on the trailer, he explains. The Double Dex is a captive decking system whose design allows the cargo track to be entirely recessed into the post, providing a virtually snag-free area.

Not only does the system improve cargo space, it also offers ease of maintenance, adds Aronhalt. In the event the inner post requires repair, replacement does not upset the liner or the inverted steel post, which is recessed in the track.