Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328680
With beverage delivery comes a message at Columbia Distributing C ustomers in the beverage industry have one primary require- ment of their shippers and suppliers. They get their product when they need it. "That's really all that matters to them," says Joe Braun, the fleet equipment manager for Columbia Distributing, the grow- ing Portland, Ore.-based beer, soda and wine carrier that is nearly the largest of its kind in the United States. "If we can't get it there, the customer doesn't care what the reason is. They'll go find someone who can." At Columbia, the recent rapid growth of the company came about partly through merger and acquisition, and partly through recognition of its high performance standards. As a result, fleet requirements and logistics were a moving target for the company as it kept pace with ever-growing and evolving demands that doubled their typical load size. Braun soon realized dual-axle tractors would be required to do what single-axle tractors had long done. But some of the mixed- make fleet Columbia inherited in its acquisitions struggled to meet the company's performance standards. So did some of the new trucks the company ordered. Meanwhile, Braun rented some Peterbilt Model 337s and Model 340 tractors to cover their short-term needs. The Peterbilt rentals performed well, Braun reports, in stark contrast to the performance of some of the other equipment the company had running. Braun soon made an equipment decision that would en- sure customers would continue to get their product when they needed it. But the motivation for the decision was two-fold. Besides ensuring reliable, on-time performance, Braun says buying Peterbilts — exclusively, from 2007 forward — was designed to send a message as well. Diverse fleet Columbia's busy fleet tallies 6 million miles a year, servicing 19,000 customers and making 13,500 stops a week. The broad geography that Columbia services — more than 100,000 square miles, including most of Oregon and Washington — requires trucks beyond those usually serving the beverage industry. The majority of the Peterbilt trucks in the fleet are Model 382s in dual-axle configurations. Braun is particularly fond of the Model 382 for the 380-horsepower capacity it delivers — a neces- sity due to the mountainous nature of the Pacific Northwest — in a regional haul-type tractor. These trucks, which Braun calls Columbia's "vehicle of choice," typically haul trailers up to 48 feet and primarily service retail accounts in the Columbia network. Taking product to the customer whose delivery area is somewhat more confined is the job of the medium- duty component of the Columbia fleet. Single-axle Model 337 tractors with trailers up to 36 feet carry the bulk of this load, as well as some Model 337 straight "We want to be No. 1 in America. Running premium trucks helps us make that statement..." — Joe Braun, Fleet Equipment Manager Horsepower capacity of up to 380 gives the Model 382 added power and versatility when hauling loads through the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. 6 FIRST CLASS Special Delivery