First Class

Fall 2012

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Moving Parts TENNESSEE COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSING "We have the best truck with the best spec for our unique application." – Scott George, CEO Operations are complex, but Peterbilt fleet simplifies efforts at TCW 14 l FIRST CLASS E verything about operations at Tennessee Commercial Warehousing (TCW) suggests the working fluidity and effi- ciency of a fine-tuned machine. The customers of the Nashville-based warehousing operation, logistics provider and common carrier would have it no other way. TCW's core competency is ser- vicing the shipping ports of the Southeast. While logistics can be complicated, the work is fairly simple at road level, as driv- ers haul shipping containers from port cities, where TCW owns two terminals, to customer locations or one of eight inland TCW terminals or warehouses. The com- pany also offers drayage to and from rail- road yards and manages container depots to ensure all their shipping partners have containers when they need them. Drivers rarely stay overnight, and as a result, short inter-terminal hauls are common. Tracking and managing inter- terminal movement of freight is of vital importance, not only to customers, but to TCW in its efforts to minimize unloaded miles and maximize equipment utilization. With so many moving parts, cen- tral to TCW's operational success is a dependable fleet, and theirs is made up of 245 Peterbilt Model 386s in day cab configurations. As of this summer, the fleet — the average age of which is less than two years old — is powered entirely by the PACCAR MX engine. According to Steve Choate, the com- pany's maintenance director, the fleet makeup is driven by a simple presump- tion of performance. "In this business, service failures are simply unacceptable," he says. "That's one of the primary reasons we run Peterbilts and the MX." Since 1948 TCW and its sister company, Tennessee Express, have been satisfying the demands of the Southeastern U.S. warehouse industry since 1948, accord- ing to company CEO Scott George, the third-generation of leadership at TCW. Scott's grandfather Howard, using a 1938 pickup truck, began delivering some of the product he had been warehousing, and thus started the trucking side of the busi- ness. Scott's father Phil ran the company until his passing in 2003. In 1981, the company put a Peterbilt to work in its fleet for the first time. Impressed by its performance and driver appeal, the company was soon buying nothing but Peterbilts, and has bought nothing else since. Choate and George hear from many other OEMs, but the long-term partner- ship with Peterbilt has been rewarding for TCW. "We believe in long-term, exclusive partnerships," says George. "There is value in loyalty that has been built over 30 years. Today, with the Model 386s, we have the best truck with the best spec for our unique application. You get that continuous improvement from the com- mitment of Peterbilt to TCW — and from TCW to Peterbilt." Among those improvements George is studying closely is the new Peterbilt Model 579. TCW has been testing the innovative new tractor, which is struc- tured on a spacious cab. "The drivers like the additional room in the cab," says George. "And the wider cab translates to better fuel economy for us through improved aerodynamics around the trailing unit." Heavy loads Those "trailing units" are ocean ship- ping containers — elongated cubes with a 9-foot-6-inch-tall flat front and ribbed sides. They're hardly aerodynamic, par- ticularly once placed on the typical ship- per-owned trailer chassis, which usually bears improperly inflated bias-ply tires. And loads are almost always heavy, as containers are packed to 45,000 lbs. or more. Still, Choate says fuel economy is very satisfactory. "There are some things just out of our control — air pressure on the trailer tires, for instance," says Choate. "And we pull heavy loads through cities, then through mountains, with lots of twists and turns. It's severe duty. So we've got a few things working against us but in spite of that, we're very happy with our fuel economy." Lightweight design, and aluminum components such as wheels, crossmem- bers and battery boxes help ensure that more weight can go into the contain-

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