Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/566087
Severe Service 50 | Overdrive | September 2015 The 60-truck Carolina Waste & Recycling fleet, based around Charleston, S.C., is made up mostly of Mack models, says cofounder Scott Fennell. Each truck is outfitted with a brake retarder system to help maintain a steady speed when travel- ing downhill or in other treacherous road condi- tions. All of the Macks also are outfitted with a tablet- driven route management system, allowing the driver to not only record service calls and report items on pre- and post-trip inspec- tions but also to photo- graph problems such as overloaded containers or unattended vehicles block- ing pickup. Drivers can send the data back to the office before completing their route and returning for the day. The photos provide support for issues that previously might have been open to dispute. Mack Trucks, MackTrucks.com Macks handle dirty work for Carolina fleet Carolina Waste & Recycling's maintenance workers have adjusted to the higher-level technology offered by the newer Macks and will continue performing most of their own maintenance in-house. Dan Titus, president of Page Truck- ing, attributes the fleet's success to its owner-operators, combined with its diverse well-maintained array of equipment, including custom trailers. The Weedsport, N.Y.-based fleet specializes in agriculture, industrial hauling and environmental cleanup. The company can move any bulk commodity. Customers include the largest producers in the lead, steel and aluminum industries. The company hauls raw materials in for produc- tion, then pulls the finished product out. It also moves byproducts out for recycling or landfill delivery. The bulk hauler's unique applica- tions require custom-spec'd trailers. It worked with East Manufactur- ing to build and refine a dump trailer engineered with reinforced flooring, specifically configured for multiple uses and with additional stiffness added to the side walls. The aluminum trailers provide a balance between strength/durability and relatively low weight. The specially-designed Genesis frameless dump trailer, typically 39 feet long with five-foot-tall side walls, uses high-quality aluminum, making for good resale value. Page Trucking was established in 1977 on the family farm by Dan Titus' father, Keith, who designed the original dump trailer with East. After his father's death in 1999, his mother, Debbie, kept the fleet afloat through an economic downturn. Dan and his sister purchased the fleet in 2012. The siblings refined the trailer spec hand-in-hand with East. "Technology has improved over the years, but the base concept still remains strong," Dan Titus said. East Manufacturing Corp., EastMfg.com PAGE TRUCKING RELIES ON CUSTOM-SPEC'D TRAILERS TO HAUL MATERIALS, FINAL PRODUCTS East Manufacturing's Genesis side-wall technology makes for a trailer that is easy to clean and doesn't show dents from the inside. Dan Titus, Page Trucking president, credits the company's leased owner-operators with providing feedback to improve its unique dump trailer. With typical annual orders of between 20 to 50 trailers, Page applies that feedback to new-generation equipment.