TANK TRAILER manufacturers have not been slow in adapting to Internet sites, and use the Web to provide information to current and prospective customers. A cursory look at some of the sites reveals plenty of equipment specifications. Those that have parts and service departments showcase those areas as well.
One advantage of visiting the sites is obtaining the quick contact through e-mail, which is becoming the communication link of choice for many transactions.
Following is a sample of a few of the many sites that are online.
www.acrotrailer.com Acro Trailer Company, Springfield, Missouri, covers its line of cargo tanks by presenting a home page with specification details divided into six categories. The line includes vacuum, chemical, acid, noncode, hot products, and truckmounts. For example, the vacuum tank page shows a picture of the tank with capacity, code, shape, material, compartment, and product use listed.
The vacuum tanks page has photographs of three 6,000-gallon DOT407/412 tank trailers. Varying in design, the trailer can be specified for stainless steel or carbon steel. Customers can order straight barrel or double conical, and insulated or noninsulated.
At the right-hand side of the pages, an index has buttons for new tanks, used tanks, parts, services, company information, contacts, and links.
www.bedardtankers.com Canadian builder, Bedard Tankers Inc, has a brief, but comprehensive web site. The company, located in Montreal, Quebec, custom designs tank trailers for liquid and dry bulk products, as well as liquefied compressed gases, and cryogenics.
Photographs of the various vehicles available are posted on the site.
Bedard offers repair, testing, and parts services. The shop holds several certifications, including American Society of Mechanical Engineers "U" stamp and National Board "R" stamp.
The one-page site squeezes in its shop certifications and notes two stock units that are available. Photographs show some of the company's products. Queries can be made via e-mail.
www.brennertank.com There is an abundance of information on the Brenner Tank Inc site. The Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, company features its new stock tanks that are available, including the exact number, listed by type and ready for purchase. Another click leads to individual specifications.
Brenner devotes one page to its parts lineup that includes suppliers' names. Contacts are listed for trailer sales, repair facilities, and parts sales.
Brenner reminds visitors to the site that its products and services meet ASME, Department of Transportation, and HM- 183 requirements.
www.etnyre.com E D Etnyre, Oregon, Illinois, fills its web site with photos of equipment at work. In addition, there are pictures of the different types of tank trailers the company provides, as well as brief descriptions. Computerized components also are pictured and their advantages discussed.
The service page has two sections, one for customer service and the other for parts. Information points out that Etnyre offers repair parts for all current Etnyre equipment models and for many early models.
There are lists for Etynre dealers with addresses and telephone numbers, and the company provides parts and operator manuals at no cost to owners of Etnyre equipment.
www.Kleespie.com Tank trailer standard and optional features and specifications are on the Kleespie Tank and Petroleum Equipment site. The Morris, Minnesota, company provides just about all the information a customer would want to know about the company's product.
As an example, a liquid propane gas bobtail truck is pictured and its specifications listed. Thirty-five bullet points emphasize various equipment, including capacity, openings components, gauges, valves, pump, meters, hose and reel, remote controls, tool boxes, paints available, open and closed decks, decals, and mud flaps.
Photographs depict various vehicles, including propane bobtails and transport trailers.
An extensive parts list is available for review, and additional information can be gathered via e-mail.
www.mstank.com Mississippi Tank Company, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, posts a spec list for four of the manufacturer's standard pressure vessel trailers. By clicking on the name of a trailer - 10,600 capacity LPG transport trailer, for example - a detailed specification sheet is available.
The information for this trailer shows that the tank diameter is 80 inches. It is constructed of SA517 steel with a minimum tensile strength of 115,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. Further specifications are listed as are many components. A similar section is reserved for used trailers.
On one page, the company's facility is shown in an overhead panoramic photograph. Expanded four times from an original 6,000-square-foot structure built over four decades ago, Mississippi Tank's main manufacturing facility now comprises more than 115,000 square feet under roof.
www.nova-fab.comNova Fabricating Inc, Avon, Minnesota, has a concise web site in two sections. One lists products and the other is for employee recruitment.
The company manufactures DOT407/412, noncode, and foodgrade tank trailers, as well as storage and process tanks, pressure vessels, nonpressure vessels, and foodgrade and pharmaceutical products.
The employment section describes the jobs available and lists the experience required for hiring.
www.texastrailercorp.com Manufacturer of carbon dioxide, propane, specialty trailers, and ISO containers, Texas Trailer Corp, Gainsville, Texas, has a succinct overview page. It includes the company's product line and information about repair, rebuilding, and rehabilitation.
In-depth detail is presented about basic units. For example, the carbon dioxide trailer page lists specifications of the vessel, plumbing, undercarriage, and other features. A weight analysis is also posted.
Information about different styles, technology, volumes, parts, weights, and pressures are available upon request.
The specialty trailer parts page lists a sampling of the types of parts sold and shipped, sold and installed, and picked up at the company's location.
Technical assistance can be obtained either by telephoning or fax, or by inquiring via e-mail.
www.pei.org TECHNOXPO GOING ONLINE Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) has chosen iTradeFair.com to bring TechnoXpo at Convex 2000 to the Internet. This virtual event will allow exhibitors to reach a bigger audience while tapping into interactive and dynamic features of an online trade show. TechnoXpo's virtual companion will be available to any participant to register and peruse through Nov 30, 2000. Preregistration is at http://technoXpo.itradefair.net.
www.iTradeFair.com TechnoXpo Online is powered by iTradeFair.com's interactive tools. The Attendee Personalization System allows participants to personalize their visit to the virtual trade show. The Booth Builder software enables companies to create and update contents of online booths. The Online Reporting System permits exhibitors to view and download qualified lead information in real-time. The Virtual Show Run-Time System mimics the buzz of a trade show floor with pavilions, booths, show-level bulletin board, and keynote speakers.
www.TradeOut.com PENSKE SELLS TRUCKS ONLINE Penske Truck Leasing sold 310 used trucks for $3.6 million in an Aug 23-31, 2000, online sale administered by TradeOut.com, a firm that sells goods from a number of industries online.
Penske used the online event, which was not an auction because the price of each truck on the block was preset, to sell used rental trucks that had been used for moving, ranging in size from 10 to 25 feet.
Tom Janowicz, Penske general manager for e-business, said the more than 2,000 trucks that did not sell during the nine-day sale would be listed on TradeOut's web site at a higher price.
www.logistics.com LOGISTICS.COM INC FORMS, INTEGRATES SYSTEMS Logistics.com Inc, a new company, has been formed from the logistics business unit acquired from Sabre Inc. The new firm is integrating its suite of 15 established optimization-based decision support systems and products - currently an installed base of more than 100 carriers and shippers - with its new Internet-based Digital Transportation Marketplace (DTM).
Using the company's decision support systems as agents, carriers can interface directly with the DTM to maximize yields, decrease "deadhead" miles, bring drivers home, and increase revenue per mile. Shippers, in turn, benefit from the company's OptiBid, designed to optimize annual contract bidding. More than 30 shippers have used OptiBid's conditional-bid optimization system over the past three years to establish their annual contracts. More than 20 shippers currently use SureShipping, the company's transportation management system.
Leading the new company as chief executive officer is Dr Yossi Sheffi. He is the founder of PTCG, a company acquired by Sabre in 1996 to form the core of Sabre's Logistics Group, which Logistics.com just acquired. He is taking a partial leave of absence as director of the Center for Transportation Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to assume the CEO position at Logistics.com.
www.DriverReport.com DRIVERREPORT.COM USES INTERNET FOR REPORTS Orlando FL-based DriverReport.com, which offers the traditional method of reporting using a toll free phone number, now allows "callers" to make reports through their web site.
DriverReport.com receives about 40% of reports from its web site and expects that number to increase significantly. In fact, the firm receives another 25% of reports on vehicles monitored by other companies.
According to industry reports, roughly half a million trucks and buses participate in some "How's My Driving" program. Only 5% to 10% of a company's drivers receive negative reports, yet companies that use monitoring services enjoy about a 20% decrease in the number of accidents.
www.pnv.com DRIVERS SEND CARDS ONLINE Professional truck drivers on the nation's highways can share their feelings with family, friends, and loved ones thanks to a new co-marketing alliance between PNV Inc and NetCards Inc. The alliance will enable users of PNV's portal site - pnv.com - to send timely and personalized NetCards.com e-messages and e-cards. Other PNV.com web portal services include a list of driver tools such as Promiles trip planning and routing; a personal calendar; classified ads; truckstop locator; PNV cable TV guide; e-mail; customized news (headlines, trucking, entertainment, and sports) and weather reports.