LCL Bulk's new Shaker Tank
Sep 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Charles E Wilson
Chocolate has become the focal point for LCL Bulk Transport Inc, and the carrier recently added a patented new vibration trailer that could significantly boost transportation efficiency for that cargo. The Green Bay WI-based carrier worked with Brenner Tank LLC to develop the innovative tanker. LCL Bulk Transport also hauls edible oils and is Kosher certified.
For the past year, LCL Bulk Transport Inc has been hauling chocolate in a tank trailer fitted with a vibration system. The test went so well that the Green Bay, Wisconsin-based food hauler ordered 12 more.
Called The Shaker Tank, the patented trailer can unload chocolate in a fraction of the time required for a typical tanker in that service. In addition, there is less product heel, and the tank is easier to clean. Customer and driver reaction have been very positive.
“This is a revolutionary trailer for chocolate hauling,” says Hans Schaupp, president of LCL Bulk Transport. “We're changing the market through innovation, and The Shaker Tank certainly is part of that effort. We're using technology to improve our processes, boost customer service, and build the best driver force available.
“The vibration system cuts unloading time to two hours or less, a significant improvement over the unloading process for the tanks that are typically used for chocolate. We've seen a big reduction in heels with the test trailer, and the next-generation Shaker Tank should have no heel at all. It's not uncommon to see heels in excess of 100 gallons with traditional chocolate trailers.
“While customers get a more complete delivery, The Shaker Tank also will help with driver recruiting and retention. Traditional chocolate hauling was hard physical labor, and drivers needed to be very well trained. It would take two to four hours to hand unload each shipment.
“The vibration system in The Shaker Tank eliminates the need for the driver to scrape out the chocolate by hand. The trailer's closed-loop unloading system also means drivers don't have to go up on top to open the domelids.”
Schaupp worked with the engineering team at Brenner Tank Inc to develop the tank system. “I saw the way vibrators were used to speed unloading on railcars transporting sugar,” he says. “I couldn't help wondering why we couldn't do that for chocolate.”
Engineering challenge
Keith Uhlenbrauck, vice-president of sales, and Hans Schaupp, president, believe The Shaker Tank gives LCL Bulk Transport an opportunity to win a greater share of the chocolate hauling business.
For the Brenner engineers, the biggest concern was that a series of vibrators would create cracks in the tank, but they decided to pursue the project anyway. The engineers spent about two years working on the project, and they figured out how to make the vibration system work without jeopardizing cargo tank integrity.
Under the agreement between the carrier and the tank builder, Brenner will build foodgrade versions of The Shaker Tank exclusively for LCL Bulk Transport. Brenner can build chemical versions of the trailer for other customers.
“While we currently have 12 Shaker Tanks on order, we'll add more in the future in response to customer demand,” Schaupp says. “At the same time, we believe there still will be a need for the three-holer tanks that have been used for hauling chocolate for so many years. The three holers will still have a place in certain traffic lanes.”
Three-holer chocolate tankers account for most of the 160 trailers in the LCL Bulk Transport fleet. The carrier also runs 100 tractors.
