Schneider’s bulk intermodal container service celebrates 6-year milestone
Schneider has reached a new milestone within its Bulk division, which is responsible for the transportation of liquid products. A premier provider of transportation and logistics, Schneider is celebrating the sixth anniversary of its--and one of the shipping industry’s--first domestic bulk intermodal container movements.
During the initial years of operating domestic Bulk Intermodal containers, Schneider focused on building out its service and growing relationships with the rails. Then, in the first six months of 2014, capacity-crunched chemical shippers latched onto Schneider’s Bulk Intermodal offering, increasing the company’s volume by 75%. First-quarter 2018 results show that Bulk Intermodal volume continues to grow, increasing 13.5% year-over-year.
The growth of the chemical industry also contributes to the demand. According to the American Chemistry Council, there are plans for 294 new production units for chemicals in the United States--representing $179 billion in new capital investment in the industry. As one of the only carriers to offer domestic Bulk Intermodal services, Schneider looks forward to supporting this growing industry.
“With an improving economy and growing driver shortage, bulk shippers are experiencing extremely tight capacity conditions,” says Jason Howe, senior vice-president and general manager of Schneider’s Bulk division. “Schneider has increased its number of Bulk Intermodal containers from 100 in 2012 to more than 400 today to better serve shippers struggling to move their product.”
Unique to the 40-foot Schneider Bulk Intermodal containers is the ability to haul up to 45,600 pounds of specialty chemical and liquid payloads. Also, unlike the typical ISO 20-foot tank containers, Schneider’s Bulk Intermodal containers:
• Have standard fittings for easy offloading
• Fit standard loading racks for safe service
• Give shippers the feel of a regular tank trailer for ease of use and consistency
Shippers are actively adapting Schneider’s Bulk Intermodal service to complement its over-the-road service, according to Schneider Bulk officials. The company started offering this service in 2012 with two customers and by late 2017 it had grown to 68 customers.
“Customers are realizing the many benefits of shipping Bulk Intermodal, including that it produces more capacity by freeing up additional drivers to move over-the-road loads,” said Howe. “With Intermodal using less fuel than truckload, shippers also get a competitive rate per mile, lower per-pound transportation cost and a smaller carbon footprint.”
To provide as much capacity and flexibility to its customers as possible, Schneider is hiring dray drivers dedicated to Bulk Intermodal at major ramps in all major Bulk markets.
For more information about shipping with Schneider Bulk, visit www.schneider.com.