A major roofing supplies manufacturer had an urgent need to deliver approximately 250 carloads of shingles to repair roof damage caused by winter storms in the Dallas, TX area. Rather than trucking all the shingles to the various sites, the manufacturer approached WSI, its dedicated third-party logistics provider. WSI proposed handling the shingles via rail carloads at our Jupiter Road location in Dallas. Then, the shingles were loaded and trucked to local job sites to repair the roof damage. The transload decision allowed the product to be brought into Dallas at a much lower cost. If the manufacturer had chosen to truck in the product at higher rates, it would have been transported from one of their plants in California or Alabama. Instead, WSI provided next-day delivery from Dallas to the job sites.
Shippers frequently need both a truck and a train to get bulk products to market. Intermodal shipping is often the most cost-effective and efficient method of transport, combining the speed of trucks with the fuel-saving economy of rail. For scope, railcars use four times less fuel than big rigs!
Those intermodal trains are treated by railroads like unit trains, said Steve Rusch, a WSI sales manager. Thats still a point of focus, and the service is good. The product can be shipped on one train from Point A to Point B.
We saved our client both time and money, Rusch continued. They have expressed deep satisfaction with both this solution and several other quick-reacting solutions WSI has provided them by transloading product.
Cost savings also was the appeal of rail for another WSI roofing client in Allentown, PA.
The client previously used truck service to move shingles from the manufacturing location in Hampton, GA, to its warehouse operated by WSI in Allentown. Now, with the help of WSI, the client directs those movements onto a train for the 800-mile length of haul to the Allentown warehouse.
If I were to put that on a truck, my line haul costs would be double, Kirkland says. WSI runs it. They do all the unloading and loading of trucks going out of our Allentown warehouse.
Railroads used to be notorious for manhandling and marring lumber and other construction materials. WSI material handlers know how to load and unload railcars of all types, including box, center beam, flat and hopper cars. And, our experience shows in the numbers: WSI rail-served facilities turn upwards of 20,000 cars a year. WSI works with our clients to provide low-cost solutions, whether rail or truck, to get product to where it is needed, at low costs. Take advantage of the cost and environmental savings provided by our wide network of rail-served facilities today!
To learn more, give us a call at 920.831.3700 or email us.