Milestone Equipment Holdings - Intermodal Insights: Intermodal Driver Experience Focus Intensifies

Intermodal Insights: Intermodal Driver Experience Focus Intensifies

Throughout the intermodal industry, further enhancing the driver experience is an increasingly important focus.

Executive Vice President Doug Hoehn of Milestone Equipment Holdings stressed that the “most important thing to do for a motor carrier or drive is to provide a good piece of equipment,” and described technological and equipment advancements being made to accomplish that.

“We have taken several steps that help customers and drivers know what equipment is available,” Hoehn said. One of them is an emailed daily utilization report that provides real time information. Another is accessing equipment supply through chassisfinder.com. Fleets and drivers can select equipment on the web or by phone.

GPS Benefits

Another approach in use at some locations, Hoehn said, is equipping chassis with GPS to help managers better understand movement patterns so that utilization can be improved.

Eventually, Hoehn believes that “GPS won’t be something that is an option, but will become almost required equipment” for chassis.

Currently, Hoehn believes that upgrading to radial tires, disc wheels and LED lighting on all company chassis gives drivers the assurance that they won’t have a breakdown. Milestone chose that equipment to make its equipment more attractive to users, compared with the older chassis that might not have those features.

Hoehn said the market is embracing newer chassis as ownership of equipment shifts more toward motor carriers, 3PLs, cargo owners and forwarders who are willing to pay slightly more for equipment with the belief that lower total cost of ownership will be the result. He also favors the trucker choice model.

 

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Milestone Trailer Leasing

Milestone Launches National Mobile Warehousing & Storage Product Line

ST. CHARLES, MO (December 12, 2018) – Milestone Equipment Holdings, a national leader in trailer and chassis leasing, is expanding its offerings to include a line of mobile warehousing and storage products. As the only national lessor with dedicated trailers for mobile storage applications, Milestone is positioned to be the industry leader for this kind of offering, with a fleet of 59,000+ trailers of varying specifications, sizes and vintages. This launch is the latest in Milestone’s recent expansions, which have included rapid growth of fleet size and additional locations over the past several years.

In preparation for the launch, Milestone developed a robust infrastructure that included the development of a 15-point quality inspection for the storage assets as well as operational mechanisms that can often deliver assets on site in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Milestone can also provide inexpensive trailer parking at one of its 25 branch locations across the United States if on-site storage space is a challenge.

Forward-Thinking

“We saw an opportunity to use our high-quality fleet to solve space constraints directly related to warehousing shortages and supply chain disruptions; providing expanded access and new solutions for our customers,” said Sarah Johnson, Executive Vice President of Mobile Warehousing and Storage for Milestone. “These forward- and reverse-logistic storage solutions address many of the demands driven by e-commerce, freeing up customers’ equipment. It’s exciting to be the only national single-source provider of this kind of trailer and storage network.”

The product line is comprised of trailers available for cartage, portable or fixed storage; with options that include 53’ or 48’ dry van trailers with roll-up or swing doors and air or spring ride. The services are supported by 25 branches across the country, with a team of dedicated customer service specialists. Milestone can provide flexible terms to address customers’ various volume and commitment needs. The company will also soon offer an enhanced online reservation request system and customer portal, both of which will be available in early 2019.

Opportunity

“In recent years, many companies have struggled with rapidly escalating logistics and warehousing costs, in part driven by the massive growth of e-commerce,” said Milestone CEO Don Clayton. “We worked closely with our customers to develop a product offering that delivers substantial cost savings and flexibility relative to traditional warehousing. Along with the significant investments we continue to make in late model equipment and the expansion of our branch network, we’re positioned to deliver an unparalleled range of solutions to our customers.”

For additional information about Milestone’s Mobile Warehousing & Storage solutions, contact Sarah Johnson at sarah.johnson@milecorp.com or call 636.238.8732. Customers wishing to reserve equipment for mobile storage applications may call their customer service representative or 866.706.1144, email customer.service@milecorp.com.

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About Milestone Equipment Holdings, LLC

With a combined fleet of more than 85,000 trailers, chassis and domestic containers, Milestone is one of the nation’s leading and most comprehensive transportation lessors. Founded in 1995 and Headquartered in St. Charles, MO, Milestone’s team of seasoned commercial, operational and customer support professionals provide a broad range of transportation solutions to customers, operating from 60+ locations nationwide.

For more information, please visit: https://www.milecorp.com/