The twin 33-foot trailer debate

[kscarbel2]

FedEx, Amazon Lead Twin 33s Advocacy Group

Transport Topics  /  January 13, 2017

Americans for Modern Transportation, a new coalition of shippers and retailers led by FedEx Corp. and Amazon.com intends to press congressional lawmakers this year to approve nationwide access of twin 33-foot trailers.

“We need to lay the groundwork for a modern transportation system,” the coalition wrote Jan. 11. “Central to this goal is combining infrastructure enhancements with efficient trucking and policies as well as incentives for better safety and fuel technology.”

While the group argued the longer combination trailers would be safer and gain greater fuel efficiency, opponents balk at sharing roadways with the longer combinations.

Aside for advocating for the industry’s use of the twin 33-foot trailers, the group indicated it will tell lawmakers to increase investments for highway funding, and establish new road technologies.

Other coalition members include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Securing America’s Future Energy, the National Industrial Transportation League, American Highway Users Alliance, International Warehouse Logistics Association, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency and the National Association of Manufacturers. A spokeswoman for the group said the coalition does not have a singular leader. American Trucking Associations has stated it is neutral on the policy matter.

In 2015, Congress sought to adopt a proposal that would have approved twin 33s industrywide. Pushback from key senators ultimately led to the removal of the proposal in a fiscal 2016 spending bill.

In May, Fred Smith, founder and chairman of FedEx, said he was optimistic nationwide use of 33-foot twin trailers would be able to gain approval during the next presidential administration. The trailers are banned absent exemptions. FedEx ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.

Related reading:

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42296-3-senators-set-news-conference-to-state-opposition-to-33-foot-trailers/#comment-308348

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43605-twin-33s-included-in-bill-targeting-obama-overreach/#comment-320727

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43312-federal-spending-bill-includes-increase-to-idaho-truck-weight-limit/#comment-317729

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/43144-bill-aims-to-strengthen-restart-suspension-slams-brakes-on-twin-33s/#comment-316117

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42734-senate-votes-to-delay-twin-33s-approval-in-transportation-funding-bill/#comment-312045

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42607-senate-longer-double-trailers-for-trucks-must-be-safe/#comment-310891

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/40655-senate-funding-panel-includes-twin-33-provision-in-fiscal-2016-transportation-bill/#comment-294684

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/40388-dot-releases-truck-size-and-weight-study/#comment-292682

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/40009-house-bill-allows-twin-33s-nationwide-keeps-restart-suspension-active/#comment-289852

http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39948-trucking-friendly-plan-in-congress-decried-as-attack-on-safety/#comment-289172

 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

Why stop at oddball twin 33 footers? May as well lobby for double 40 footers and take advantage of the world's most common freight "box" size.

[kscarbel2]

TCA opposes twin 33-foot trailers in letter to House of Representatives

Truck News  /  February 2, 2017

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) put its foot down today regarding twin 33-foot trailers.

The TCA reported that its president, John Lyboldt, sent a letter to the US House of Representatives voicing the association’s opposition to twin 33-foot trailers.

In the letter, he stressed that 33-foot trailers are not the solution to improving conditions on the nation’s roadways and the perceived productivity benefits that the longer trailers would provide are not worth the immense costs to the trucking industry as a whole, and that this shift from the industry standard would generate.

“The truckload industry recognizes the benefits that would be bestowed upon our Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) associates by adding additional cubic feet of freight space and how those benefits add to their productivity,” said Lyboldt. “The metric of mandating twin 33-foot trailers almost exclusively benefits LTL freight, thus putting the truckload segment of the industry at a competitive disadvantage.”

Lyboldt noted that the financial burden of changing 53-foot trailers as “a shift to 33-foot trailers would be considered voluntary, and the shipping community would automatically transition to carriers with the most cubic space for their goods, rendering our nation’s fleet of 53-foot trailers nothing more than antiques.”

He added that one issue notably absent from the discussions surrounding 33-foot trailers is the effect that the configuration would have on the industry’s population of drivers.

“Ramifications of operating fleets consisting of 33-foot trailers would be severe,” said Lyboldt.

The TCA added that the potential for driver injury will increase “when separating trailers and their 3,000-lb converter gear,” added Lyboldt, and “would jeopardize any improvements to the health and well-being of drivers that our industry strives to make.”

“The Truckload Carriers Association pledges to partner with our congressional leadership to discover solutions that truly benefit our industry and the American public as whole,” he said. “As discussions surrounding the topic of productivity begin to propagate over the coming months and years, TCA seeks to unite with all who have a vested interest in freight delivery solutions that work for everyone.”

 

[TeamsterGrrrl]

The Truckload Carriers, in formal language, 'fess up that their undertrained drivers ain't up to doubles. Sorry, but you get what you pay for...

[fjh]

 Keep the 53s  Put more trucks on the road, more employment for everyone! double 33s are counter productive ! for job creation!

[Brocky]

Why not just go to "B Doubles" like Canada and Australia???

[TeamsterGrrrl]

That'd cost money, and these carriers hope to get by with just splicing 5' into their 28' trailers instead of buying new. The degree to which all the carriers seem wedded to their trailer length amazes me- They behave like aluminum cultists!

[Underdog]

That'd cost money, and these carriers hope to get by with just splicing 5' into their 28' trailers instead of buying new. The degree to which all the carriers seem wedded to their trailer length amazes me- They behave like aluminum cultists!

Buying new trailers would stimulate job creation for manufacturers and scrappers. Good for the economy. Safer than in-house mechanics "splicing" trailers together, I would think.

[TeamsterGrrrl]

I suspect they're going for a 5 foot length increase because that's about the most they can go without having to add another axle and/or jeopardizing the structural integrity of the trailers. For the truckload carrier opponents with their 53 foot trailers, I suspect they're trying to get a little more use out of trailers they bought 20-30 years ago. Aluminum recycles well, better to move to the world standard 40 foot box in doubles configuration and catch up with the rest of the world. As for what type of doubles, a B-Train would be best unless they can make an A-Train work by stability control or a "smart dolly".

[kscarbel2]

Twin 33s Improve Highway Safety, Efficiency: Study

Trailer/Body Builders  /  March 13, 2017

The Americans for Modern Transportation (AMT) coalition released a new study that found that widespread adoption of Twin 33 foot trailers boosts safety and efficiency for American drivers, consumers, and businesses.

Conducted by 35-year traffic safety researcher Dr. Ronald Knipling, the study finds safety is enhanced by increasing the stability of trailers on the road, reducing truck miles driven by 3.1 billion, and enabling better enforcement of standards for all trucks.

"Allowing widespread use of Twin 33 trailers is common sense policy. Not only are they more stable at highway speeds, the efficiency gains mean we have fewer trucks on the road," said Dr. Knipling. "Fewer trucks means fewer accidents, less wear and tear on our roads, and more focused enforcement by weigh stations for all types of trucks. It's a win-win for drivers, consumers, businesses, and the economy."

Entitled "Twin 33 Foot Truck Trailers: Making U.S. Freight Transport Safer And More Efficient," Dr. Knipling's study finds a shift to Twin 33s results in reduced exposure to risk, fewer annual truck accidents, improved fuel efficiency, lowered emissions, and reduced traffic.

Key findings include:

• Widespread adoption of Twin 33s would have reduced truck miles driven by 3.1 billion in 2014, avoiding 4,500 accidents annually.

• Similarly, in 2014, the shift to Twin 33s would have saved 255.2 million gallons of fuel and reduced carbon emissions by nearly 3 million tons. Clean air improvements would be like taking 551,000 cars off the highways.

• Lastly, a shift to Twin 33s would have dramatically reduced congestion, decreasing travel delay time by 53.2 million hours.

• Overall, a shift to Twin 33s would save $2.6 billion in transportation costs.

The study highlights the innovations improving trucking safety and efficiency. Dr. Knipling finds that adaptive cruise control, electronic stability monitoring, video mirrors, collision warning systems, and continuous onboard safety monitoring are revolutionizing truck safety.

[BillyT]

Ya get em' cheap ya get em' dumb!

[Outbehindthebarn]

On 2/11/2017 at 6:00 PM, Brocky said:

Why not just go to "B Doubles" like Canada and Australia???

They rule the roads here in Brazil too.

[kscarbel2]

Infrastructure Reform Group Finds Twin 33s Boost Safety and Efficiency

Heavy Duty Trucking  /  March 14, 2017

The Americans for Modern Transportation coalition released a new study finding that twin 33-foot trailers would boost safety and efficiency with widespread adoption.

The study, entitled Twin 33 Foot Truck Trailers: Making U.S. Freight Transport Safer and More Efficient, was conducted by Ronald Knipling, a 35-year traffic safety researcher. In it, Knipling found that twin 33s improved safety primarily through road stability and cutting down on the number of trucks on the road.

Because trailers often fill up before hitting the 80,000-pound limit, according to the study, by switching from twin 28-foot trailers to twin 33s, cargo volume could increase by 18.6% while still not needing to increase the maximum weight limit. This means that using twin 33s would require 15.7% fewer trucks and trailers to carry the same amount of cargo.

“Allowing widespread use of Twin 33 trailers is common sense policy. Not only are they more stable at highway speeds, the efficiency gains mean we have fewer trucks on the road,” said Knipling. “Fewer trucks means fewer accidents, less wear and tear on our roads, and more focused enforcement by weigh stations for all types of trucks. It’s a win-win for drivers, consumers, businesses, and the economy.”

The study found that through a widespread adoption of Twin 33s, truck miles driven could have by reduced by as much as 3.1 billion miles and reduced the number of truck-involved accidents by 4,500 annually.

Fewer trucks on the road would also reduce fuel use, saving 255.2 million gallons of fuel and reducing carbon emissions by nearly 3 million tons. The effect of this reduction would be similar to taking 551,000 cars off of the road, according to the study.

Another positive change by switching to twin 33s was reduced congestion, again from needing fewer trucks on the road to move freight. The study estimated that Twin 33s could have decreased travel delay time by 53.2 million hours over the course of a year. Ultimately, all of the positives resulting from twin 33s could have saved around 2.6 billion in transportation costs.

The study also highlights other innovations in trucking safety and efficiency such as adaptive cruise control, electronic stability monitoring, video mirrors, collision warning systems and onboard safety monitoring.

“While the trucking industry continues to innovate, it’s been more than 25 years since we upgraded our transportation policies,” said Melissa Manson, AMT spokesperson. “Business and consumer trends demand a modern transportation system.”

Access the full report here. 

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[kscarbel2]

FTR: The Economics of 33' Trailers Only Benefit a Few Markets

Heavy Duty Trucking  /  June 20, 2017

FTR released a new report detailing the economics of using twin 33-foot trailers compared to twin 28-foot trailers and standard 53-foot trailers, showing that in only specific cases would the extra capacity lead to a benefit.

The change from 28-foot to 33-foot double trailers has primarily been based on safety concerns, but newer technologies have allowed for the safe operation of larger trucks since the last expansion of length limits in the early 1990s, according to FTR. Regulators have been debating a proposal to increase the federal maximum length, which would lead to an overall increase of 10 feet for the entire rig.

The thinking behind such an increase is that it would increase capacity per truck. But in reviewing the economics of the change, FTR found that adoption of double 33-foot trailers would likely be limited. It would benefit primarily less-than-truckload and parcel carriers and more niche operations such as the movement of caskets or insulation. Based on its own research, FTR expects load conversion in just the 1-2% range.

While double trailers present increased capacity in space and weight over a single trailer, for shippers of low-density freight the gain in loading capacity is only 4%. The main reason that carriers choose twin trailers over a single trailer is what the industry calls "unit" loading, a common practice in LTL and parcel operations. Since the cube advantage over 53-foot trailers is relatively small, the main reason for a carriers’ preference for doubles is to avoid the re-sorting required to consolidate many customer shipments as the freight moves across the hub-and-spoke terminal networks.

FTR found that for the segments most directly affected by increasing the allowable trailer length, they would see as much as a 10% increase in cost savings. It also expects the longer trailers to decrease the number of trucks on the road by 18% in the affected segments of trucking, which would lead to lower overall emissions.

Trucking costs don’t increase in proportion to the length of a trailer, which means that 33-foot trailers would be cheaper to operate than 28-foot trailers on a per-ton basis, according to FTR. A drawback to using longer trailers in the increased handling and need for additional loading space, with FTR calling the change a niche play only.

The limited scope of fleets that would be interested in longer double trailers is actually one of the advantages that FTR wants lawmakers to consider while pushing for the increased maximum length. This could downplay public fears about significant amounts of larger vehicles on the road because the change would not be as obvious.

FTR also believes the because the change is simple and requires no new technology and no need for costly changes to infrastructure, longer trailers would also be an easy sell. Lastly, the tradeoffs for the fleets that would use them are obvious and significant.

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[kscarbel2]

Report touts savings from 33-foot twin trailers, downplays truckload's concerns

Fleet Owner  /  June 21, 2017

Change would mean less congestion and emissions, FTR says.

A new report from FTR Transportation Intelligence said allowing twin 33-foot trailers on the nation’s highways could lower costs as much as 10%, while having minimal disruption on the operations of the overall trucking industry.

“The productivity gains from allowing 33 foot trailers will reduce the amount of work required in the trucking industry - resulting in fewer trucks on the highways, less damage to the pavement and reduced emissions,” said lead author Noel Perry, FTR partner and transportation economist. Perry previously held research positions at Schneider National, Cummins Engine Co. and CSX Corp.

Perry said “the economic case for doubles limits the application to a very small part of the market,” and that the “drawbacks of increased handling and additional shipper dock access will prevent their use in the overwhelming majority of truckload freight.”

Size-and-weight rules have long been a contentious issue within the trucking industry. Recent federal efforts to approve the use of twin 33-foot trailers have failed, but some analysts have suggested they could receive approval during the Trump administration.

FTR said the additional length provides an 18% increase in cubic capacity over the current 28-foot trailers, and 24.5% gain over 53-foot dry van trailers. By putting more freight on trucks with the longer doubles, the result would be lower costs to carriers, shippers, and end consumers, especially those fueling “the exploding online market place.”

Adoption costs would fall mainly on the less-than-truckload and parcel carriers interested in the change, and there would be little, if any, cost to the public, the report said. At the same time there would be a reduction in trucks on the road.

FTR’s report breaks down several of the frequently cited reasons public safety groups and truckload carriers tend to oppose the change.

Perry noted although individual tractor-trailers would produce additional emissions, he estimated a 10% reduction when factoring in the fewer number of rigs needed. Similarly, he projected drops in fuel use, highway wear, and congestion, as the larger trailers move the same amount of freight in 14% less highway space.

Additionally, Perry suggested any potential per-truck safety risk “should be more than offset by the reduction in overall rigs.”

FTR projects the total population of doubles could increase from 5% of all trucks today to as much as 8%. While that does represent a significant increase, a common refrain from safety advocates, the argument falls flat when factoring in the overall decline in total trucks on the road, the report said.

Perry was also critical of truckload carriers fighting the change, suggesting their economic concerns are overblown. He estimated it would impact less than 2% of the truckload market.

“Any pressures on truckload operations will be limited to small, specialized niches,” the report said.

As with previous innovations, Perry said truckload executives would be able to efficiently manage these changes through rate alterations or operational adjustments.

Earlier this year, the Truckload Carriers Association reiterated its opposition to efforts to gain approval for twin 33s.

“While TCA strongly supports a thoughtful, evolutionary pace for the development and deployment of productivity innovations that benefit the entire trucking industry, the revolutionary change of allowing twin 33-foot trailers on federal-aid highways would have only benefited a small minority of the trucking industry, while the nature and pace of such a change would have been detrimental to the trucking industry in general, and to the truckload carrier segment specifically,” the group said.

FTR’s report also listed several factors that could limit the use of the longer trailers, if they are approved.

Facilities need to be located close enough to approved highways to allow direct pickup and delivery, and provide the needed the maneuvering space and extra docks to handle the longer doubles. Another limitation could be the ability to find backhauls to make them economically viable, the report noted. 

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