Tag: Yard Dogs

What does a 30-minute break exemption mean for the fuel haulers who work more than 12 hours each day? Quite a lot actually. For short haul runs that are under 100-miles, fuel haulers can now avoid taking the federally required 30-minute breaks. The more time they have alotted to haul and unload with no lag between jobs the better it is for their bottom line.

Similarly, a terminal tractor that helps move trailers into position without hard labor–the more cost-efficient it is for time-conscious drivers.

Watching the Clock

Close to 40,000 truck drivers now can benefit from the 30-minute break exemption. Those thousands of haulers will bring more business to other industries as well. This newest exemption could mean more hauling/unloading and a busier schedule for fuel haulers. While this can be a positive change, more hauls also could increase labor.

Don’t worry! Technology advances can help address any issues that present themselves. Precision machinery can drive those in the trucking industry to better profit margins.

Investing In Solutions

The best machinery ensures deadlines are met, safety guidelines are followed, and labor is lowered. A premium trailer tractor can do the difficult work so a driver on a time clock doesn’t have to. As the old adage says “work smarter not harder.”

DJ Products is a company that ensures time management and safety precautions are equal in priority. The products we offer our clients, like our terminal tractor, keep the most important things in focus. Your safety, your bottom line, and your efficiency are important to you. Visit DJ Products and find out why what matters to you matters to us as well!

A number of companies use our terminal tractor to increase efficiency in their yards, but what happens when a facility doesn’t share that sense of urgency? One husband-and-wife owner-operator trucking team recently shared their story of a great job that turned into a disaster to warn about the importance of reading the fine print on the load rate confirmation.

Too Good to be True?

After delivering a load in Phoenix, Gary and Ondena Caraway were left without an outbound job. Ultimately, they found and booked a job for Amazon through Mercer, the carrier from which the Caraways lease their truck. The job required a deadhead into Las Vegas, but the rate seemed to be enough to make it worthwhile.

The first sign of trouble came when the Caraways dropped their trailer at noon for loading. While it was promised for 4 p.m. that same day, it wasn’t ready for pick-up until 4:30 the next morning.

An Unpleasant Surprise

The Caraways left Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon with an appointment to deliver the load to the Amazon facility in Edwardsville, IL at 4 a.m. the following Sunday. On the way, Gary pulled up Mercer’s mobile app to complete the required documentation.

At that point, Gary noticed the fine print stating that unloading time was 12 to 48 hours. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the process ended up stretching out to a full week. Based on the number of bobtails the Caraways saw at a nearby truck stop, they’re convinced that theirs was not an isolated situation.

Move Trailers Safely and Efficiently with the Electric Yard Dog from DJ Products

Time is money, and our electric terminal tractor lets you optimize your operations for maximum productivity. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more.

The supply chain and logistics industry may make use of a terminal tractor and other modern equipment, but the same can’t be said about their warehouse facilities. Statistics show that the country’s rapidly aging warehouse space is falling far short of current business needs.

Warehouse Inventory Can’t Keep Pace with Business Models

Earlier this year, global commercial real estate firm CBRE published results of their survey about the state of warehouse inventory in the U.S. While total warehouse space sits at 9.1 billion square feet, only 11 percent, or approximately one billion square feet, was built within the last 10 years.

The average age of U.S. warehouse inventory is 34 years, with another 11 percent of the total more than 50 years old. Many of these warehouses don’t meet today’s requirements, such as clearance heights of 20 feet or more, causing the spaces to become obsolete.

Not surprisingly, older warehouse inventory tends to be centered in traditional commercial hubs such as northern and central New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia. Warehouses constructed in the last 10 years generally run three times the size of older ones, but they constitute only four percent of the national total of warehouse facilities.

What’s the Solution?

According to CBRE, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Newer warehouses are usually located near major population centers with sufficient amounts of developable land, while there are several opportunities to rebuild older warehouses in primary industrial and shipping areas.

The Electric Yard Dog Terminal Tractor from DJ Products

Our battery-powered terminal tractor can improve safety and productivity in warehouses of any size or age. Call 800.686.2651 and chat with our sales engineers to learn more about our full line of electric tugs, movers and pushers.