Posted on 04/26/2013 12:28:15 AM PDT by rawhide
When your workplace spans 3,500 miles from coast to coast, the best way to turn heads is to show up with a tricked-out set of wheels. In our case, the wheels can carry up to 5,100 cubic feet of cargo.
Walmart Canada has made greening the supply chain a significant priority and investment over the past few years through a number of different initiatives. One area where we saw great opportunity was with our fleet; we wanted to find a way to deliver more products to our stores using fewer trucks, thereby reducing our impact on the environment. We found the answer in a pilot program using longer, drop-deck trailers we call supercubes. This first-of-its-kind trailer is 60 feet long and has an interior space of 5,100 cubic feet, providing enough room to ship almost 30 percent more volume than a standard 53-foot trailer.
Using these larger trailers takes cars off the road, cutting carbon emissions and saving energy. But their appeal also goes beyond sustainability, which is a happy accident. They’re all-around better trailers with more up-to-date features and—quite simply—they’re just cool-looking vehicles, inside and out. Features include fuel-saving resistance tires and side skirts that decrease aerodynamic drag under the vehicle and consequently, overall fuel consumption.
(Excerpt) Read more at walmartgreenroom.com ...
Since an enormous amount of the stuff in Walmart isn’t that heavy, it makes sense to ship as much low density material in as few loads as possible without exceeding weight limitations.
Typical Walmart would consider the drivers sleeper to be wasted space.
Saving fuel and cutting costs with more freight per truck are good ideas.
The problem is all the preaching about “cutting carbon emissions” and “greening.”
Large businesses that preach “sustainability” like Wal-Mart’s leaders do lose my respect.
We need good business, not pandering to political correctness like we read in this article.
MAN MADE GLOBAL WARMING IS AN IDEOLOGY THAT WAL-MART SHOULDN’T BE SPREADING.
CC
Unless changed single trailer length was capped at 53’ last time i built one. In the US.
If they had railroad spurs linked to each store if it was any way possible could even save them more money perload, perpound.
Around here they distribution centers that are easily day trips for the drivers.
What to be more “green”, Walmart? Build your new stores next to a RR line and put a spur in.
You hate'm, don't shop there and don't let them ruin your day (as you usually do).
The way Walmart haters carry on, one would think that Walmart stole money from them.
I really doubt Walmart became the largest retailer on the face of the planet by locating its distribution hubs so far away from its stores that drivers need to sleep overnight.
It must be for local deliveries only.
Lulz
Trailer length is not what makes turning corners difficult.
It is wheelbase. The distance from the rear wheels on the tractor to the trailer axle.
Trailer length behind the axle does not affect turns.
That may be. Still, much the same design (if a tad shorter) could still be used here to add cargo space within those limitations.
Nobody seems to notice that the driver is on top of the front wheels and doesn’t have an engine in front of him. Its like driving from the front of a bouncy cliff. I’m glad its not going to be me.
Can the roads take the extra weight?
Wouldn’t many Wal-Mart drivers be short-haul drivers, and not long haul?
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