Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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INNOVATORS Bison Transport uses Turnpike Doubles to solve a long list of challenges BY AARON HUFF T ractors pulling two trailers of various lengths, known as long combination vehicles (LCVs), have been permitted in parts of Canada and in 20 U.S. states for decades. In 2004, the U.S. Senate used the highway reauthorization bill to freeze size and weight restrictions for commercial vehicles. Meanwhile, Canada has expanded LCV operations. In late 2002, Bison Transport began to dabble with the idea of creating an LCV network across Canada's Prairie Provinces. From its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the network would span to Calgary and Edmonton in the West. In previous years, the company had seen the benefits of using LCVs but hadn't fully immersed itself in an LCV program because of lane density and equipment constraints. "It wasn't profitable to take loads to Western Canada," says Rob Penner, Bison's executive vice president and chief operating officer. Most of what is produced or manufactured in Calgary is shipped out through a pipeline. "Rates into the region were not as strong as they needed to be to support the backhaul environment," Penner says. But by 2003, executives had decided to exploit LCVs in the Prairie Provinces to make sense of those lanes. They also saw an opportunity to create a network that would provide significant environmental benefits along with gains in efficiency, capacity and drivers' quality of life. From that point on, every trailer the company purchased was spec'd for LCV operations. Bison's LCV fleet uses a Turnpike Double configuration consisting of two 53-foot trailers. All trailers are equipped with pintle hooks, airlines and electrical connectors at the rear. A dual-axle converter dolly couples the A-trailer to the B-trailer. To optimize weight, the company uses daycabs and small bunk tractors. The decision's timing was impeccable. Fuel prices continued to rise in 2004, and shippers wanted alternatives to offset rising fuel surcharges from carriers; Bison also wanted to BISON TRANSPORT Winnipeg, Manitoba make significant fuel efficiency gains. The company quickly grew its LCV fleet into the largest one in North America with 250 tractors and 1,650 trailers. In 2009, Bison participated in a pilot program for LCVs in Ontario on certain routes. The company currently has six permits to operate LCVs in the region. As required by law, Bison's LCV equipment and drivers must operate under special permits with specific safety requirements and mandatory training and operating restrictions. LCVs must stay on certain routes and can operate only at certain times and within certain speed limits. Overall, the company's LCV division runs more than two million miles a month within Ontario and the Prairie Province. It accounts for 20 percent of the fleet's total mileage. Shipper benefits For shippers with freight that moves within the Prairie Provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, LCVs are the transportation mode of choice, and the reason is not always cost savings. Bison's LCV lanes require more investment in drivers and a higher trailerto-tractor ratio. The company also has to compensate for the weak backhaul environment in Western Canada. While The truckload carrier hauls double 53-foot trailers within the Prairie Provinces to increase capacity without adding more equipment, drivers and emissions. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MAY 2013 CCJ_0513_Innovators.indd 39 39 4/24/13 1:22 PM