Schneider rolls out new bulk product

Schneider rolls out new bulk product Schneider National, the giant trucking company known for its orange tractors and dry-van truckload trailers, is expanding its bulk service to include local and regional deliveries.
   The Green Bay, Wis.-based motor carrier has operated a long-haul liquid bulk business handling specialty chemicals for 40 years, but said it is now offering short-haul service after several successful customer trials.
   Schneider began short-haul operations last year in Houston, Chicago and New Orleans and this past April in Pittsburgh after opening a new terminal there.
   The company has provided local and regional bulk service for several years at the request of specific customers and now has developed a business model to accommodate growing demand, spokeswoman Janet Bonkowski said. Schneider tested the service with select customers last year before opening it up to all shippers in certain markets.
   Schneider said it plans to open a new bulk terminal this summer in Keasbey, N.J., and begin local and regional service by the end of the year. It will add other markets during the next several years using existing facilities as bases of operation.
   The move is not unlike that in the less-than-truckload market where national carriers began to offer regional service to take advantage of the next day market and expand their revenue base.
   Schneider said it hopes to be a single-source for bulk customers that have a mix of long-haul, regional and local transport needs. ' Eric Kulisch