by logisticsplus | May 4, 2015 | News
With the arrival of spring, Logistics Plus raised the flags on top of its Union Station Global Headquarters last week. This continues an annual tradition in which nearly 50 different flags are posted along Union Station’s parapet, each showcasing an employee of the company or country where it does business; and showing everyone that Erie is intimately connected to the global economy. Of course, the highest and largest of them all is the flag of the United States of America. This flag is taken down and replaced with a new flag each year. We’d like to send out a big THANK YOU to the Erie Fire Department for their assistance in the U.S. flag swap last week Thursday (see inset photo, bottom right).
Located along the railroad tracks at 14th Street between Peach and Sassafras Streets in Erie, Pennsylvania, the original Union Station was constructed in 1866 at an expense of $100,000. A “new” Union Station replaced the old depot around 1927. That same building still stands today, thanks in large part to Logistics Plus which purchased and renovated the building in 2003-04. Today, this beautiful building is now home to Logistics Plus, Amtrak, a brewpub, a banquet facility, a hair salon, a hookah cafe, and others (see photos of the building below from 1925, 1990, and present). Union Station was the actual center of transportation for the Erie area for decades. Even though train travel today is not what it once was, having a global logistics company headquartered at Union Station keeps Erie connected to its past by being a part of the global economy in a whole new way.
You can read the Union Station Wikipedia page for more details on the building’s history. Additionally, the Manufacturer & Business Association published an excellent Logistics Plus profile in its May 2006 Business Magazine and then again in its January 2015 Business Magazine.
by Scott Frederick | May 4, 2015 | News
Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, recognizing the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Every day, they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness.
Logistics Plus was founded by a small business entrepreneur in 1996 and has been growing ever since. Today we are one of the fastest-growing privately-owned transportation and logistics companies in the country. Our founder, Jim Berlin, was recognized as a regional entrepreneur of the year in 2004 and is a lifetime member of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Hall of Fame. Not only did we start off as an entrepreneurial small business ourselves, we also proudly serve hundreds of small businesses by helping them manage their freight shipping and transportation.
Please join us in acknowledging entrepreneurs and small business owners across the country this week and for being truly a backbone to our economy. This year’s SBA theme is “Dream Big, Start Small.” Logistics Plus is truly an example of a company that started small and dreamed big. You can too.
by Scott Frederick | May 1, 2015 | News
Do you know the difference between a flatbed and a step deck? Dry van versus a Conestoga? Lowboy versus a Gooseneck? Even if you’re not sure what equipment you might need to move your important freight shipment, your friends at Logistics Plus can probably find exactly what you need. But in case you’re really curious, here’s a quick primer on the different types of truckload transportation equipment you might encounter.
Straight Truck
A straight truck, also known as a cube truck, cube van, box van, or box truck, is a truck that carries cargo on the same chassis as the power unit and cab. These types of trucks are often used to move furniture, home goods, and smaller items, or for “hot-shot” expedited freight deliveries.
Dry Van (Enclosed) Trailer
Dry Van trailers are generally enclosed and are commonly used to carry and protect freight from the harmful elements of the weather or the roads. Your shipment can be loaded on the rear of the trailer, normally using a loading dock. In cases where a loading dock is not available, some trailers come equipped with liftgates that can help get your freight from the ground to the trailer and back again.
Flatbed (Flat Bed) Trailers
Flatbeds are extremely popular and are widely used because they are very versatile. Generally, a flatbed is used to load freights on its tip, sides, and rear. With these capabilities, flatbeds have become a primary and leading assets of the trucking industry.
Step Deck (Stepdeck) Trailers
Stepdeck Trailers are otherwise known as drop decks and they are actually a variation of the flatbed trailer design that mainly consists of a bottom and top deck. These trailers are specifically designed to haul freight that cannot be transported on a standard type of flatbed, often due to height restrictions. Step decks can be open or they can also be enclosed in a dry van or Conestoga style of trailer.
Conestoga Trailers
Conestoga trailers come with a rolling tarp system that is used to cover and uncover the trailer and gives protection to the freight. The benefit of a Conestoga trailer is that the tarp can be rolled back to allow side loading or unloading of freight.
RGN (Removable Gooseneck) Trailers
RGN or Removable Gooseneck Trailers are excellent for carrying tall or long freight. An RGN trailer comes with a detachable front, allowing the trailer to be dropped on the ground in order to create a ramp. It is capable of carrying freight weighing up to 150,000 pounds. It can go from 3 axles up to 20 plus axles for heavier shipments. RGN Trailers are more specialized so they are also generally more expensive.
Stretch RGN Trailers
The Stretch RGN or Removable Gooseneck Trailer is designed to haul freight that is too long to be carried by a standard type of RGN. Depending on the weight of the freight, axles may range from 3 axles or higher. This means that the heavier the load is the more axles are to be used.
Lowboy Trailer
A Lowboy Trailer is an unpowered trailer which is commonly used to haul freight. These kinds of trailers are generally designed to carry and transport taller items. This means that the items to be carried by a Lowboy Trailer are taller than the legal height of items that are commonly carried by flatbeds. The types of trailers are also good for hosteling freight between loading docks or within a freight yard.
Refrigerated (Reefer) Trailers
A refrigerated trailer is a temperature-controlled unit. It is generally used for transporting chilled or frozen products. The temperature inside the trailer can be controlled no matter the outside weather conditions. Refrigerated trailers are very specialized and take additional fuel to keep the cooling mechanism running, and therefore more difficult to source and more expensive than standard equipment.
Specialized Trailers
Specialized trailers are specifically made for certain types of freight commodities or substances and include such equipment types as tank, perimeter, double gooseneck, and dolly trailers.
Whether your are looking for a specific transportation equipment type, or you’re just not sure, the truckload transportation experts at Logistics Plus can help you with a wide range of in-house (through our NTL division) and brokered equipment options in order to meet your needs (which is why Transport Topics ranked us one of the top freight brokerage firms in North America). Contact us for more information or request a quick quote on your next truckload freight shipment.
by Scott Frederick | Apr 27, 2015 | News
Logistics Plus has a long-standing 4PL relationship with HERO BX, the largest producer of biodiesel fuels in the Northeast. We recently paid a visit to “on-site” Logistics Plus employees Chris Kuehl and Justin Corritore to see what they’re up to and to learn more about this successful 4PL solution that Logistics Plus put into place nearly ten years ago. The HERO BX story is truly fascinating, and the information we learned has been distilled into a short case study summary, PDF download, and videos which you can view here. Additionally, shown below is a short photo gallery with some pictures taken during the visit showing Justin and Chris, a tour of the facility, and examples of rail cars and trucks being filled for delivery. Overall, a nice example of how Logistics Plus employees work with customers to help them be successful in all aspects of transportation and logistics!
If you’re interested to learn more about what being a “4PL” means, you might want to read this article. If you’re interested in a free evaluation to determine if Logistics Plus 3PL or 4PL solutions might be a good fit for your company, simply click the button below to get the process started.
by Scott Frederick | Apr 27, 2015 | News
Continuing a long-standing tradition, this weekend a group of Logistics Plus employees (i.e., the “LP Erie Team” pictured below) helped raise over $1,600 for the March of Dimes “March for Babies” event in Erie, PA. Funds raised in March for Babies support research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And they will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.
by Scott Frederick | Apr 23, 2015 | News
Have you viewed the new Logistics Plus website on your mobile device yet? Because www.logisticsplus.com is now “responsive” it will automatically adapt to the size of your web browser to ensure optimal readability – whether on a PC, tablet or mobile phone. Despite having a mobile-friendly website, we’re still often asked when we will be releasing our own “mobile app” for the Apple iOS and/or Google Android mobile operating systems. While a true mobile app could be in our future, in the meantime, did you know that you can save our home page to the desktop of your mobile device and it will create a cool “app-looking” icon using our famous “air/ocean/road/rail” circle emblem? After it’s created, all you have to do is click the icon and your mobile device browser will automatically open to the Logistics Plus home page. So, if you’d like to create your own “Logistics Plus app,” just follow the simple instructions below (for Apple iOS devices).
