SIXTY FOOT EXTENDABLE CONTAINTER CHASSIS

If you feel your fingers tighten on the steering wheel when you pass (or are being passed by) one of those oh so long 53-foot trailers on the freeway you might want to find a sturdier steering wheel since, like it or not, 60-foot trailers are now a thing!

One of Canada’s largest and most iconic retailers continues to hone the way it gets more than 100,000 different types of products to more than 500 of its stores. The new mandate was for the first 60-foot container chassis trailer, one that can adjust to carry containers up to 60-feet while being light enough to be cost effective both in initial investment and fuel consumption even when carrying the more common shorter containers.

"Minimal up-front cost, greatly extended maintenance-free service life and safety throughout that life are the hallmarks of high performing hot-dip galvanized steel on our highways."

An additional challenge, especially in Canada is to build in high corrosion resistance. Canadian trucks spend much of their time in a metal destroying de-icing chemical soup. The industry has now realized that hot-dip galvanizing with its unbeatable combination of low initial cost, unparalleled abrasion resistance and galvanic self-healing is THE solution for rolling stock corrosion protection.

Extendable trailers are also subject to abrasion in the scraping action of length adjustment. The harder than steel intermetallic layers of HDG are more than up to the job and even if the coating eventually wears down the plan “B” of galvanic action will continue to protect even exposed steel.

Careful coordination between the engineers and galvanizer maximized design, minimizing cost and weight wherever possible. The large baths of the galvanizer allowed not only single immersion but also multiple units per immersion, further lowering cost. Another benefit was the galvanizer's automation and information sharing systems that assured every dip received the exact same controlled processes including loading and bundling instructions for safe damage free transport.

So, while hot-dip galvanizing won’t relieve your white knuckles when you encounter one of these even longer trailers on the turnpike, at least you’ll know HDG has proved itself once again in the challenging field of roadway rolling stock.

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