You see them every day. Pepsi delivery trucks roll down the highway all over the world. But lately, you may have noticed something a little different about those trucks. If you couldn’t quite put your finger on what the difference was, here’s a hint: check the trailer.
What’s New Pepsi?
Pepsi is doing away with the old roll-up doored, bay-type delivery trailers. Instead, they are going with pre-loaded warehouse pallets, liftgates, and dry van trailers. Why? They found that this new method of delivering Pepsi products not only speeds up the delivery to customers but saves fuel and is less work for the drivers. Senior fleet director Shelby Green is one of the leaders of this effort. He has been with Pepsi for 28 years and loves working with trucks.
Why The New Look?
In addition to the reasons just given, this new type of truck/trailer combination will allow Pepsi to co-mingle their deliveries to gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores. The new system means that only one truck will be needed to deliver to both small and large format retailers.
Pallets are put together at the warehouse, to order. After that, they are loaded onto the truck. When the driver arrives at the delivery destination, he simply pulls the appropriate pallet(s) off and gives them to the store. No more lengthy dock and parking lot times. No more hunting through all the products to pick out the right ones for the location. Drivers can now get in and get out in record time.
Fewer Trucks Means Saving Fuel
These changes meant that routing would be altered as well, for efficiency. The same truck can make both big and small deliveries. One route can now serve about 15% more customers than before. That means fewer trucks on the road. And that means that they are saving money on fuel costs. On the delivery side, labor costs are also being reduced. And regarding the work effort of their drivers, ergonomic and safety benefits are apparent as well.
The New Trailers
Currently, throughout Canada and the United States, over 70 locations are using the newly created specialty tractor-trailers. The team responsible for making these trailers is the North American Beverages Fleet. These trailers filled several needs, as the team saw it. They wanted to create a trailer that would do the following:
- Make maintenance easier
- Be better for the driver, ergonomically
- Have more durable liftgates
One of the fancier new specs is the suspension system. This system senses the load getting lighter and lighter as the day goes on and adjusts the tandem axle accordingly. As the load lightens, the tandem axle is no longer needed, and so it is lifted just enough to clear the ground. The driver doesn’t have to do anything. Fewer tires on the road mean more efficient fuel usage, longer tire life, and less wear on the brakes.
In addition, as if that’s not enough, the new trailers have LED lighting inside and out, a self-charging backup battery for the liftgate, and new tire specs.
If you are in the market for a refrigerated or non-refrigerated beverage truck, Mickey carries both new and used. We also have an impressive inventory of parts and accessories, many of which come with next-day delivery. Contact us today to see how Mickey can serve you.