Today, Plastic Express runs a solely day-cab Freightliner fleet, and is “right-sized,” according to Hufnagel. What is right-sized today is not necessarily a fit for tomorrow, and this lies at the heart of the Plastics Express single sourcing strategy:
“We find the Daimler product to be the most reliable one out there,” he explains. “Downtime is absolutely minimal and the drivers love them. This is important to us—we never forget that if it was not for our drivers we would not have jobs. Driver satisfaction is a huge factor.”
Plastic Express opted for the Detroit engine, but the PTO demands a non proprietary transmission. Once the DT-12 unit is optimized for PTO use, it’s likely to feature on the spec sheet. The trucks are all equipped with satellite radio, and Hufnagel is also a convert to Zonar Systems products, which he says, “give us a level of operational visibility that we have never had before.
“Going to a single truck manufacturer made life a lot simpler,” he continues. “Our vendor spread, our inventory costs—everything involved in the management of the truck is simpler.”
It also allows for rapid and simple expansion where necessary, and this in part is a function of an ongoing and good relationship with Velocity Trucks—the supplying dealer.
“We had a need for a single truck in a new location quite recently,” Hufnagel explained. “That would have been almost cost prohibitive before; now, we call Velocity, where a large number of our vehicles are leased, we tell them what we want and where we want it and our vendor relationships are already established. It offers an almost turnkey expansion approach.”
While much about Plastic Express is a bit different, one thing that is core to the operation is safety. “We have a fleet speed limit of 65 MPH or the local mandated limit and we do not countenance speeding,” comments Hufnagel. “Safety is paramount to us and everything we do.”
Plastic resin may be the bread and butter for Plastic Express, but the North American energy renaissance makes it a big deal for the broader economy. Nexant Consulting argues that net exports of plastic resin will increase by almost $15 billion—from $6.5 billion to $21.5 billion—by 2030. The widening of the Panama Canal opens up new opportunities, and if ever there was a case of right place at the right time, Plastic Express would seem to be right there.
For all that, some things remain very traditional. Plastic Express specifies equipment it can trust, operates on the basis of serving its customers and is constantly on the look out for ways to improve. If ever there was a case of a textbook operation, this may be it.
