Durable Titan Trailers Are a Long-Term Investment for Handrich Trucking, Inc.
April 2009
MIO, MI - Dale Handrich, Owner and Manager of Handrich Trucking, Inc., recalls how a combination of necessity and curiosity prompted him to drive thirty miles to see a demo Titan trailer that Jeff Root of Hudsonville Trailer and Titan's Rick Lees were showcasing around Northern Michigan back in 1999.
"We were just getting into the walking floor business and we were looking for a trailer with a longer life expectancy. One of our customers told me about the Titan demo, so I decided to check it out," says Handrich. "I really liked the design- but what I really liked was the idea that Titan was engineering a really durable trailer that would last longer than any other trailer on the market."
Handrich was used to his trailers rattling out after five years on Michigan's unforgiving roads. So he found the promise of a longer lasting trailer intriguing and too good an offer to pass up. "I ordered my first Titan trailer in the Spring of 2001 - an open-top 6-Axle Tipper style. It's still in operation today and doesn't even look like it's been used," says Handrich. "Today I have five Titan Walking Floor trailers in my fleet, including a custom built 18-slat KEITH® aluminum V-Floor unit that I acquired in late 2008."
"You Call, We Haul" is the company's motto
Founded in 1972 by Dale's late father, Handrich Trucking, Inc. is a full-service trucking operation that serves a geographical radius of approximately 200 miles of the company's Mio facility. In line with the company motto, "You Call, We Haul", Handrich Trucking hauls just about anything, including coal, wood products, shredded rubber, fertilizer and agricultural produce like wheat, carrots and green beans. With the new aluminum V-Floor trailer giving Dale more flexibility, he plans on adding aggregate material to his list.
Handrich counts Michigan's seven waste wood power generation plants and Great Lakes Tree Harvesting as two of his major customers. The company hauls waste wood to the plants and also hauls de-barked wood chips from the woods to a fiber board plant for Great Lakes Tree Harvesting.
Handrich says, "There isn't a road in Michigan that we haven't driven on, or a load we haven't transported. The durability and reliability of our Titan trailers keeps us on the road and out of the shop. They truly are a long-term investment that pays off. My mechanics have told me repeatedly that they don't want me to purchase anything but Titan trailers."
Titan design & technology keeps Handrich coming back
The innovative design and technology of Titan trailers have made Dale Handrich a loyal repeat customer - that, and the great lengths that Titan's Engineering Department goes to in order to meet his unique job applications. When combined with the open communication and on-going dialogue he has with Titan's President Mike Kloepfer and Product Specialist Rick Lees, Handrich feels this is a perfect recipe for building a long-term relationship.
"The Titan staff really makes you feel like you are their only customer", says Handrich. "Rick Lees calls me on a regular basis just to check on how things are working. Rick and Mike Kloepfer have also visited a number of times to field-test trailers and discuss my proposed design requests. Both times I have visited Titan Trailers' Delhi factory, it felt like they dropped everything to accommodate my visit."
Handrich purchased four new Titan Walking Floor trailers from Jeff Root at Hudsonville Trailer in 2008. One of them was a 9-slat aluminum V-Floor unit, while the 18-slat KEITH® aluminum V-Floor was a "one-of-a-kind" unit custom-built to Handrich's specifications. According to Handrich, because of its design and thickness, the aluminum V-Floor on his 18-slat trailer "is going to outlast my career."
A unique feature on the 18-slat unit is a "kicker plate" that Handrich and Rick Lees designed together over the phone and on the Internet. Designed to expedite the off-loading of non-flowing or compressed material, the plate is hinged at the top of the front of the trailer and it literally "kicks" compressed bulk materials away from the wall of the trailer as they are being off-loaded. It changes the flow of the material from falling backward to falling forward, ensuring that they are unloaded cleanly and quickly with minimal operator clean-up. Handrich says that since the 18-slat trailer went on the road, his drivers haven't been inside of the trailer once to clean it out.
"With this new safety innovation installed, operators no longer have to stand at the rear of the load or behind the V-Plow(TM) while it's being discharged, nor do they have to waste time cleaning up left-over material manually," says Mike Kloepfer. "Once more, a clean trailer allows operators to pick up another load on the way back, increasing their bottom-line. Listening to customers like Dale Handrich never stops at Titan. This latest innovation from Titan will improve our customers' productivity and turnaround time. In these challenging economic times, this has never been more important."
Handrich has high praise for Hudsonville Trailer Sales Representative, Jeff Root. He says, "Jeff is my best friend in the business. He's the only person I've bought a trailer from in the last 10 years. He is attentive to my needs and the support I have received from Hudsonville Trailer is second to none."
Spec'ing for the future
Handrich foresees the day when his entire fleet of trailers will be Titan units. "As long as we continue to grow, we will continue to purchase more Titan trailers," he says. "Right now I'm working with Rick Lees on a design for a new custom-built unit that will be the largest cube trailer on the market."
Handrich offers up this advice to his colleagues in the trucking business: "If you're going to be in this business for the long haul, then Titan Trailers should always be your first choice. They're built tough to last forever. They may cost a little more than the competition, but in these difficult times, durability, life-expectancy and being on the road are all important."
About Titan Trailers
Titan Trailers is a world-class innovation leader in the hauling industry long recognized for job-specific functionality and attention to manufacturing detail. Titan Trailers offer business-minded haulers a complete line of trailers utilizing advanced design and manufacturing technologies based on the patented THINWALL(TM) extruded aluminium panel. Titan focuses its extensive R&D activities on making its trailers the best business choice for operators in the custom trailer market.
For more information about Titan Trailers, visit the Titan web site at www.titantrailers.com or contact:
Sandy Kloepfer
Tel: 519-688-4826
Fax: 519-688-6453
E-mail: info@titantrailers.com
