Norkel Carriers Inc. - A Long-Time Supporter of Titan Trailers Innovation and Technology
NORWICH, ON - Second generation trucker, Gary Krygsman, is proud of the fact that his family's trucking business acquired the industry's first ever custom-built Titan THINWALL(TM) trailer.
"In the mid-1990s, my dad, Peter, was looking around for a lighter trailer to carry bulk materials like grain and feed products," Gary says. "He had already purchased some custom-built post and panel B-Train Hoppers from Titan's owners, the Kloepfers, who were fellow farmers and family acquaintances, in 1993 - so we were aware of Titan quality. Dad asked them if they could design and build a lighter trailer with smooth sides and a walking floor for our application. Out of their meetings and consultations came the world's first extruded horizontal paneled, smooth-sided inside and out Titan THINWALL trailer."
The Krygsman family took delivery of its first Titan THINWALL trailer in 1996 and quickly ordered a second. Today, as the Owner and Manager of his own trucking business, Norkel Carriers Inc., Gary Krygsman remains a loyal Titan customer and presently has five THINWALL wide-bottom walking floor trailers in his fleet, including a 53' he has on order. All came equipped with steer-axles.
Norkel is a busy carrier
Today, Krygsman has five trucks and seven trailers in his fleet. Five drivers, including three of his brothers, carry all kinds of loads all over Ontario. "We go as far north as Kirkland Lake, as far east as Ottawa and Cornwall and as far west as Windsor," says Krygsman. "Most of our destinations are within an 8 hour radius."
Two of Norkel's largest customers at present are mushroom growers, for whom he hauls mushroom compost; and a major landscape supply company, for whom he carries wood/bark mulch. The company also carries grain over the winter months. Krygsman says that his Titan THINWALL walking floor trailers are tailor-made for these three applications. In addition to his five Titan THINWALL trailers, Krygsman has two freight trailers that are used to haul sawdust.
Acquisition of the first THINWALL trailer was a matter of trust
Krygsman likes to share an amusing anecdote about how his father and Mike Kloepfer agreed on the price of the first THINWALL trailer Titan built for the family.
"When we took delivery of our first Titan THINWALL nothing was written down. It was a case of let's get it built and into operation and see what happens," recalls Krygsman. "When Mike showed up several months later for payment, neither he nor my Dad wanted to say a price, so both men wrote a price down on a piece of paper and passed it to the other. They discovered that they had written down the same number - so that's the price they finally agreed on. That's called trust."
Krygsman is quick to point out that trust and easy-going simplicity remain the hallmarks of the relationship he has with Titan Trailers and the Kloepfer family today. "Many times when I go over there today for parts or whatever, Mike and Titan Product Specialist Rick Lees will take time out from whatever they're doing and spend some time with me to see how things are going. It's a 'down-home' country feeling," says Krygsman.
Krygsman appreciates Titan custom-built philosophy
Krygsman remains impressed with Titan's ability to incorporate specified modifications into the design of the trailers he has acquired from the company. He says it is gratifying to see how some Krygsman requests, like lights inside of the trailer and brake-light modifications, are now standard equipment on all Titan trailers. "Titan really works with what you want, or don't want, in the design of your trailer - the end-product truly is custom-built to each customer's specs," says Krygsman.
Original 1996 Titan THINWALL still looks brand new
Krygsman still had the original 1996 THINWALL trailer until he traded it in on a new one in 2007. Krygsman jokes that history repeated itself in how he and Mike Kloepfer decided on a trade-in price, reaching it in a similar manner to how Mike and his Dad worked out the original price. Krygsman sees the 1996 trailer at Titan Trailers Inc. facility when he visits. "It still looks brand-new," says Krygsman.
Durability and ease of maintenance are two Titan features that keep Krygsman's drivers on the road. "We handle all routine maintenance onsite and we give them weekly brushless chemical washes in our bays, as well as spring and fall acid washes," says Krygsman. "As a result, all of our Titan THINWALL trailers continue to look as new today as the day they were delivered."
Other than his family's long-standing relationship with the Kloepfers, what keeps Krygsman coming back to Titan for his trailer needs? "Dependability, durability and serviceability are the standards we have come to expect from our fleet of Titan trailers," he says. "Innovation and timely attention to our needs are what we expect from the Titan company itself. The Kloepfers have delivered on all counts. I've thought about doing some comparison shopping from time-to-time, but while there may be less expensive trailers on the market, what you may gain in short term savings, in the long run, you lose in quality, which translates to time on the road. Today I wouldn't go anywhere else but Titan for my trailer needs - plain and simple."
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:
Titan Trailers
Tel: 519-688-4826
Fax: 519-688-6453
E-mail: info@titantrailers.com
