Advice for an Intermodal Virgin?

For some reason the staff inside the railyard expect you to know the way everything works automatically. get a map you'll most likely be going into multiple yards. I just hope you get paid by the hour. oh yeah be on the lookout every once in the while the d.o.t will be waiting for you to say hi at the exit gate. DON'T PULL GARBAGE EQUIPMENT.

 

As an O/O, can you use a step deck flatbed and strap a container? i think I've seen that out on the road but really wasn't sure what i was looking at.

 

Extra leases Chassies only problem is no drop and hooks

 

keep it simple stupid... no chassi, drop and hooks are the best, the ones you see in the flatbeds are empty boxes going mostly bought by other people to be used for storage etc etc

 

Yes. But please know the legal way to secure them and have long enough straps.

 

Those are empty boxes. Aside from the ports and rails the people who ship the things dont really have the equipment to lift a box so you would only be able to take live loads and obviously the vast majority of docks out there aren't exactly built to accommodate a step deck. Add in liability and all that jazz and I don't think any one would want to ship a loaded container that way.

 

the ones that do the loaded containers here have container locks in the floor of the step deck

 

17 yrs hauling containers, pretty much what's been given is what I would give. However, unless you plan to own multiple chassis, there is no point to have you own. You'll need a 53', 48', 40/45, 20', 20' slider and a tri axle. Unless you have an agreement with the rails, you'll never have a 53' box put on a private owned 53' chassis, the 53' cans are owned by the UP or BNSF (or various parts of them). Pretty much the same with a 48', although 48's have been pretty much phased out nationwide, except for a couple floaters the UP and UPS use for private use.

The other sizes, that's pretty much a standard int'l shipping container. The company I work for, we have 6 40' chassis, 2 40/45 chassis, 6 20' slider chassis and 8 (adding 3 more in the spring) tri axles. We also have our own flats, a couple of vans as well. It's extremely rare you'll pick up something from the rail and have it put on your own chassis, typically we use ours to get empties than pick up loads, take the to the rail and have them flipped off. As someone else, said, you'll pay a $50 to $100 flip fee at the rail, in addition to the extra you'll be billing your customer for use of your own chassis. Really the only time we pick up something from the rail and put it on our chassis, is 20' super heavy (43K) loads that will cross a scale or cross state lines. We primarily use our 3 axle chassis to haul 20's for picking up grain loads.

 

My advice is more mechanical unless you Love waiting in roadability (the area where they fix or flip problem chassis). First, get a 3-4lb sledge hammer - it'll make Life tons easier over using a regular hammer. You'll need it for hammering locking pins into their correct locked positions, hammering the tandem pins and puller arm when sliding tandems. 2) get a chisel. It'll make replacing lights easier if your company provides lights for you. Simply chisel out the rivets and replace with a rubber grommet. 3) Get a cheap toolbox. Walmart has a basic mechanics toolbox for $20-$30. 4) Get some wheel chocks. Tandems get pretty rusted or the chassis may be slightly misaligned. The chocks help keep the tandems in place as you put some muscle into sliding them, otherwise the wheels will roll with you. 5)Bungee Cords. Use them to keep your electrical pigtail "engaged" with the chassis. Inserting small pieces of copper wire into each hole on your pigtail works too. 6) Have extra copper wire. Sometimes you will have to rewire a light. 6.1) also have some tools to rewire a light. Splices, wire stripper, crimper, etc. 7) Locking pliers. When sliding tandems on some chassis you'll need this to help keep the arm puller in place (disengaged) preventing it from slipping and engaging tandem pins.

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment. There's probably more though lol. Keep in mind that everything I've mentioned is just minor stuff that'll save you time from going to roadability and waiting....unpaid....

 

Here's a tip if you pull 53's: If your container isn't sitting all the way down on the back, but the twistlocks are straight, try sliding your tandems back. These newer 53' chassis tend to bend a little if the tandems are all the way up. Sliding them back will put pressure from underneath allowing you to lock the twistlocks. Then you can slide them back to where you need them. If it works it will save you from having to waste your time going to a lift to get an adjustment.