Loose materials, such as plastics, powders, sand, or food-grade commodities, serve an important role in today’s supply chains. Known as dry bulk, these components present various challenges that are not present when transporting packaged materials.
The best dry bulk trucking companies have specialized equipment that ensures the proper transportation of these key materials. Without these features, shippers may experience a significant financial loss.
Quicklook: Best Dry Bulk Trucking Companies
- Bulkmatic -Match Now
- Oakley Trucking -Match Now
- A&R Logistics -Match Now
- Transpro Burgener -Match Now
- Perdido Trucking Service, LLC -Match Now
5 Best Dry Bulk Trucking Companies
The following are a few of the top dry bulk transportation companies in the United States.
Bulkmatic
Established in the 1970s, Bulkmatic is one of the largest dry bulk carriers in the United States. The company features an extensive network of transportation, transloading, and warehousing solutions all over the country.
Location: Bulkmatic has 55 terminal locations in the U.S. and Mexico. The company’s corporate office is located in Griffith, Indiana.
Services and Materials: Bulkmatic specializes in the transportation of shipments of items such as plastics, dry chemicals, and bulk food grade.
Employees: The company employs between 1,001 and 5,000 employees.
Revenue: $100M to $500M
Pricing: Contact Bulkmatic for pricing.
Oakley Trucking
As a subsidiary of Bruce Oakley, Inc., Oakley Trucking provides dry bulk transport services throughout the continental U.S. and Canada.
Location: The company is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it has various terminals located all over the U.S.
Services and Materials: The company has a fleet of 300 pneumatic tanks, all of which are designed to transport sand, plastics, and other commodities.
Employees: The company has between 501 and 1,000 employees in total.
Revenue: $1B to $5B
Pricing: Contact the appropriate sales personnel or complete the online rate request form.
A&R Logistics
A&R Logistics provides dry bulk transportation and supply chain services. Along with their fleet of 1,200 trailers, A&R is supported by a nationwide partnership of warehouses and packaging facilities. With real-time tracking across their network of carriers, clients can easily keep tabs on their products being shipped via A&R Logistics.
Location: The company is headquartered in Woodlands, Texas, with facilities located in 18 states.
Services and Materials: The company offers supply chain services to companies in the chemical industry. These services include dry bulk transportation, warehouse assistance, distribution, and third-party logistics.
Employees: There are between 501 and 1,000 employees who work for A&R Logistics.
Revenue: $100M to $500M
Pricing: Use the company’s online form to learn more about their rates for their bulk transport services.
Transpro Burgener
For over 70 years, Transpro Burgener has transported dry bulk goods throughout the western U.S. The company has 300 drivers and 400 trailer combinations.
Location: Headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, the company also has three terminals located in Colorado and Wyoming.
Services and Materials: Transpro Burgener specializes in the transportation of materials needed for roadway maintenance and other construction projects.
Employees: Transpro Burgener employs between 201 and 500 workers.
Revenue: Undisclosed
Pricing: Request a free quote via their website.
Perdido Trucking Service, LLC
For over 20 years, the Perdido Trucking Service, LLC, has been providing dry bulk transportation services for a variety of industries. The company’s service area covers Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle.
Location: The company is headquartered in Mobile, Alabama.
Services and Materials: Perdido Trucking has a fleet of dump trailers and pneumatic tanks equipped to haul cement, sand, and other dry bulk loads.
Employees: Not listed
Revenue: Not listed
Pricing: Request a quote on their website.
How Does a Dry Bulk Trucking Company Work?
Dry bulk materials are typically transported in pneumatic tanks. Metallic and cylinder-like in design, these specialized tanks are designed to transport specific dry bulk goods, such as sand, clay, or plastic pellets.
These specialized tanks are typically outfitted with a series of manholes, making it a lot easier to load dry bulk goods onto the trucks. Hoppers at the bottom of the tanks also make it easy to offload the dry bulk goods when they arrive at their final destination.
The dry bulk goods will flow through the hoppers when the hoppers are opened, allowing the release of dry bulk goods into a pipe for a simplified off-loading process. Drivers who transport dry bulk goods should have experience loading and unloading these specialty materials.
In some cases, drivers may need specific training and certifications when transporting hazardous materials. Additionally, a dry bulk trucking company must have cleaning practices and equipment that can ensure that all materials have been removed from the pneumatic tank. Not doing so could result in the contamination of future loads.
Things To Consider With Dry Bulk Trucking Companies
Transporting dry bulk cargo is not as simple as hauling packaged goods. Dry bulk goods share two common features, meaning all dry bulk goods are identical and unwrapped. Loose-dry bulk cargo includes sand, clay, plastic pellets, and food-grade commodities.
Dry bulk materials can become contaminated if they are unknowingly mixed with other goods. Contamination should be avoided at all costs given the fact that these situations can be costly and ultimately render the entire load worthless.
Dry bulk trucking companies need to take extra precautions to ensure the tanks are completely cleaned after each transport. When looking at your options of dry bulk transport companies, ask each company about their cleaning protocols, as their methods will affect the value of your shipments.
Specialized equipment, such as vacuum systems and blowers, are critical. These pieces of equipment make it possible to keep the tank clean.
Experience
Dry bulk goods require specialized experience when loading, unloading, and transporting these loose materials. Drivers should be skilled in the management of equipment found on pneumatic trailers.
Dry bulk should be loaded evenly. Some loads may require drivers to ensure that the trailer is pressurized correctly in order to keep the product from clogging the vehicle’s pipes. Hauling chemicals or other hazardous substances also require the completion of specific training courses as well as various certifications.
Coverage
Select a dry bulk trucking company that provides transportation to the parts of the country where you need to pick up or deliver your bulk materials.
Licensing
In addition to geographical coverage, the best dry bulk trucking company must be licensed to operate in the U.S. Without proper licensing, the dry bulk transportation company is not legitimate and should be avoided.
Equipment
A dry bulk trailer is shaped like a cylinder. Made of metal, the trailer has a series of holes for loading and unloading materials. A trailer is usually fitted with a vacuum unit, blowers, and hoses, all of which aid in the process of offloading materials into silos or other storage compartments.
Safety Record
Dry bulk trucking companies should have a clean driving history and a good safety record. These will provide a lot more certainty about their ability to safely transport cargo.
Insurance
When selecting a freight carrier for the transportation of dry bulk materials, it’s smart to ensure that the company carries insurance. A dry bulk trucking company should have liability insurance to protect against damage to property or people.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires most transportation companies to carry liability insurance. Coverage ranges from $750,000 to $5,000,000 per truck, depending on the type of dry bulk being transported.
A dry bulk trucking company should also carry cargo insurance to protect the value of what is being shipped. The FMCSA requires a minimum of $5,000 in freight coverage per vehicle. However, you must ensure that the cargo coverage is enough to cover the value of your actual shipment.
Quality Customer Service
Look for a dry bulk truck company that has a history of prioritizing responsiveness and high-quality services.
Find the Best Dry Bulk Trucking Company
Dry bulk goods are a major component in many supply chains. Transporting these materials requires experienced drivers and specialized equipment.
FAQ
Dry bulk shipping involves the transportation of materials that are homogenous and unpackaged.
Dry bulk carriers transport materials like sand, clay, grain, plastic pellets, powders, and food.
Valemax is the largest bulk carrier ship with a capacity ranging from 380,000 to 400,000 deadweight tonnage.
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