US trailer giant Wabash National has announced its Commercial Trailer Products division has produced the 500,000th DuraPlate van trailer.
The company’s 500,000th DuraPlate unit was built on behalf of Crete Carrier Corporation, one of the largest privately owned trucking companies in the US.
“Wabash has always led the industry in innovation,” said Tonn Ostergard, CEO and President of Crete Carrier Corporation. “The DuraPlate van provides maximum cube space, which helps us serve our customers, and the smooth interior walls reduce cargo damage. The durability of the DuraPlate van provides us with a quality asset with a low total cost of ownership and a solid residual value at time of sale or trade.”
“Reaching this milestone of building half a million DuraPlate dry vans is a significant accomplishment for our associates and our customers,” said Brent Yeagy, Group President of Commercial Trailer Products at Wabash National. “It is further evidence of how customers … value the durability, longevity and low total cost of ownership provided by our line of American-made DuraPlate vans.”
According to Wabash, nearly 20 of the top 50 truckload and less-than-truckload carriers in the US use the company’s DuraPlate product. Introduced in 1996, the DuraPlate composite sidewall panels are constructed of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) core bonded between two high-strength steel skins on the outside.
Wabash said they still are the only composite plate sidewall panels manufactured in the US.