The Advantages of Street Turns

All four of the major stakeholders, trucking companies, exporters, steamship lines, and importers benefit from the re-use of empty containers for street turns. In addition street turns are an essential part of transitioning to a greener and more environmentally conscious supply chain.

As a trucking company the first advantage of street turning empty containers is that it reduces the number of trips your drivers will have to make back and forth between the port. In a standard move, a trucking company will dispatch a driver to the port to pickup a loaded import container and deliver it to a warehouse or trans-loading facility. After it is empty the trucking company will dispatch a driver to return the now empty container to the port. Meanwhile, exporters are paying trucking companies to do the reverse of this, pickup an empty container at the port, come to their facility, get loaded with export freight, and then return it to port. Through a street turn trucking companies eliminate the extra trips to the port by matching an empty import that was already going to be returned, with an exporter that needs an empty container to load their freight. This leads to a reduction in miles driven by up to 40%. 

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For exporters 

Another advantage of street turning empties is that it lowers equipment costs because there are fewer specialized pieces of equipment needed in order to perform this Street turning also reduces fuel costs by keeping trucks off the road longer during each shift period and reducing their overall distance traveled per day by minimizing trips back and forth from street-to-yard locations around town.

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Less Congestion at Port Terminals 

For steamship lines 

In addition to the reduction in emissions and greenhouse gas, turning empty containers at the port can also reduce congestion at terminals. This will save you money on labor costs, equipment costs, fuel costs, and accident rates. Also consider that it may take one less person to turn and move an empty container than it would a full container.

With less congestion at your terminal when you’re turning empties into trailers and vice versa, you have more time to focus on getting cargo loaded/unloaded faster in order to keep up with demand as well as reduce driver fatigue which leads to accidents or even fatalities due to exhaustion during long hours behind the wheel (a tired driver is just as dangerous as drunk driving).

Aside from reducing miles, street turning empty containers also

Importers empty supply becomes a resource. With street turns, you reduce the number of miles that you need to travel; this means that you will be able to pay less for the miles which translates to savings in terms of fuel cost.

Additionally, by turning your container with a spotter truck rather than with a tow truck driver or another vehicle, there is less risk of injury as well as damage: no one gets hurt when there’s a simple bump rather than an impact! By using spotter trucks instead of standard tow trucks, you’ll also avoid unnecessary wear and tear on your fleet — not just because there are fewer accidents but also because these vehicles have been designed specifically for this purpose.

Conclusion

Street turning empty containers is one of the best ways to save money and reduce emissions. This will not only help you save on fuel costs but also reduce emissions in your company. Aside from reducing miles, street turning empty containers also reduces labor, equipment and fuel costs. With street turns, you reduce the number of miles that you need to travel; this means that you will be able to pay less for the miles which translates to savings in terms of fuel cost.

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