Wabash National Corporation’s line of high-performance dry and refrigerated truck bodies, was first introduced at the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) Distribution Solutions Conference in Phoenix. The truck bodies are designed to reduce fleets’ maintenance costs, enhance productivity, and maximize the life of the equipment. 

One fleet which has taken advantage of the new truck bodies is American Metals Supply Co. The wholesale distributor of sheet and coil steel, prefabricated duct and fittings, and HVACR products operates from seven locations and distributes products to nine Midwest states. To assist in their product transportation needs, they turned to Wabash Truck Bodies.

“I absolutely, fully believe that Wabash truck bodies have revolutionized the way we can do things. I’ve reached out to the rest of our branch managers to let them know that the next time they’re ready to buy a box truck, they need to seriously consider bringing the Wabash product into their fleet,” said Eric Cameron, Indianapolis branch manager for American Metals Supply. “Wabash heard everything I needed, understood what I needed (and knew the solution before we even talked about it), showed me what it was and walked me through it. The next thing we know, we have a Wabash truck body.”

Leveraging decades of innovation leadership in the semi-trailer market, with more than 200 patents worldwide, Wabash National’s engineers have combined fleet-proven equipment designs with advanced materials to create a line of high-performance refrigerated and dry freight truck bodies for Class 6-8 chassis.

“We’re very conscious of a shift happening in the trucking industry fueled by re-urbanization and e-commerce trends. Our mission is to help our customers be successful, and with our truck body line we can support them as they work to meet final-mile delivery needs,” said Brent Yeagy, group president, Commercial Trailer Products at Wabash National Corporation.

Wabash National’s refrigerated truck bodies are constructed using state-of-the-art bonding assembly technology combined with a revolutionary patent-pending composite panel, providing up to 25% improvement in thermal efficiency when compared to conventional designs, according to the upfitter. This advanced design also reduces weight by as much as 15%, all without sacrificing strength and durability. 

The company’s dry truck bodies are constructed with Wabash National’s DuraPlate composite panels, fleet-proven for heavy-duty freight applications for nearly 20 years. The truck bodies also incorporate semi-trailer grade components and designs for added performance and longevity.

 “As the transportation industry is faced with increasing regulations and rapidly changing shipper needs, we’re focused on supporting customers with breakthrough designs that reduce weight, improve thermal and fuel efficiencies, reduce material costs, enhance corrosion resistance and improve safety,” Yeagy added. “These product offerings are another step toward that goal.”

Check out a video featuring American Metals Supply below: