Wabash National Corp. has produced its 500,000th DuraPlate van trailer. The milestone trailer was built for Crete Carrier Corp., one of the largest privately owned trucking companies in the U.S.
“Wabash has always led the industry in innovation, going back to the early plate trailer that revolutionized the design and construction of traditional sheet and post trailers,” said Tonn Ostergard, CEO and president of Crete. “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.”
In addition to the conventional DuraPlate van, Wabash National offers a range of DuraPlate dry freight vans. The DuraPlate HD van includes a high-strength aluminum base plate in the lower sidewall. DuraPlate XD-35 has a 35,000-lb. floor rating, and DuraPlate Pups are specifically designed to reduce the total cost of ownership in less-than-truckload applications.
“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, both large and small fleets alike, value the durability, longevity and low total cost of ownership provided by our line of American-made DuraPlate vans.”
The DuraPlate van was introduced in 1996. Its composite sidewall panels, produced by Wabash Composites, are constructed of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) core bonded between two high-strength steel skins to provide unmatched damage resistance and maximum interior width.
