Walmart rolls out ‘first of its kind’ 60-foot multi-temp reefer trailer

Walmart recently announced that it has added custom-built 60-foot refrigerated trailers to the company’s Canadian fleet.

Earlier this month, Walmart announced the addition of 60-foot multi-temperature refrigerated trailers to the Canadian fleet. The company calls the new trailer “the first of its kind for Walmart in North America” and says that it is designed to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

According to Walmart, the 60-foot trailer can fit as many as 30 pallets of perishable goods, like meat and dry/wet produce, requiring different temperatures, as opposed to about 26 pallets for a standard 53-foot trailer.

Walmart says that the new trailers allow the Canadian fleet to service stores together that would not normally ship on the same trailer.

Walmart says that the new trailers were created in partnership with the Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company.

“Introducing this 60-foot, custom-built, multi-temperature refrigerated trailer into our fleet is latest example of how Walmart Canada is continually innovating within supply chain and pushing boundaries in the industry,” explains Patricio Dallan, SVP, Supply Chain, Walmart Canada. “When Walmart makes a change, it has a ripple effect. In this case, we’re introducing a new custom solution to the Canadian market that helps to reduce our total number of trips and emissions. We’re incredibly proud of this milestone.”

“This is a truly custom solution, purpose-built for Walmart Canada to help us bring innovation to the industry and work towards reaching our regeneration goals,” shares Brian Sookhai, Senior Manager, Transportation Innovation and Planning, Walmart Canada. “Working closely with Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, we manufactured this trailer that allows for multi-temperature control and more capacity than ever before. This allows us to ship products at a variety of temperatures and make fewer overall trips, reducing our carbon emissions by having fewer trucks on the road.”

In 2012, Walmart initiated a pilot program with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to introduce 60-foot trailers to Ontario’s roads. This Special Vehicle Configuration Permit pilot was successful and helped to open the door for organizations across the province to improve productivity by reducing the number of trips required to move lighter, bulkier cargo, Walmart Canadian Corporate Affairs said in a news release.