Security isn’t just about protecting valuable cargo; it’s about the feeling of being secure and knowing that when a fully-loaded trailer leaves the dock, everything is going to be okay. For Khalsa Transportation, creating a secure experience for its customers starts with spec’ing the right equipment. Great Dane plays a key role in Khalsa’s strategy because its tough-as-nails trailers go a long way in ensuring that the loads are delivered safely and on-time.
“Great Dane trailers are solid,” said Pete Singh, vice president at Khalsa Transportation, who explained how the right trailers can help Khalsa stay one step ahead of sophisticated criminals who illegally obtain shipping records and track high-value loads that Khalsa often transports. “The construction material of Great Dane trailers is the best in the market.”
Khalsa Transportation fields a lineup of more than 220 trailers with a lion’s share of those being Great Dane name-plates and more trailer orders in the manufacturing pipeline. As the trailers roll onto docks, the feeling of security is extended to the drivers who are hauling these high-value loads.
“When we’re hauling a product that [criminals] keep an eye on, we make sure our drivers are aware and alert,” Singh said, adding that durability and dependability are also key components of running a secure operation. After all, a trailer is a much easier theft target if it’s stranded on the side of the road. “We don’t want to give our drivers bad equipment that always needs repair. It makes the job more tedious. We keep our drivers happy; we treat everyone here like family.”
Having a sizable service network has helped support Khalsa’s cross-country application. In addition to high-value loads, Khalsa’s 53-foot Champion dry vans haul general commodities, typically palletized, which also include heavier loads such as equipment and glass. The trailers crisscross the country, delivering to the 48 states that make up the contiguous United States. Great Dane’s AdvantEDGE program connects customers with a nationwide network of authorized service locations, including access to 24-hour emergency roadside assistance, controlled ordering and invoicing, up-front estimates, competitive labor rates, and signature parts price protection.
“Trailer maintenance and getting parts is always a challenge,” said Singh, who relies on Great Dane’s extensive service network. “We’re working with Great Dane’s full-service dealer Central Valley Trailer Repair in Fresno, as well as a location in Stockton, California. CVTR has helped us with specs and safety features for our Danes. The experience has been great.”
Khalsa is ever-vigilant in its pursuit of safe, secure and timely transportation services, and that shines through in the trailers the fleet puts on the road.
“Clients tell us all the time how great our trailers look,” Singh said. “Our trailers are decked out with our spec and graphics, and Great Dane’s durability keeps our trailers looking great. You can tell, clients can tell, the quality of a trailer just by looking at it.”
And that’s when the feeling of security begins: When you can look at a fleet’s equipment and know that they’re doing the right things to be successful regardless of what challenges — be it security threats or service needs — face them on the road ahead.
