Andrews Logistics, a nationwide transporter of bulk liquids and hazardous materials, has purchased a new 11,200 square-foot office and maintenance facility to replace its previous base in Los Angeles CA. The move to the new location will be completed by the end of the year.
J Darron Eschle, chief executive officer of Andrews Logistics, said the new facility will provide the Los Angeles operation with additional room to protect and care for equipment; ample space for a large and comfortable driver breakroom; and added resources for serving the California area more efficiently.
Located on a two-acre site, the terminal features a three-bay shop and has enough paved parking for about 50 tank trailers.
“We’ve been in the California market for about 16 years now, and our facility has been at maximum capacity for some time,” Eschle said. “We decided to invest in a new terminal, not only to increase our opportunities in California directly, but also to broaden our service capabilities from coast to coast.”
The expansion in southern California is part of an ongoing plan to increase the company’s trucking capacity and footprint throughout the United States. Other new locations include a satellite terminal in Charleston SC and Shreveport LA and a new terminal location planned for the Chicago IL area. Eschle said the plan is to open a Chicago location in 2018.
He added that Andrews Logistics is actively preparing for potential capacity constraints that could occur after the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate takes effect on December 18. Established by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the ELD ruling forbids the use of paper logs by drivers and carriers after the December deadline. The ruling will also require all drivers and carriers to use self-certified ELDs that are registered with the FMCSA by December 16, 2019.
“Andrews Logistics has been fully compliant with the ELD mandate for more than three years now,” Eschle said. “We’re aggressively building our driver force and capacity nationwide to ensure we’ll be able to serve our customers’ future needs, and to quickly respond to new opportunities.”