With demand for bulk commodities projected to rise, leasing the right railcar is essential to get the most from your investment.
Open top mill gondolas are designed with an open top for easy loading and unloading. This provides shippers with the versatile functionality required to transport various commodities. But which types?
Here are some commodities best suited for open top mill gondolas:
Scrap Metal
Irregularly shaped and heavy pieces of abrasive scrap metal can often be found within sturdy and spacious open top mill gondolas. Because they have open tops, loading and unloading using cranes or magnets is a quick and efficient process.
Steel Products
Thanks to their strong construction, open top mill gondolas can support the significant weight of steel coils, bars and other heavy metal products. With low sides and an open top, loading and unloading is simple.
Construction Debris
Mill gondolas dependably transport construction and demolition debris, including concrete, wood and bulky materials. Even in demanding conditions, oversized loads can stay secure in open top mill gondolas.
Aggregates and Minerals
Gravel, crushed stone and aggregates are more appropriate for the large capacity and strength of open top mill gondolas. Shippers can expect to smoothly transport heavy loads from quarries to construction sites or processing plants.
Industrial Byproducts
Manufactured for resilience, open top mill gondolas typically carry slag, ash and residues from industrial processes. Handling these industrial byproducts are easier because of their open structure.
Don’t Forget: The Age of Gondolas Is Critical in Optimized Shipping
It’s clear that open top mill gondolas are great for the efficient and dependable shipping of several key bulk commodities.
However, there are many older gondolas in the market. In fact, the average age of mill gondolas in North America is 27 years – and 17,000 cars are 40+ years old. That’s troublesome because older gondolas are suboptimal and have less capacity.
(View the Mill Gondolas in North America infographic.)
Finding newer gondolas that are optimized for higher loading capacity and more reliable shipping is critical.
Looking to Lease Newly Built Open Top Mill Gondolas?
If you have questions or are looking to lease open top mill gondolas, feel free to reach out to us. We have newly built open top mill gondolas available and our experienced team is ready to help answer any questions.
