In a sign of the growth of distribution warehouses in the Greater Lehigh Valley, two of the largest trucking companies in the country have opened new maintenance facilities in Berks County.
Ryder System Inc., based in Miami, and Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., based in Thomasville, N.C., built facilities near major highways and Interstates 78 and 81.
Ryder opened a 14,000-square-foot, full-service maintenance garage last week at 86 Ashley Way, off Route 61 in Ontelaunee Township, near Leesport. The facility will serve the growing number of trucks powered with alternative energy, such as natural gas and electricity, as well as diesel trucks.
“Reading’s proximity to multiple major highways in the region makes it a strategic hub for truck freight, and an ideal location for a new Ryder branch where we can provide customers in the area with a full range of expanded truck maintenance services, rentals and lease solutions,” Dennis Cooke, president of fleet management solutions at Ryder, said in a statement.
The five-acre site has 11 workstations, electric-vehicle charging stations and a two-lane diesel fuel service island for Ryder customers.
Trucks can be cleaned in a 3,000-square-foot drive-through wash bay with a fully automated gantry wash system, lube equipment room and battery charging room.
The facility includes a rental counter for commercial vehicles, a lease sales office and customer service area and drivers’ lounge.
In June, Old Dominion opened an 82-door service center on a 16-acre site in Cumru Township, near Birdsboro. The company has eight centers in Pennsylvania, including Bethlehem Township and Harrisburg. The latest facility is near Interstate 176 and Route 422, and helps boost the company’s presence in eastern Pennsylvania.
Old Dominion is expanding nationally and recently finished upgrading or building six new facilities.
“The services centers are strategically located to reduce shipping times, increase delivery flexibility and maximize daily volume,” the company said. “They are also designed to anticipate future growth based on customer demand.”
