This report originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of DOTmed Business News

The high gas prices that plagued the mobile transportation industry last year seem to have leveled off, but a number of transportation companies have seen the downward economy wreak havoc during the past 12 months.

"I think just like every other industry influenced by the economy, the transportation industry has been very slow over the last year," says Cliff Hess, owner of Texas Medical Mobile Services. "We have seen things start to ramp up over the last few weeks, but I don't know if that is a trend that will continue."
Some feel a down economy can actually be a good thing for the mobile industry, as hospitals and clinics may look to rent mobile equipment, rather than spend money on upgrading and buying new systems.

"Stuff still needs to be moved, so business has been steady," says Paul Zahn, Director of Sales and Marketing at Mobile MedTech. "Gas prices are not the concern that they were and customers are still utilizing us to bring their trailers where needed."

Considering mobile medical trailers are utilized for transporting equipment that can be valued in the millions - some holding a ten-ton superconducting MRI magnet with over 240,000 miles of coiled wire bathed in a thousand liters of liquid helium at -452.1 degrees Fahrenheit below zero - obviously they're not dealing with run-of-the-mill freight.

The Open Road

Mobile trailers and their cargo are sensitive machines that require specialized care and a host of exacting procedures to get from point A to point B safely and securely. Once there, the job still isn't done. There's still the task of setting up the trailer.

"This is not something that just any truck driver can do and our customers really depend on us to represent them when we set up a trailer at a hospital," says Hess. "The drivers need to be able to deal with any problems on the road and once they get to their destination, they need to get everything situated so the equipment is ready to be used by the technician or doctor when they are ready to scan."

Before hitting the open highways, drivers have to make sure the gantry is locked in the correct position for transport, check suspensions for leveling, make sure the load won't shift and double-check that paperwork and instructions have been documented properly.

"A company will call or e-mail us to arrange for us to pick up the trailer and move it somewhere," says Lee Bernier, General Manager and CEO of Sage Point Transportation, LLC, with headquarters in Upland, CA, and terminals in Texas, New York, and Washington. "We provide a tractor equipped with air-ride and we have experienced drivers who will go and check the trailer to make sure everything is stored, put away and tied down, dismantle the stairs and railings, hook it up and drive to wherever they want it. Then, set the trailer up, level and don't leave until someone from the hospital comes out and approves that everything is set the way they want it."

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