Because of the trailers being used so regularly, they often need some maintenance to get them looking top-notch. For this, most storage companies also offer a full selection of maintenance and refurbishing services that a trailer can undergo while awaiting its next run. The mobiles can get trailer repair and reconditioning, PMs, deinstallations, reinstallations, cold head and compressor maintenance, helium and internal magnet pressure monitoring, and A/C service.

"A storage yard needs to be able to give the trailer a planned maintenance," says Michael Profeta of Magnetic Resonance Technologies. "One trailer we just had in, we ended up re-servicing the generator, replacing the batteries, adjusting the brakes, changing all the bulbs and running lights, cleaning the air filters in the A/C unit-all the service related issues not part of the equipment, but part of the trailer."


Once a transport-heavy company, Texas Medical Mobile Solutions has seen its storage business increase to the point that they are now doing more storage than transport, tripling its customer base in the past six months. They now can accommodate 30 trailers on power.

"Any trailer that's stored here gets checked every single day and we can work on every single part of the trailer except the medical equipment inside," says Hess. "From a flat tire to brake lights, from painting to reconditioning; we are checking all the assembly that goes into a medical trailer."

The company also does something unique in that they publish a report about each stored trailer on a web site, so their customers can check on how their trailer is doing every day.

"We want to take care of our customers and like them to think of us as their service station," Hess says.

Mobile MedTech has storage and power available at facilities in Council Bluffs, IA and Cottage Grove, WI.

"Our guys walk the yard every morning and we monitor and report the cryogen levels and make sure the air conditioning is working, Zahn says. "Ideally, you want to make sure the environmentals are working; they are there for a reason."

Industry experts estimate the cost of running a chiller on an MRI anywhere from $50-$150 a day.

Bernie Bartoszek, Executive Vice President for MagnaServ Inc., says that business is profitable in this sector of the company.

"We have OEMs who pick up units and instead of hauling them back to their corporate locations, they pay rent to us and we store them for them," says Bartoszek about the company, which can store up to nine MRIs in its Stuart, Fla. location. "We have customers bring in the mobiles and they need to be refurbished back to their original specs, and we can do all that. It's a good business."

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