Faymonville heavy-haul trailers expanding production to U.S. | Overdrive

Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024:

An overseas manufacturer of super-heavy-haul trailer equipment has selected a site in the U.S. for its first stateside production facility.

The Faymonville Group selected a site in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Port of Little Rock, which provides the company with access to major interstates, Class I railroads, navigable waterways and a national airport.

The site covers 409,000-square-feet in Phase 1, expanding to 624,000-square-feet in Phase 2.Faymonville Group

Once fully developed, the project will create 500 jobs. Faymonville intends to invest more than $100 million. Additionally, the project is expected to create 389 indirect and induced jobs in Little Rock and surrounding communities, generating a $239 million economic impact.

The Faymonville Group is a family-owned company now in its seventh generation, where a dedicated team of 1,400 people operates across four locations in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, and Italy. Together, they produce approximately 3,000 units annually. Their vehicles are delivered to 125 countries, generating a revenue of around $500 million in 2023.

[Related: The rare-to-the-U.S. Faymonville heavy-haul trailer and ’07 Pete 379 of Equipment Express]

With their three vehicle brands -- MAX Trailer, Faymonville, and Cometto -- the Faymonville Group is a full-range manufacturer of vehicles for heavy load and special transport. The semi-trailers, low-loaders, modular vehicles, and self-propelled trailers are used to transport anything exceptionally heavy, long, wide, or tall.

High, wide and ugly in fairly common U.S. parlance.

The brand portfolio includes transport solutions for payloads from 16.5 U.S. tons to 27,500 U.S. tons and beyond.

The modern facilities, covering a production area of 1,884,000 square feet, form the foundation for unique, high-tech products. The Faymonville Group invests heavily in new machinery and process improvements, with well upward of $126 million invested between 2017 and 2023.

“We don't just supply special vehicles, we provide comprehensive transport solutions,” said Alexander Fickers, CEO of the Faymonville Group. "We proudly delivered our first vehicle to the U.S. in 2016. What we particularly value about the U.S. market is its enormous potential, its practical, solution-driven mindset, and the much simpler administration compared to Europe."

Currently, a team in Luxembourg is working on new products that will bring significant added value to the U.S. market. In the first phase, individual components will be manufactured in Little Rock, while preparations for in-house production are underway. Additionally, service and spare parts support for Cometto-branded vehicles will be strengthened.:

“By early 2026, the production will be operational, and the vehicles will proudly bear the ‘Made in America’ label, with the goal of long-term success in the U.S. market,” said Yves and Alain Faymonville.

[Related: New super-heavy-haul 19-axle expandable trailer]

While most of the truck-involved interdiction from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a result of the attempted smuggling of drugs into the U.S., sometimes other illegal commodities are found.

Boxes carrying hog plums and passion fruit. CBP officers seized more than seven tons of hog plums and passion fruit, which are prohibited from entry, during a cargo examination at Pharr International Bridge.U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionOn Oct. 20, CBP officers and agriculture specialists assigned to the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas seized 14,745 pounds of fresh hog plum and fresh passion fruit -- both prohibited from entry to the U.S.

“Our mission to safeguard American agriculture is just as important as intercepting narcotics,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “Keeping prohibited pests and diseases from damaging American agriculture helps keeps the costs of goods down.”

In this incident, CBP officers encountered a tractor-trailer arriving from Mexico with a shipment manifested as fresh lime and chayote. A CBP officer referred the vehicle for further inspection, which included utilizing non-intrusive inspection equipment and screening by a canine team.

Physical inspection of the shipment revealed paper-wrapped produce in enclosed boxes with fresh fruit that did not match what was manifested. The shipment was held so that CBP agriculture specialists could submit samples to U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) for identification. The shipment was identified the following day by USDA as fresh hog plum and fresh passion fruit.

Both are strictly prohibited from entry to the United States and can harbor pests like fruit flies, which can devastate American crops.

CBP Office of Field Operations seized the fresh fruit for destruction. The carrier was assessed a $5,000 penalty for unmanifested produce.

[Related: Two big drug busts in trucks at border]

George Maxwell, a Tampa, Florida-based truck driver for TransAm Trucking, has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for rescuing a stranded couple when flood waters were enveloping their home in the middle of a hurricane.

On Oct. 10 around 3 a.m. in Plant City, Florida, Maxwell demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness during Hurricane Milton.

Maxwell put the safety of others before his own. As the storm approached, he made his way in his pickup truck toward a truck parking lot where his rig was parked through the worsening conditions, an effort to move his rig to higher ground before the rising floodwaters could cause any damage. But Maxwell’s journey would soon take an unexpected turn.

“I’m in the truck,” Maxwell said. “I’m watching the water come up higher and it’s getting bad.”

As the water levels began to surge, Maxwell quickly realized he had no time to save his personal vehicle, so he abandoned his pickup and focused on getting his rig to safety. While he was preparing to leave, Maxwell noticed something alarming -- the owners of the truck parking lot were trapped in their nearby home, surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters.

“They said they thought they were safe there, but it’s not safe,” he said, noting the water was chest-deep by this point. “The rain was pouring nonstop, and the wind was blowing like 100 miles per hour.”

Wading through the dangerous waters, he made his way to the house, where the couple was fighting to stay safe. Maxwell led them back to his semi-truck, providing shelter and transportation in a desperate moment. He drove them to higher ground, ensuring their safety. Thanks to Maxwell’s quick thinking and fearless actions, the couple was saved from what could have been a catastrophic situation. Maxwell’s personal vehicle was not so lucky.

“It’s totally gone,” he said of his pickup, which was ruined in the flood. Looking back, he said he did the right thing by taking the couple, his rig and himself away from the flood waters.

“I would do it again,” he said. “I just did what I’d hope anyone would do for me.”

[Related: 'God had me there for a reason': Highway Angel saves six in Hurricane Helene floodwaters]