GAINESVILLE – It took nearly 90 minutes to work out some of the details but a 230,000-square foot truck terminal is one step closer to happening following a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Hall County Planning Commission.
Ramar Land Corporation of Wilmington, Ohio, wants to construct a transfer facility with 262 docks, a truck wash, a twelve-bay maintenance shop and a general office area on 36.3-acres on the north side of Athens Highway near its intersection with A L Mangum Road.
Stan Richards of R&L Carriers, an affiliate of Ramar Land Corporation, told members of the planning commission at its Dec. 20 meeting, “There’s over 2000 trucking companies in the United States and we’re currently number eight.”
“We currently have over 25,000 pieces of equipment on the road and 16,000-plus employees,” Richards said.
According to R&L’s application, “The terminal will handle small product pickup and delivery for the local market, as well as provide a regional hub for terminal-to-terminal connection. R&L’s delivery policy prevents drivers from overnight hauling and allows freight to be delivered from coast to coast using multiple drivers traveling from hub to hub.”
“Eighty-five to 90 percent of our truck drivers get to go home every night,” Richards added.
Richards explained that Ramar Land Company is considering the purchase of an adjacent parcel of land to the south and expansion of the company’s operation along Athens Highway could take place in the future. He said of that possible growth, should the adjacent parcel be acquired, “We don’t anticipate that’s going to happen any time soon…depending upon the market, probably ten to fifteen years.”
Daily operation at the planned new facility will be much like that at a major airport, with activity happening in waves. Departures will begin just before 9 a.m. according to Richards. “The freight industry is very much like the airlines,” he explained. “There’s about a three-hour window when those trucks will leave, but when it’s fully operational you would not see all 185 trucks leaving at the same time.”
He said drivers would return later in the day. “Around 4:30 our next shift of dock workers would come in and our drivers would start returning,” Richards said. Freight would be off-loaded and placed on the appropriate truck for departure the next morning. Necessary truck maintenance would be accomplished overnight by a crew of mechanics.
“I would say there is going to be somewhere around 150-160 employees total,” Richards told commissioners.
Only one person spoke in opposition to the amended-use application. Richards agreed to several enhancements made to the conditions recommended by the planning staff and following a motion by Commissioner Stan Hunt, a unanimous recommendation for approval was granted.
The measure now goes to the Hall County Commission for final consideration Thursday, January 27, 2022.
