BNSF Logistics LLC is developing a new system for transporting certain types of oversized cargo that the company says will improve handling efficiency by 25% to 35%. The initial focus is on the giant blades used in wind turbines. BNSF Logistics has designed a kind of cradle that allows the blades to nestle in a ship far more efficiently, “effectively getting three blades in the space of two,” said Ray Greer, BNSF Logistics’ president, in an interview with AJOT. The same nesting mechanism will enable larger blades to move by rail, he said, instead of road transport now being used. The company is calling the new system “Blade Runner.” The new mechanism, Greer added, removes the need for standard fixtures. These traditionally are fastened to the blades by the manufacturer and used to attach the blades to rail carriers or ships. “Our system will allow blades to move directly from ship to railcar,” Greer said. The fixture-less transport and stowage system will be operational “no later than the third quarter” of this year, Greer said. “We hope it could happen in the second quarter.” The system was successfully tested last year, the company said. This new design comes as shippers and logistics specialists grapple with an increasingly thorny dilemma: How do you move certain kinds of big-ticket items that keep getting built larger and larger, outpacing the transport itself? In the case of wind blades, the standard is now between 55 meters and 57 meters, where it was maybe 40 meters a decade back. Manufacturers want even bigger, more efficient blades, but are limited by transport impediments. These blades, most notably, are too long to clear some rail curves. BNSF Logistics has designed a rail saddle that “essentially allows the blades to move around curves stress-free,” Greer said. One blade the company tested with its new system spanned the length of three rail cars. Trucking blades is expensive. BNSF Logistics, based outside Dallas, is working closely with wind farms in West Texas. Trucking one blade from a Texas port to the site can cost $20,000, Greer said. The new system “is great,” said Tom Carbone, president of Tri Global Energy, a Dallas-based renewable energy developer. Tri Global has been involved in BNSF Logistics testing. “It’s a huge improvement on cost and it protects the integrity of the equipment.” According to Carbone, not only does transport eat into profit margins, damage to the blades and towers during transport “is a significant issue in the industry.” Those involved in wind power have grappled with outsized logistics costs for years now. According to Greer, logistics represents 15% of wind energy costs, while the average across the broad economy is 8%. Sometimes, logistics can run more than $100,000 a blade. So tackling this product was an obvious choice, Greer said. BNSF Logistics hopes to expand the scope of its transport system to include other project cargo. Notably, the company is looking at pipelines. Now, pipes are cut to fit the size of railcars. BNSF Logistics believes its new handling mechanism could triple the size of pipes carried by rail. That, in turn, would reduce the number of seams and welds, which should lessen construction costs and diminish damage. BNSF Logistics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, a Berkshire Hathaway company.