Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 19, 1994 TAG: 9402190016
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A recent decision by the Virginia Department of Transportation prompted the move to the larger homes, said Walter Hughes, Fleetwood's general manager at Rocky Mount.
The state recently began issuing permits for moving 16-foot-wide homes on Virginia highways. The first permits were issued to a Tennessee mobile-home manufacturer.
Mobile-home makers from out of state, who have been making 16-foot-wide homes, have begun offering their product to Fleetwood's customers in Virginia.
To compete and to satisfy the demands of its customers, Fleetwood was forced to start making the wider homes, Hughes said.
Fleetwood built 3,300 14-foot-wide homes at the Rocky Mount plant last year. If the plant follows the experience of Fleetwood plants in states where the wider homes are allowed, 60 percent of its production will switch to the 16-foot-wides, Hughes said.
The wider mobile homes were first permitted in Texas in the early 1970s. About five years ago, Kentucky and Tennessee joined Maryland and Delaware in allowing the wider homes in Eastern states. Other East Coast states have followed suit or are or are considering it.
The Rocky Mount plant, which employs 320 people on two shifts, must be modified to accommodate the wider units, Hughes said. Some adjustable equipment had been installed in anticipation of the change, he said.
In its statement Friday, the company warned that the wider homes will pose more hazard to travelers. "We ask everyone to be aware of the additional two feet that will be extended into the oncoming lane of traffic," the statement said.
The state will require that the homes, which are 80 feet long not including their tow truck, be escorted by flag cars in the front and rear with flashing lights. The time of day that they can be moved will be restricted.
Hughes said Fleetwood will work with state highway engineers to determine the routes the homes may travel. In general, they will be restricted to four-lane highways, with trips on two-lane roads limited to 11 miles, he said.
"If we didn't have to build them, we probably wouldn't go out and elect to build them," Hughes said of the wider homes. "We're interested in keeping the jobs, so we're going to do the things we have to do."
Fleetwood Homes of Virginia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fleetwood Enterprises of Riverside, Calif. Its in-state competitors include Commodore Corp. of Danville and Virginia Homes of Southhill.
by CNB