As part of an ongoing programme of investment in its vehicle fleet, Cranleigh Freight Services (CFS) has ordered nine new curtainsider trailers from Schmitz Cargobull.
CFS operates a mixed fleet of over 40 trailers, which the company uses to provide a full range of transport services to Europe as well as UK-wide pallet distribution.
The latest additions to CFS’s fleet have been adapted to cope with the growth in the company’s air-cargo business and are fitted with a Hydraroll pneumatic roller track – a product specially developed for the movement of airfreight containers on to and off of the trailers.
The rolling beds of the track system are raised above the floor of the trailer by a low pressure air supply that is activated at the flick of a switch. Air cargo is loaded through the back doors of the trailers onto the wheels of the Hydraroll rolling beds and rolled into the trailer. When loading or unloading is complete the air supply is simply switched off and the roller beds slowly drop down to below the level of the surrounding floor.
When carrying palletised loads, the roller track remains deactivated allowing pallets to be loaded and unloaded along the side of the trailer by forklift truck or through the back doors by pallet truck in the traditional way.
The versatility of Cranleigh Freight’s new trailers is further enhanced by a sliding roof which enables long or other awkwardly shaped cargo to be loaded from above.
This adaptability was important to Cranleigh Freight, as the company’s Transport Manager, Tim Munro, explains: “While we shuttle a lot of air cargo between airports, our broad customer base means the trailers need to be able to cope with a variety of different loads. The ability to load and unload through the sides, back doors and roof means there is virtually no limit to what we can carry with our new trailers.”
The new models were built in the UK at Schmitz Cargobull’s facility in County Durham and are constructed using Schmitz Cargobull’s patented bolted and galvanized production method. Essentially, the bolted and galvanized system removes the need for any welding and, therefore, results in consistently high product quality and greater production flexibility. The galvanizing process – all parts of the chassis are galvanized before the build process takes place – ensures that there is no corrosion within the joint when two parts of the trailer are brought together.
Before placing the order Tim Munro visited Schmitz Cargobull factory. “I was very impressed by the build quality of the product. I have been in this industry for a long time and it has always struck me that you see plenty of old Schmitz Cargobull trailers on the road. That tells me something about their durability,” he says.
The acquisition of the new fleet was partly financed through Cargobull Finance – a joint venture between Schmitz Cargobull and De Lage Landen. “We had a number of finance options open to us but the Cargobull Finance package was the most competitive,“ says Tim Munro.
The new trailers are all liveried in CFS’s corporate colours and finished to a high specification to complement two new flagship tractor units the company has recently acquired from DAF.
Schmitz Cargobull (UK) Ltd
Nigel Somers
Tel: 01207 288432
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