Pall-Ex pushes its own 'decker design
Pall-Ex wants its members to buy its own standardised double-decker, which it describes as the “ideal hub and operational trailer”.
Andrew Triolo, Pall-Ex business development manager, tells MT: “We will be encouraging our members to opt for this, as commonality is a good thing.” So far only one has gone on the road.
The Pall-Ex-spec trailer, the first of which was built by Montracon and went into operation with Davies Turner in January, incorporates a number of innovative safety features. These include see-through mesh flooring, which allows forklift operators to assess pallet positioning and pre-empt any loading or unloading problems. This feature has been praised by Davies Turner’s UK transport director David Quy, who says staff are now able to see if there is another pallet behind the one they are unloading, preventing them from accidentally toppling the concealed one.
The standardised trailers have a sliding suzie coupling to avoid the need for drivers to climb onto the tractor chassis, while high-viz decals give improved visibility.
“Since they will be mainly operating at night we wanted maximum visibility” says Triolo. He explains that twin rear brake and repeater clusters were fitted just in case a bulb blows en-route.
Triolo says an aerodynamic sloping-front design was considered, but was decided against. “I have had mixed feedback on whether they make any real difference in terms of fuel economy,” he says. However he says it may be considered for a mk2 or mk3 version of the trailer, after potential fuel improvements have been quantified.
A spokesman for Pall-Ex says this is not an exclusive agreement with Montracon.
