Show-Stopping Trailers Unveiled by Transport Company

Two specially modified and uniquely liveried Schmitz Cargobull S.KO COOL box-body semi-trailers have been unveiled to join family-owned business C&M Transport’s fast-growing fleet in Wrexham. C&M Transport, a temperature-controlled specialist, places huge value in the presentation of its vehicles and uniformed drivers. On that basis, it decided to put Schmitz Cargobull’s ability to customise trailers to the test to give its latest purchases added character.

The result was two S.KO COOL trailers featuring a wealth of after-market additions via Truck Center Vreden, a Schmitz Cargobull Service Partner.

Jonno Williams, Operations Manager at C&M Transport, says: “Having something that stands out from the crowd is important to us. So, when we learnt that Schmitz Cargobull offers a customisation service, we knew we had to try it. The trailers were delivered quickly and look great, so we’re really pleased we did.”

The mono-temp reefers, which are equipped with Carrier Transicold refrigeration units, feature extra strip lights along the rear, side and top of the trailers, as well as upgraded rear-light clusters, stainless steel wheel arches, illuminated stainless steel fuel guards, and Alcoa Dura-Bright alloys to add a smart, personal touch.

The trailers also feature bespoke wraps after the business ran a competition inviting local schools to supply designs showcasing Wrexham to demonstrate that there’s more to the city than a football club owned by two Hollywood film stars.

The winning designs by Holly Jones, from Ysgol Bryn Alyn; and Juliette Devereux, from Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, were transformed into full-length wraps by ASAP Signs on the first trailer. They highlight the UNESCO-recognised Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and the Gresford Colliery memorial, respectively. The work of local artist Mikey Jones, showing the Wrexham skyline, features on the second trailer.

Underneath the unique designs, Schmitz Cargobull’s proven FERROPLAST technology combines the increased insulation of a polyurethane hard foam with a durable and resistant covering of multiple layers of coated metal. The result is a self-supporting product without any thermal bridges that may affect cooling performance. If any damage does occur, the panels can be easily repaired rather than the trailer side requiring whole body repair.

Each trailer will be covering 2,000 plus miles a week over the breadth of the UK and Continental Europe, something their strong galvanised MODULUS bolted chassis are ideally suited to handle. Each chassis comes with a 10-year warranty against rust-through on all galvanised parts, too.

“I can’t fault the build quality, it’s excellent. The interior width of the trailers has also been a big hit with our drivers. Most of what we move is palletised but some goods – such as ice cream and fresh cut flowers on Danish flower dollies – extend beyond the pallets. That’s normally a headache but it’s no longer a problem with these new reefers,” adds Williams.

The deal was facilitated by Geoff Ward, Regional Manager for the North West, Wales and the West Midlands at Schmitz Cargobull UK & Ireland.

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The Benefits to Trailer Side Skirts

As the European Union tightens its regulations on trailer aerodynamics, Ewals Cargo Care are taking proactive steps to meet and exceed these standards. The upcoming Vecto-rules, mandating a 10% reduction in CO₂ emissions for new trailers by 2030, represent a forward-looking approach to addressing climate change. Although trailers themselves do not directly emit CO₂, their design plays a critical role in the fuel efficiency of the trucks towing them. Improving the aerodynamic performance of trailers can lead to significant reductions in fuel consumption, which in turn lowers overall CO₂ emissions.

Consider a conventional box-shaped trailer, which creates significant air resistance when hauled by a truck. Adding features like side skirts, rear trailer tails, and smooth underbody panels can streamline airflow and reduce drag. For instance, a study by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) showed that adding side skirts to trailers can improve fuel efficiency by up to 7%, while trailer tails can contribute another 4-5%. These modifications collectively reduce the energy the truck needs to maintain speed, leading to lower fuel consumption and a corresponding decrease in emissions.

Ewals’ approach to innovation

Ewals Cargo Care are starting with a pilot program to test a single trailer equipped with Aerodymax’s side skirts. This innovation can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 5%. This pilot will allow Ewals to evaluate their performance in various transport modes, including ferry and rail. Lashing trailers on ferry ships and positioning trailers with side skirts into train wagons will require monitoring for potential damage or wear and tear. However, they hope for a positive result from the pilot. By embracing innovative solutions like aerodynamic skirts, Ewals are not only complying with regulations but also innovating in sustainable way.

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Refrigerated Trailers Operating with TIP Group

Thermo King®, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies, announced today that three new refrigerated trailers featuring the Advancer AxlePower energy recovery system started operations in the Netherlands. The three trailers are part of the TIP Group’s fleet and are operated by Herbert SAS, Tielbeke Transport B.V. and Wezenberg Transport B.V. delivering for Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands.

Opening the doors to emission-free refrigerated trailers, the project is a result of a collaboration between Thermo King, BPW Bergische Achsen KG, a leader in running gears and mobility services for transport, and equipment service provider TIP Group.

“It is uplifting to work together with the industry leaders and demonstrate capabilities of the technologies that put sustainability front and centre in the transport industry,” said Colm O’Grady, Tra iler Product Leader at Thermo King. “Combining our expertise with BPW and TIP Group we’re putting new technology in the hands of the transport companies that allow them to turn the energy typically lost by a trailer during transit into clean power for the refrigeration units. Our innovation enables change in transport refrigeration and helps fleets achieve sustainable practice goals, move goods in the most environmentally friendly way and meet lower emission requirements from regulators.”

“The sustainability balance of our solution includes both an ecological and an economic dimension: emissions and noise are reduced, and ongoing operational costs drop immediately – an important advantage, especially in current times of high energy prices”, adds Thore Bakker, General Manager Trailer Solutions and Mobility Services at BPW Bergische Achsen KG. “The customer experience tour comes at exactly the right time as pressure on the industry has never been so intense.

“In our mission to create zero-emission temperature-controlled trailers, we are offering different solutions to our customers to meet their specific needs. The battery only solution is already available and this trial, with the energy axle configuration, will take up to about 12 months. The first results are very promising.” explains Rogier Laan, Vice President Sales and Marketing at TIP Group. “We strongly believe that diesel temperature-controlled trailers will quickly fade-out in favour of fully electrical and we are here to drive and support that transition.”

Developed in partnership with BPW, the Advancer AxlePower is a fully integrated, tractor independent system that combines BPW’s ePower axle with Thermo King refrigeration unit and power management technology. The trailers operating for Albert Heijn feature Thermo King Advancer A-500 Whisper-Pro, PIEK certified refrigeration units and BPW ePower axles. The AxlePower’s smart energy generating system delivers the power needed to run the trailer refrigeration unit by converting energy recovered by the trailer’s axle during the vehicle’s routine operation.

The system stores the energy generated while the vehicle is rolling or braking in a high voltage battery and reuses it to power the refrigeration unit – enabling fully electric, low or zero-emission and autonomous trailer refrigeration. The battery pack, being charged while the trailer is moving also powers the unit autonomously while the trailer is stopped. Featuring smart power management that controls the engagement and disengagement of the generators, Advancer AxlePower also minimises the resistance on the tractor and provides the driver and fleet manager with real-time battery charge visibility to avoid ‘charge anxiety’.

The possibility to capture and reuse energy makes the Advancer AxlePower system an ideal solution to future-proof and increase the sustainability of all types of trailer journeys. With silent running and no CO2 emissions from the refrigeration unit when operating from the battery-pack, this technology allows customers to sustainably run long-haul and inner-city deliveries, including in Ultra-low Emission Zones (ULEZs) and low noise urban areas.

Trailer Care Businesses Acquired

As of this month, Visser European Trailer Care, based in Uithoorn, and VTS Aalsmeer, based in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands, will be part of the ICTS family. Both workshops specialize in maintaining, repairing and technical control (MOT) for various types of trailers, especially refrigerated trailers and trailers for the air freight industry. Both workshops together employ about 15 employees. The quality, experience and expertise of their mechanics and employees is widely known.

As Mr Dirco Visser, previous owner/manager who will continue to lead the two workshops, puts it: “ICTS is the right harbour to further develop both Visser European Trailer Care and VTS Aalsmeer.”

Mr Joop Roijakkers, Vice President Rental at ICTS adds: “This acquisition is also important for ICTS’ rental division. Visser European Trailer Care will now also become a depot from where ICTS trailers can be collected and returned.”

Brand re-names for trailer care

The existing names and logos of the companies will be renamed ICTS Services Uithoorn and ICTS Services Aalsmeer, this will further strengthen our link between services and rental.

ICTS is a service company with branches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and the United Kingdom for the rental and servicing of trailers. ICTS Group has several types of trailers in its rental fleet to meet the demands of the customer. In addition, there are several extra options possible for each type of trailer in order to offer customized solutions. ICTS Group gives you the opportunity to purchase used, well-maintained trailers at very competitive prices.

Trailer Combines Large Cargo Volume with Max Payload

Kögel presents the next generation of innovative transport solutions: Kögel Mega Lightplus is the high-volume trailer specialist for all the requirements of the automotive industry. Thanks to a comprehensive range of equipment options and a low tare weight, Kögel Mega Lightplus can additionally be adapted to the requirements of many different loads.

Kögel Mega Lightplus covers a broad range of applications made possible by a combination of volume- and payload-optimising features, as well as a wide variety of individual equipment options. As a result, Kögel Mega Lightplus is perfectly streamlined for economic efficiency. Another advantage: The relatively low tare weight of this high-volume trailer saves fuel, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions. The combined benefits are fully in line with Kögel’s guiding principle: “Economy meets ecology – because we care”.

Strong, durable and extra light

The Kögel product portfolio meets the highest standards in quality. Every innovation of the Kögel engineers combines maximum cost-efficiency and sustainability. The key to this success is the specially developed lightweight engineering that is used in Kögel Mega Lightplus. In the basic version, the high-volume trailer weighs a slim 5,400 kg, making it approx. 700 kg lighter than the standard Mega trailer. Thanks to special equipment, such as aluminium rims, lightweight tyres and aluminium air tanks, the weight can be further reduced, enabling additional weight savings of more than 200 kg. The chassis in a lightweight steel construction, with a low frame neck height of 90 mm, ensures maximum usable internal height and a spacious capacity.

Despite its optimised materials, Kögel Mega Lightplus is strong and durable. High-quality fine grain steel and full-width cross beams evenly and optimally distribute the weight of the load across the loading platform. In addition, the lightweight trailer has the same optimised external frame profile and improved body that characterise all NOVUM generation trailers.

New body using special lightweight construction techniques

In the basic design, the front wall, including the front volume corner posts, the rear corner posts, and the rear wall door portal are made of aluminium. Additional roof support frames made of aluminium further reduce the weight. Thanks to the standard lifting roof, loading from the side is extremely easy. Up to three stacked pallet cages can be loaded without a problem. An additional optimisation is the L-shaped roof strap, which enables a loading height of a full three metres for pallet-width loads. The pockets for lattices on the front and rear corner posts are practically integrated in the corner posts to protect them from damage. To make life even easier for our customers, all the lattice pockets are completely height-adjustable.

Plenty of extras on board

At Kögel, the customer is our top priority, as reflected by our motto ‘Because we care’. Kögel Mega Lightplus offers many extra benefits for the customer. With the specially reinforced, optional Strong&Go body, Kögel has succeeded in significantly reducing the amount of equipment needed for various certifications. As a result, the body complies with the DIN EN 12642 Code XL body stability and Daimler guideline 9.5 without the use of lattices. A beverage certificate for single and double-level transport on standard pallets can be obtained with only a single row of lattices. Here, too, Kögel engineers have gone the extra mile: thanks to an optional load-securing system, which can be implemented using an additional welded strap on the side tarpaulin, customers can do without even a single row of lattices.

 

 

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