UK-based General haulage and pallet distribution specialist, S&J Haulage, has taken delivery of 15 new lightweight tri-axle curtain-side trailers from Tiger Trailers.
The newly-designed curtain-siders have been designed in collaboration with Tata Steel to achieve a 500kg weight saving compared to a standard clearspan tri-axle curtain-side trailer.
The new lightweight trailer design uses steel components twice the strength of the high strength steel typically used in trailer chassis construction, without any additional weight. The result is one of the lightest 4.35m tri-axle clearspan curtain-siders currently available in the UK.
S&J’s curtainsiders will also be joined shortly by three double-deck box-van trailers from Tiger Trailers, joining the fleet as a result of recent new business successes for S&J’s European operations. All new products are produced at Tiger Trailers’ new state-of-the-art production facility in Winsford, Cheshire. S&J Haulage – based in Melton Mowbray near Leicester – is also taking delivery of four new Scania 6×2 tractor units.
“We knew Tiger Trailers had been cooperating with Tata steel to develop a lightweight trailer, and we are committed to delivering bespoke solutions for our customers which means that we need bespoke equipment,” said S&J Managing Director, Steve Haines.
“We have been impressed with how Tiger worked with us to deliver an exacting specification that fully optimises our operation. The resulting product has brought us a significant payload advantage – on certain vehicle combinations, that means up to 29 tonnes of payload.
“Tiger Trailers has quickly established itself in the UK market,” he added, “they have a fantastic new factory, new products and new ideas. It’s very likely that we’ll be forming a long-term partnership with the team in Winsford,” he said.
S&J’s new lightweight Tiger Trailer fleet – all EN12462XL compliant – incorporates a clearspan, pillarless design and a roof-mounted load restraint system which is proving to be a particularly important piece of equipment for S&J’s specific needs with its long-established customer, Jeld-Wen, a major American window and door producer.
“We’re often loading full-height Jeld-Wen wood products and the sliding load restraint system makes life easier, faster, and very much safer for when our drivers are securing their loads,” said Haines.