Supertrucks supplies 18 vehicles to glass firm
Supertrucks, a specialist vehicle maker for the glass industry, has completed an order to supply glass manufacturers the Pilkington Group with 18 trucks.
In partnership with truck rental firm Ryder, Supertrucks has specified seven special coach-built bodies for 18-tonne gvw DAF LF 55-220 chassis cabs, which have a high, 9.5 tonne payload.
Custom-built to Pilkington specification, these new Supertrucks bodies have concertina roofs to enable overhead loading by crane and 2.2 tonne capacity external glass-carrying rack mounted on the nearside – which come complete with an external safety curtain.
Internally, to provide better safety and operational advantages, Supertrucks has developed a special racking system for these new Pilkington vehicles. As these vehicles are loaded using an overhead crane, this normally requires the glass to be carried on 100mm-high blocks to enable the crane’s loading grabs to withdraw. This, thanks to a body floor/underframe with built-in channels, provides the necessary space for the crane grabs to withdraw, while allowing the glass to rest directly on the body floor. As a result the risk of breakage is minimised and the centre of gravity of the load is reduced.
Also, the channels can be covered with folding flaps to provide a completely flat floor for the occasions when overhead loading is not used. The Pilkington bodies also have Supertrucks’ Pack Stops, which provide additional security, preventing the load from moving forward under emergency braking.
Simon Philpott, branch manager at Pilkington Group’s Birmingham depot, said: “We are very pleased with our four new Supertrucks-bodied 18-tonners. The drivers find them easy to operate and the new bodies are providing even greater operational efficiency on our intensive delivery operation – typically of 10-12 drops per day. Overall our experience of Supertrucks is very good, they take note of our operational requirements and build a body that suits.”
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