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In addition to trains, Britain's biggest retailer employs fixed DD
Page 52
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trailers built by Lawrence David. Like many shop chains it doesn't use them for store delivery; access is too tight and dock-mounted scissor lifts are needed for the upper level (an exception is Halfords which does go to larger, out of town sites).
Tesco-liveried DD trailers pulled by Stobart units are double-shifted and loaded in both directions on inter-depot trunks and factory-gate pickups. There are various reasons for this arrangement. Stobart undertakes all of Tesco's haulage (as opposed to distribution) work, doesn't use as many agency drivers and runs more three-axle units as much because of weight on the kingpin as for stability. Most of Stobart's trailers are high anyway, typically 4.42-4.65m. Consequently its drivers are more easily able to cope with the DDs' 4.85m and are well aware that too tight a turn can rip tyres off small rims.
A computer-monitored loading system regulates against too much weight in the wrong place but Stobart drivers are also required to check. And if the weather becomes too windy drivers are told to stop. Stobart's training manager Neale Burdon remarks: "They know conditions better than the traffic office."