Custom fleet for special clientele
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The Mitchell Colts Group runs a large fleet of vehicles for special contract hire. Its clients demand-and get-a very particular service. Report by John Durant
THE TRANSPORT company in the large Mitchell Cotta Group, which also has en gineering, agriculture, shipping and storage, vehicle dis tribution and commodity trading interests, has had a number of custom-designed bodies built to its designs.
These are used by the company, Mitchell Cotta Transport, in the services it runs for industry on contract hire.
MCT has business with both large firms — for example, household names like ICI, Castro!, and the Daily Express — and small.
New vehicles can be provided or existing fleets can be purchased.
If required, garages and warehouses can be taken over and the customer's staff can be retained. MCT has 18 depots based strategically around the country; some operate on a 24-hour basis.
The company has a fleet of over 70 vehicles based at King's Lynn and operates regular bulk liquid services to the Continent, using the company's ADR (carriage of hazardous goods) specified tankers which are backloaded for return to any part of the UK.
The main traffic of the expanding fleet of generalpurpose tankers is bulk chemicals. In addition MCT is also in the general haulage sector of the industry — and this service extends to the Continent as well. Another substantial general haulage fleet is based at Stroud, mostly serving the chemical and brewing industries.
1 MCT IS THE FIRST firm in the UK to use these -jumbo road
trains' — similar vehicles are run by some Continental firms. MCT assisted in the design and the chassis was specially made for its King's Lynn depot by S. Webb, of Sudbury, Suffolk, and the body by Oakleys of Attleborough, Norfolk.
The Luton body has a capacity of 1780cuft, and the trailer, which can carry 2200cuft, has a lowered deck allowing the fitment of 700x12 wheels. The gross weight is 19 tons and the vehicle is used for carrying Styrofoam, an insulant for cladding the walls of cold stores, which has a low weight-to-cub-capacity ratio. The vehicle complies with both UK and Continental legislation. Height is four metres.
Previously, the company used artics with Supercube
2 ANOTHER VEHICLE operated from King's Lynn is this specially constructed trailer with swan-neck for low centre of gravity, which carries hazardous chemicals, has twistlocks and 825x15 tyres. The Maxaret anti-jack-knife braking is fitted to both unit and trailer for added safety.
The vehicle, operated for Dow Chemicals, can carry either a small lead-lined steel tank, 20ft ISO tank or dry box. "It is much safer than any other vehicle we have tried for these loads," says Mike Hoperaft, operations director of MCT Services. 3 SPECIAL bodywork for this Ford Transit 175 was designed by MTC in conjunction with Garda Security for that company. It incorporates a number of special security features installed for security reasons.
4 QUINNEYS of Brixton built this glass-reinforced plastics body to a joint MTC-Willcox design for a Bedford 35cwt chassis-cab supplied by Doves of Croydon. The doors — double ones at the rear with a tail-gate and twin side-loading doors — all palletised loading as well as all-round access.
5 ANOTHER SPECIAL vehicle is this Commer G16 supplied by Reading Garage, and body built 6 TAYLOR BROTHERS of Brii made the body for this F1 D1314 for Arkana, the a cabinet maker. Arkana used operate rigids but has been a to obtain more flexibility vi demounts. The chassis has bi extended to give a 254-jr wheelbase and the vehicIE equipped with Ray Sm demountable equipment; body is 301t long with capacity, including Luton, 2200cuft.
LOADLOK retention equipm runs the full length of each s inside the Arkana swop body MITCHELL COTTS Transi _has special, bodywork for vans running the newspa delivery services. An otherv standard BL van for the Loni Evening Standard, has had rear doors taken off and a rc shutter installed for safety plus sliding doors for easy dr access.
7 MENZIES needs a van wil larger load capacity — 3 ton' for deliveries to wholesall This Dodge Walk-Thru has hr roller shutter installed at rear; sliding doors are esser because the vehicles park t in loading bays, and two lic are installed inside at the reat night work. The bodybuilder also installed a woo( bulkhead because the custo finds this preferable tr walk-through design.
8 THE FINANCIAL TIMES vi (right), like other vehicles ut by the newspaper industry, liable to a fair bit of be damage through use at 1 cramped loading areas newspaper premises, so instE of metal bodywork they higrp which scratches less eat and repairs more easily. Tf are specially built for MCT one of the firm's list of approved bodybuilders.
9 CAPITAL Coachworks Brixton built the bodies for thr Bedford vans. Supplied Prestage Ltd of Birmingha they are part of the MitclCons Group, for use by the Di Express and Daily Star,