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• This year's Temperature Controlled Storage and Distribution show in Manchester reflected the perilous state of the industry with fewer UK body and trailer builders exhibiting than two years ago and not a chassis manufacturer in sight.
But the products on show demonstrated that operators do not have to look to the Continent to find high quality goods.
Innovations
Despite being in receivership, the York Group was demonstrating a range of new products. Its innovations included Thermostar's Colossus, a 13.6m high volume refrigerated semitrailer along with a lightweight multi-purpose reefer body system for 7.5-tonners.
The chassis-less Colossus has interior dimensions of 13.4m long, 2.8m high and 2.46m wide which give the operator, Murfitts, 92m3 of load volume. It uses Thermo King's latest slimline SMX nose-mount freezer unit to gain extra space at the front of the body.
Extra depth is achieved by a combination of York TEC's new 2157 trailer axle and Michelin's new generation of 55% aspect 19.5in wide single tyres. The prototype 425/55R 19.5 XZAs were fitted on a new design of wheel rim profile while the 2157 axle is an outboard drum model for use with Tecair suspension. It has wider, 394mm brake shoes for improved performance.
The whole package is compatible with the 1,000mm coupling height of the Dutch-registered Volvo F12 fully air suspended tractive unit borrowed for the show.
The Colossus equipped with Shorfast's 23 beam, aluminium second deck system can accommodate 66 Europallets with room to spare. When the 100mm-high spare deck beams are stowed in the roof, another 100mm of space is left above the 2.6m full load level.
The trailer's streamlined rivetless body has a one-piece GRP outer skin, its removable upper capping houses the wiring and piping systems while inside, 1.0mm aluminium sheeting provides a durable working surface.
Crossmember
Full length side fairings cover the pallet racks and spare wheel frames while the front bulkhead is moulded to suit the fridge unit. Its bolt-on rear crossmember is made from moulded GRP and forms the lighting panel. Thermostar's ATP class C-spec body system for 7.5-tormers offers payloads of 3.0 tonnes-plus. It has a package of modular extras that include clip-on load lock tracking and split-level shelving.
Temperature control is via forced air or eutectic systems with a movable bulkhead to separate frozen, chilled and ambient goods. Another dual-purpose trailer appeared on CTR's stand: the 13.6m York Thermostar two-deck reefer also doubles as a garment carrier.
It is built at Thermostar's Harelaw factory, but CTR was non-committal about placing long-term contracts while York's future remains unclear.
A Loadmaker moving bulkhead separates chilled and frozen goods and each section has temperature monitoring. G-Rail adjustable garment beams provide the secondary decking for up to 66 Europallets.
BOC Distribution Services displayed an unusual hybrid reefer trailer, built by Gray and Adams, destined for BOC's Baker chilled distribution service. It is the first of its type and combines the benefits of a Polarstream liquid nitrogen refrigeration with a mechanical system and is well suited to loading/unloading foodstuffs from 12m trailers, four to five times a day in sensitive areas.
Once deliveries have been made, temperatures can be pulled down rapidly and silently, and then switched over to a conventional nose-mount system.
Although the hybrid system is more expensive than most mechanical ones it is quiet and CFC-free.
The Polarstream has been refined over the past 23 years and has found favour with supermarkets like Waitrose and Safeway and suppliers like Hays, which has more than 70 such vehicles at its Theale depot.
UCD's GRP Massey-built twin compartment reefer trailer featured TF's improved Trans. frig Futura underslung fridge system.
Roof-mounted evaporators in each section are 70mm shallower at 170mm and have out lets facing front and rear. These are aimed at improving cold air recovery so that air flow can quickly reach perishables that are loaded to the extremes of each compartment.
TF also showed a new Futura 14 underslung system for 7.5tonners.
Like the larger system it uses R22 refrigerant and being underslung it gives good weight distribution, particularly over the front axle.
Tandem-axled
Having identified a possible market for smaller reefer trailers, Crane Fruehauf has produced a 12.5m tandem-mded version of its Iceliner.
This will carry 24 metric pallets on 32-tonne operations compared with 26 in the triaxled model.
The appearance of a full length, 86m3 refrigerated body from Carrosserie Van Dijck of Merkplas, Belgium, mounted on a Tinsley trailer, signals a joint UK marketing agreement between the two manufacturers.
Made with polyester/polyurethane sandwich panels, the VeDeCar body has several neat features, like the 50mm recess under the front to accommodate the 60mrn chassis neck and its polyester resin rear frame, bonded into the side walls.
One manufacturer looking to supply the UK industry is Techcell of Aubevoye, France, which produces recyclable CFC-free cellular PVC panels. Rated from 33 to 300kg/m3 they are suitable for a wide range of applications.
Two of the smallest examples of reefer vehicles were a Ford P100 pickup with Minicool box from Bedwas, and a more shapely one built by Lamberet, mounted on a Citroen C15. It was exhibited by Thermo King which was showing off a complete range of new cooling units for vehicles large and small. Prices for the B-060 range for small vans, like the C15, start at £1,500; defrost and mains stand-by options are available.
German reefer manufacturer Schmitz showed a 13.2m semitrailer with traditional panelling alongside a Daf 2700 drawbar outfit: the trailer carried a demountable 7.15m box with roof recess for the fridge unit.
Both bodies featured a new Ferroplast panel, hand built in sections. Schmitz says it is easier to handle and should be available to bodybuilders by next July.
Schmitz, which is introducing guaranteed buy-backs on its products over three to five years old, has also devised neat, easily detachable alloy sideguards for rigids to meet sideguard and spray suppression laws which come into force in Germany on 1 January.
Legislation
With recent legislation encouraging sales of smaller rigid reefers, Coolfreeze of Manchester has introduced its Eco 3 economy range of GRP bodies. Built at Trafford Park, prices start at £4,950 and options include a -20°C mains standby.
Solomon Commercials showed an unusual method of overcoming inadequate air circulation in front freezer sections on small rigids.
RS Food Services' Mercedes 609D body with its nosemounted Carrier cooler had its evaporator mounted neatly on to the side wall, opposite the small side door. There were numerous innovations from the equipment suppliers too. Simark of Warley, West Midlands showed its latest fridge curtain, which can be moved along a body as the load diminishes, making it easier to cool the remaining products.
Continental Vehicle Components of Tenterden, Kent had a number of new items on show, such as composite side and rear doorlocks from Pommier of France and a simple, roll-up curtain from Kapell of Sweden.
Pull-cord
The Combiroll has a keyed, aluminium rod set in the middle of the curtain which rolls when rotated by a pull-cord. Options include an electrical or handwinch.
CVC is about to supply a prototype system to Marshalls of Cambridge for a Whitbread dray. Truck Panels of Stoke-on-Trent showed its new Speed-Build insulated body kits in lengths up to 13.6m. Options include premachined recesses for load restraint.
TP also displayed its latest TRIPLE-A three-element insulated panel of 2.5mm GRP layers on RTM Styrofoam, available with core thicknesses from 40mm upwards.
Vehicle & Industrial Products showed its latest Polar Zone insulated moving bulkhead. Using opposing gas struts, the brushsealed panel moves into position easily and secures firmly.
Also on its stand was a Hydris cantilever tail-lift, which can be supplied as a zoom-type that keeps its platform level throughout its travel.
Longdon Truck Equipment's stand showed a folding 1,500kg double-push lift — a 2.0 tonne model is to follow.