A website by any other name
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Webwatch casts its digital eye over Truck and Plant
Words: James Clark
Company: Truck and Plant Address: www.truckandplant.com
Homepage
It might come as a surprise that
a website called ‘Truck and Plant’ lists more used trailers than it does either trucks or plant, but it makes more sense when you consider that Truck and Plant is part of Ballyvesey Holdings, which also includes trailer manufacturer Montracon and trailer rental firm Eurofleet Rental.
Whether it’s trailers, trucks or plant you are looking for, the first thing to do is click on one of the big red buttons in the middle of the homepage, which will take you through to the relevant category in the stock list. Links to the rest of the site are found in the horizontal navigation bar running along the top.
Below the category buttons are links to two contact forms. The first is for selling trucks or trailers, the second for if you cannot find what you are looking for and want to share your requirements with Truck and Plant.
At the very bottom of the homepage are the dealer’s contact details: click on the ‘Get in Touch with Us’ icon to view Google Maps to Truck and Plant’s Derbyshire and Co Antrim sites.
Product search
Having selected trucks, trailers or plant, you must choose a subcategory – for trailers, this means skeletals, fridges, curtainsiders and so on. The site then presents you with all matching items.
Unfortunately, there is no option to view all stock at once. It is also not possible to search the stock list by keyword, or indeed to search the site as a whole. That aside, for each item in your chosen subcategory you will be presented with a thumbnail image and a brief title – for example “New MAN TGA 32.360 8x4 Tipper”. Click on the title to go through to a details page with information including (where relevant) emissions level, cab type, and dimensions.
Likes and dislikes
We like
✓ Site is bold and simple ✓ Multiple photos for most items of stock ✓ Ideal for smartphone browsing
We’re not sure
X No keyword search X Few trucks and no plant listed (despite the name of the site) X Product information could be more comprehensive
At this stage you might have the option to view one or two additional images showing the item from different angles – click on any thumbnail and a larger version will display in a pop-up slideshow.
In addition to the used stock, a number of new Montracon trailers are also available.
The site works equally well in various common browsers, including Internet Explorer and Firefox, and lends itself perfectly to smartphone browsing.
Other pages
Use the top navigation menu to access information on Truck and Plant’s finance and export services. There are also the usual ‘About Us’ and ‘Contact Us’ pages.
Finally, via the ‘Links’ page you can click through to the parent Ballyvesey Holdings website – or just point your browser to www.ballyveseyholdings.com.
Conclusion
Ignore the name and visit Truck and Plant if you are in the market for old or new trailers.