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T hanks to his dogged determination Reg White is one of

18th May 1995, Page 56
18th May 1995
Page 56
Page 57
Page 56, 18th May 1995 — T hanks to his dogged determination Reg White is one of
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the first operators outside the brewery industry to be using a splitsider body that can be easily operated with one hand_

White, managing director of Acton-based Taylors Transport, took delivery of the body in January. It's mounted on an 11tonne Mercedes-Benz 1114, and White reckons it will save him about .C800 a year in plastic sheeting. The sheeting in question was used to protect the steel products that the company Transports for building products manufacturer Expamet, mainly using dropsided trailers But the sheets were often torn during use and, as well as the cost of repair or replacement, damaged sheeting left product vulnerable to rainwater.

The fleet of 10 1114s make daily multidrop runs throughout the UK.

White first saw a German-built splitsider featured in Commercial Motor several years ago, but had considerable difficulty finding

a supplier. Finally, without even seeing such a body, he ordered one from Marshall, which built it using German manufacturer Dinkel's patented door operation.

White wanted the body for use on his contract with Expamet. The aluminium body is easily opened by unlatching the bottom door and pulling it down. The Dinkel-patented linkage on the corner pillars automatically raises the top door.

Once open, the body is completely clear between the front and rear pillars allowing good access for side loading with a forklift. White's unit is designed to accommodate two 10 foot pallets lengthwise.

The body is 6.18m long, 2.51m wide with a 2.13m side aperture. Because the doors open outwards the vehicle needs up to 900inm clearance away from the loading bay, but if space is limited the doors can be undone first.

John Massey, Marshall's commercial sales manager concedes that the splitsider body carries a premium: it is about two thirds more expensive than a curtainsider. "It's only suitable for a specialised sector of the business," he says, "where you can make money through efficiency, such as getting more deliveries in through more drops a day. It's a question of looking beyond the cost of the body. If you only buy on initial cost, you buy a curtainsider. If you are looking at flexibility, efficiency, the number of drops a day, loading times, maintenance costs, and lifespan, then a splitsider may be more appropriate."

Staff costs could also be reduced: "It allows for a one man operation rather than two, the driver can control the body himself—he can open and close it and lock it himself," says Massey.

White decided against a curtainsider because he needed a 6m opening clearance on the vehicle so that 3m long cartons, some of which are doubled up, could be loaded easily. This opening length was not possible on the Mercedes 1114 chassis, he says. White is so pleased with his new acquisition that he has already ordered another from Marshall and would like to replace his remaining nine dropsided trailers with the new bodies over the next three years. His business is expanding, thanks, he says to the success of new products introduced by Expamet, and he is taking on another two drivers, bringing the total up to 12.

Tags

People: John Massey, White
Locations: Acton

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