A bunch of smoothies
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• The array of sleek, streamlined trucks at last month's rather subdued Birmingham Motor Show was a fair indication of the industry's concern with soaring costs and its awareness of environmental issues.
Most interest seemed focused towards windcheating bodywork and its benefits, from fuel savings to the smarter corporate image that it presents.
Eye-catching exhibits included Besco's fully-faired Series 60 Freighter clad in green GRP for the Royal Mail and the Cartwright-built semitrailer for TNT.
Both were derived from extensive development projects including wind tunnel tests, run in conjunction with design engineers Ricardo AS&A and backed by the Dept of the Environment.
Besco, with its earlier ExeU Argos project hehind it, is further down the development road but Cartwright is the first to crusade with semi-trailers, Another manufacturer of air management systems, Windfoil had several exhibits at the NEC. from a shapely VW Caddy Cool foamed out and refrigerated by GRP Massey to a sleek 7.5-tonne curtainsider on the AWD stand.
The Papwocth-bodieci 8-14 featured a roof capping. side cheeks (with rear corner window recesses) and body side skirts.
In addition to wind deflecting bulkhead and side mouldings, Southfields Ultra 92 curtainsicler for Cornish Brewery also featured a stainless steel rear frame and door fittings.
The trailer's birch floor has a new Sika flex epoxy resin bonding which is being tried under dray work conditions.
Vaile too had a variety of shapely bodywork on display. among them a 13-tonne Freighter with its latest GRP Stviemaster system.
The system, which retails at around £1,450 and fitted to a 17 tonner, is also being developed for refrigerated/insulated purposes in conjunction with Mercedes and Hubbard.
Like Vaile, Hatcher Components claims no wind tunnel developments, but both point to their years of moulding experience as well as customer reports of improved fuel savings.
Considering it was exhibiting its range of cab and body fairings for the first time Hatcher reported considerable interest in the concept.
Not all exhibitors concentrated on saving money through the use of aerodynamics.
Boalloy, with a joint agreement safely secured between its parent Marling Industries and Schmitz to manufacture Taut liners in Germany, has also linked up with Transguard to make curtainsiders pilfer-proof.
system called Interlok allows an operator to activate pneumatic locks, using the trailer's own air supply. A combination lock secures the rear doors and curtain tensioners simultaneously. Custom seal cables and alarms can be added at extra cost.
French tanker manufacturer Magyar meanwhile, sought to illustrate long-term savings in the form of a new 36,000-litre petroleum tanker.
Built of stainless steel to ADR requirements and with bottom loading/vapour recovery. Magyar stresses greater fire resistance, and the higher mechanical stress characteristics over mild steel.
It is heavier and is also expected to be more expensive.
There was interest too in M&G's new sliding skeletal trailer. It is designed to accommodate the full range of 6.1m. 9.1m and 12..2m ISO containers and with its electrohydraulic drive system will slide a box rearwards to allow easier unloading. The trailer was shown complete with a 7.15m Tautliner swop body on a modified Krone baseframe for CTR's road/rail service in Germany.