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Travis Perkins
Page 60
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Travis Perkins operates about 1,200 vehicles with loading cranes; a few are 26-tonne 6x2 rigids, the rest predominantly 18, 15 and 7.5-tanners. It's an entirely Atlas fleet although it does run other marques such as Hiab, HMF and Bonfiglioli following business acquisitions.
Cranes are mainly the 3008 for 15-tonne vehicles, while 7.5-tonners use 45.1 cranes, the 18-tonners have the 3500, and 26-tonne 6x2 rigids carry 120 or 125 models. "It depends on the application," explains transport manager Graham Bellman (above) . "A 9t/m crane is excellent for brick and block paving work but when you have to deliver 1.9-tonne packs of plasterboard, you need to think very carefully about the crane's spec."
And training is paramount in this business, stresses Bellman. "All our operators are given proper training on crane familiarisation, assessed and issued with the operator's permit."
That applies even when Travis Perkins buys a business; it ensures new staff undergo refresher training in accordance with Construction Industry Training Board recommendations.
"We need to be confident that new employees are up to our standard," he says. "It may not be a legal requirement but it comes under best practice and we take it extremely seriously" Travis has also invested heavily in recent years, in safer designs, adding better side and rear access steps, and in getting the driver up high and able to look down on the load bed.
"Some customers expect our operators to place the product into tricky areas," says Bellman. "While we try to accommodate them, drivers shouldn't lose sight of the crane's main function which is to unload the vehicle safely."
All its newer vehicles have hydraulically extending/retracting legs with safety locking systems, along with overheight warnings, and alarmed interlocks to prevent the vehicle moving if the crane isn't stowed securely Bellman expects radio remote controls to become the norm, while a score of Travis Perkins 26-tanners already have rear-mount cranes with radio controls. They're being evaluated with a view to more widespread use, but it will be some time before they filter down to the bread and butter models, he adds.