Dry powder boost
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• A Staffordshire dealer has discovered a lucrative niche market for used trailers, and is taking full advantage of it. Waterhouses Garage is importing second-hand dry powder tankers from the Continent, refurbishing them, and selling them to UK and overseas operators.
The company sells about 60 a year, and always has around 35 in stock, says managing director, Ian Buxton. They can range from a 33m3 cement tanker to a 63m3 tanker used to transport plastic pellets which Buxton has just sold.
Based on the A523 between Leek and Ashbourne, the firm runs an 18strong powder tanker rental fleet too.
Buxton started buying on the Continent when he couldn't find enough used tankers in Britain to satisfy the demand. 'Two years ago you couldn't buy a bottom discharge cement tanker in the UK for love nor money," he recalls. At present, however, he's finding there's a shortage of good used examples on the Continent too, "Polish customers are buying everything up," he reports.
Much of the refurbishment work carried out on the trailers centres on the brakes, he explains.
"They don't comply with UK requirements. We also have to move the discharge lines from the side to the rear, the lighting has to be changed, and they have to pass an annual test," Buxton says.
"Each tanker has to carry a pressure systems certificate too, and we have them certified by independent engineers.
"One of the big advantages we have is that if a customer wants a new tanker to start a contract, he'll have to wait for six months while it's hulk" he points out. "We can deliver a second-hand one immediately."