THE CHEETAH FASTBACK IN NUMBERS
Page 36
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
In the three months since the Cheetah Fastback was launched, Cartwright Group has secured over 200 orders from eight new and existing customers.
It has helped that operators are more likely to replace trailers on a fleet than rigids, says director Steven Cartwright, due to the relative cost of a new rigid vehicle and body. Another selling point is that the Fastback design is applicable to a single-deck operation_ Many operators have looked at Cartwright's Cheetah Fastback product. Some orders have been in small quantities, but we have had some bigger orders," he says. Although the first two trailers that went into service in Holland were 4.0m-high trailers, some UK customers have reverted to 4.2m specifications.
"Customers ordering Fastback have either had experience of the Cheetah product or had the demonstration trailer, and have been able to establish their own figures. Our figures [see sidebar] of 10%, or higher, were confirmed by customers," he says.
Customers need around a month to establish the benefits of the Fastback. It might well come into its own once EU regulations for longer trailers have been clarified. Cartwright suggests the industry could well go for a trailer up to 15.6m long, but certain specifications must be met. "That would but everyone on a level playing field,' he says. "In the UK, as the double-deck is so popular with operators, it will stay the same length, 13.6m."